Ritz Discusses State Education Issues During Visit
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
NORTH WEBSTER – While touring local schools, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz took time to answer questions from reporters and teachers about education issues. Ritz visited North Webster Elementary School and several schools in the Warsaw district Thursday. The first question brought up was about career specialist permits. On Wednesday, the Indiana State Board of Education approved a proposal by a vote of 7 to 3 to provide another way for people without a teaching degree to teach high school students, according to the Associated Press. Teachers have said it would devalue their profession and subject kids to unprepared educators. Ritz’s was one of the votes against the proposal. In her comments yesterday at North Webster, Ritz said she’s for voting to make sure Indiana has highly qualified teachers with the best training. She said a person can have the content to be a teacher, but without the pedagogy, that doesn’t mean they know how to teach. Teaching is a profession that should have very rigorous standards, she said. To qualify for the career specialist permit, college graduates with a 3.0 average in any subject would be able to teach, Ritz said. They also would need several thousand hours of professional experience in the subject they would teach. They would have to begin a teacher training program. The career specialist permit also is unnecessary as Indiana already has a transition to teaching program, where anyone with a bachelor’s degree can follow a pathway to becoming an educator without having a degree in education, Ritz said. “Rules are meant to be changed,” she said, adding that down the line the permit could also be changed. She then spoke about the revamped ISTEP test this year. In October, a sample of the new test will be available to teachers and to the public later on. The test will be totally aligned with the state standards, Ritz said. College and career readiness will be tied into the test, as will technology. “We will have a smooth transition” to the new test, she said. CTB/McGraw-Hill is still contracted to provide the testing for the 2014-15 school year, Ritz said. However, a request for proposals for testing has gone out for 2015-16. CTB/McGraw-Hill was blamed for computer disruptions during the 2013 statewide ISTEP exam. A North Webster teacher asked Ritz for ways they could support her as the state superintendent. “Most educators already are,” Ritz said. Not only were they supportive in the election that got her elected over Republican Tony Bennett, but they have also stayed involved. They write to their state legislators, the governor and to her about their concerns, she said. All around the state, education is at the top of Hoosiers’ priority lists. She also told the teachers that she released her budget request Thursday, and said the conversation at the state will be strong because it is a budget year. In her budget, she is asking for a 3 percent increase from the current biennial budget for public education, free textbooks and materials for all children and an increase in funding for technology. The free textbooks comment generated excitement among the North Webster teaching staff. She then said most people are surprised to find that she is so comfortable in her job, but she’s been a teacher for 34 years. During those years, she said she’s always been involved with policy but didn’t realize it. It’s been her passion to make sure kids have what they needed, she said. Over the years, she’s served on national and state teacher boards. She said she’s always been outspoken as far as education. “I love my job that I do, despite the politics,” she said. “I am focused on my job like a laser to get you what you need in your classroom.” In her comments, she also blasted the IREAD-3 test and the myriad of things that need fixed nationally in No Child Left Behind. She said she was excited Indiana got its NCLB waiver and about the changes in the A-F grading system of schools. As for early childhood education, she said the Indiana Department of Education has been focused on infrastructure for that. Students are required in Indiana to begin school at 7 years old, which means some children begin first grade without any kindergarten or preschool experience. Indiana doesn’t have mandatory kindergarten or fully funded full-day kindergarten. There currently is no infrastructure for pre-kindergarten education in the state. As long as early childhood education is voluntary, she said there will never be equity among students. “There are 14 states without infrastructure, and Indiana is one of those,” she said. Despite the areas in Indiana education that need work, Ritz said, “I do feel like we’re heading in some great directions. As we move forward, I’m very vocal about where I stand.” She finished by stating that Indiana has one Department of Education, and shouldn’t have two.
