Adding teachers

One important accomplishment of this year's session of the Missouri Legislature, which ends Friday, has been the passage of a bill that provides for alternative certification of public-school teachers. The bill, signed in Cape Girardeau by Gov. Matt Blunt, addresses many of the concerns that have been raised about allowing "experienced professionals" to teach.

Under this new program, professionals who want to teach will be required to have 60 practice hours, attend workshops, pass a multiple-choice test, complete 30 hours of professional development within four years, enroll in a two-year mentoring program and get a "successful" performance-based teacher evaluation, all overseen by the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence.

Blunt cited a "critical" shortage of teachers in some subject areas, such as math and science. With this new legislation, that shortage can be addressed while maintaining a level of certification administered by a national board. Missouri is the eighth state to adopt alternative certification.