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Student asks State Board to allow minus‑one standard‑error rule for Praxis passing score
Summary
A senior education student told the Alabama State Board of Education at its July meeting that hundreds of teacher candidates who have finished coursework cannot get certification because of higher Praxis passing scores and urged adoption of a minus‑one standard‑error measurement policy.
Livingston Long, a senior secondary math education student at Athens State University, told the Alabama State Board of Education at its July meeting that hundreds of college students across the state have completed their coursework but have not passed the Praxis exam required for teacher certification.
Long said the Praxis passing score for his exam, the 5161 math content knowledge test, is currently 160 and that the passing score had previously been 145 before it was raised in steps between Oct. 1, 2018, and Oct. 1, 2020. He told the board his closest score was 159 on April 11 and urged the board to support “the proposal for the minus 1 standard error measurement requirement to obtain a professional” certificate.
The request came during the board’s public‑comment period; Mrs. Thornton, a board staff member who announced public‑comment procedures, told speakers they could address only matters on the current board agenda and that each speaker would have two minutes.
Long described his teaching experience and academic record while urging the board to consider the testing‑standard change. “It is my sincere hope that you support the proposal for the minus 1 standard error measurement requirement to obtain a professional I the effort that you put forth to elevate Alabama's educational program standards,” he said.
The board did not discuss or vote on the Praxis policy during the portion of the meeting in the provided transcript. No staff presentation or formal agenda item regarding Praxis cut scores is recorded in the supplied transcript excerpt.
The public‑comment portion of the meeting included one speaker, and the board moved on to other business after the comment concluded.
