House panel OKs requiring teachers to pass a skills test

A bill requiring the equivalent of a board exam for Utah teachers passed a House committee on Monday after a lengthy debate.

The proposal was approved by the Senate earlier this month in a 22-3 vote. But it split the Republican members of the House Education Committee and would have failed if not for supporting votes by the committee's two Democrats.

Sponsored by Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, SB78 would require graduates of a university education program to pass a test of pedagogical skills — such as lesson planning and classroom management — prior to obtaining a teaching license.

Teachers who enter the profession through an alternative route, like the new Academic Pathway to Teacher, would be required to complete the pedagogical assessment before their third year in the classroom.

Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/news/4992294-155/house-panel-oks-requiring-teachers-to