A state board has modified certain guidelines for a test used to assess teachers in South Dakota.
The Praxis test is a teacher’s barometer, testing knowledge and classroom skills they’ll use every single day. It's up to each state to balances the demands of that test.
Kathryn Blaha is the director of accreditation and certification with the Department of Education. She said they always have an eye on the test's cut line.
“The Educational Testing Service, also known as ETS, analyzes and regenerates the Praxis test on a rotational basis," Blaha said. "Any of these regenerated tests that are utilized for South Dakota educator certification are reviewed by the department and recommended for adoption. The special education foundation knowledge test number 5355 is a test that has recently undergone this process.”
She said a group of ETS representatives and South Dakota teachers participated in the state's process. Well over 80 percent of educators recommended following the ETS score, though some pushed for an option that was one step down from that recommendation.
Special education teachers are in extremely high demand statewide. Blaha said while this proposal would change the test slightly, they will continue to monitor results year-to-year.
“The pass rate of SPED5354 – the old outgoing test – since 2017 has ranged from a 98 to a 100 percent pass rate," Blaha said. "The regenerated test is being recommended for adoption based on the feedback from stakeholders that attended and represented both the educator prep programs and special ed teachers from the South Dakota field.”
The reworked cut score was adopted unanimously with little discussion. The transition period over the next calendar year will allow teachers to decide to take either the new test or the old test. After that period, aspiring teachers will be required to take the new test.