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Board debates Praxis suspension, edTPA and teacher retention strategies as shortages persist
Summary
Members pressed state staff on short‑ and long‑term ways to address teacher shortages, including options on Praxis cut scores, temporary suspension, alternative certification and retention efforts such as pay raises, Grow‑Your‑Own programs and targeted professional development.
The Alabama State Board of Education devoted substantial discussion to teacher shortages and credentialing requirements, including the Praxis teacher test and the edTPA performance assessment, as board members pressed for immediate and longer-term solutions.
Board members raised the possibility of a temporary suspension of Praxis administrations or use of a "floating scale" policy that combines Praxis, edTPA and grade‑point averages to grant provisional certificates. State staff said they had met repeatedly with Praxis administrators (ETS) and higher education deans to analyze options and that other states are using a range of approaches — from provisional certificates to state‑developed tests. "We asked them to give us some information about what other states are doing," staff said, describing recent conversations with Praxis and a peer state superintendent.
Several board members warned against eliminating content testing entirely, citing the profession's standards and historical litigation over state‑specific tests. Others emphasized retention and working conditions as equally critical: board members asked for a coordinated retention plan, a list of existing interventions (classroom management training, stipends, emergency certification and alternate routes) and a schedule of professional development the board could visit over the summer.
Staff described near‑term measures already in use: emergency certification pathways, the Teams incentives for math and science, alternate certification changes, clemency/recertification measures that have returned hundreds of former certificate holders to eligibility, and district‑level examples where raises and recruitment have materially reduced vacancies. On assessment details, staff noted that the department is studying standard error measures and that a hypothetical lowering by one standard error of measurement would have produced several hundred additional passing candidates in prior years.
Board members requested a series of follow‑ups: a comparison of other states' models (provisional certificates, floating‑scale options, state tests), alignment information showing how Praxis items map to Alabama standards where possible, edTPA rubrics or sample scoring guides, and a list of retention initiatives and their locations so board members could observe programs in person. The board did not take a formal vote on suspending Praxis during the meeting, but directed staff to present options at a future meeting.
No formal action was taken at the work session; board members instructed staff to gather data and return recommendations.
