PSS invested $2.5M to help teachers pass Praxis

The Public School System has already spent a total of $2.5 million to help its classroom teachers become highly qualified since the Board of Education adopted the HQT policy in 2006.

In a report to the Legislature, PSS disclosed that it spent $725,000 in 2006 to conduct a 40-hour seminar for its teachers, facilitated by experts from the University of Guam and the Northern Marianas College.

In 2007, another $900,000 was spent to assist teachers pass the Praxis test while $200,000 was spent in the summer of 2008 for the same purpose. In 2009, PSS spent $100,000 for another seminar for non-HQ teachers; it recorded $585,000 in expenses for the same purpose this school year, 2010-2011.

The investment has paid off for PSS in more ways than one.

“The investment that PSS has made in professional development for our teachers, of over $2.5 million in Praxis seminars and over $1 million in balanced leadership, purposeful communities, research-based strategies, using data to drive decision-making has resulted in a doubling of student scores on SAT 10 across the past five years,” the PSS report states.

In school year 2005, the system only had 81 highly qualified teachers, representing just 13 percent of the teacher population. This went up to 56 percent in school year 2007, 65 percent in 2008, 75 percent in 2009, and over 80 percent at present.

PSS has 595 classroom teachers and recruits on average 45 to 50 new teachers each year to replace those who retire or leave the system.

To build local capacity, the system created several campaigns and initiatives to increase students’ interest in education. Among these is the Teacher Academy Program, which was formed last year to create a pool of local teachers and reduce the high cost of recruiting teachers from off-island.

The Troops-to-Teachers program, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, was also created to enable returning soldiers to serve in public schools by helping them obtain their degrees.

To become highly qualified, a teacher must meet three requirements: obtain a degree, obtain teacher certifications, and pass two Praxis exams.

PSS only has until the end of July this year to comply with the USDOE’s mandate that requires 100 percent highly qualified personnel.