House Leaders Debate Education Bill

Another top priority in the reauthorization is to provide more support for our teachers and principals. I have proposed a portable performance-based teacher assessment that would be used to reliably evaluate teaching skills in practice and could be used to facilitate the portability of teacher credentials and licensing from one state to another. We also need to provide state-of-the-art mentoring for new teachers, career ladders for teachers, and performance pay for teachers based on fair and proven models.

Without question, the single most important thing we as a nation can do to drive improvements in our schools is ensure that all students are taught by outstanding teachers that are respected and rewarded for producing growth in student achievement. As you know, teacher certification and licensing has traditionally been a responsibility of individual states. The highly qualified teacher provisions included in NCLB maintained state responsibility for certifying teachers, but required states to include certain elements in the certification process to guarantee that teachers enter classrooms with the subject matter knowledge and teaching skills necessary for effective instruction.

I share your concern about teacher certification reciprocity across multiple states; with pronounced shortages in many urban and rural locations, easier movement for prospective teachers across states and districts could be an important strategy for addressing these shortages. Because teacher certification is a state responsibility, a comprehensive solution will need to come from the states. Several organizations, including the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification, have taken initial steps to address this issue and I hope that progress continues to accelerate.