Teacher certification in Connecticut hasn’t seen major changes since the 1990s, but that’s going to change soon. The Connecticut Educator Preparation and Certification Board is charged with modernizing and aligning educator preparation and certification to attract and retain teachers.
Newington teacher and CEA Board of Directors member Jennifer Rodriguez, Newington teacher and Connecticut Teacher of the Year Council member Elsa Batista, Glastonbury Education Association President Kristen Basiaga, and New Haven Federation of Teachers Vice President Jenny Graves are representing teachers on the Board.
In the latest episode of CEA’s podcast, Rodriguez and Batista talk with CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn DeLancey about the work of the Board and the importance of educators’ voice in updating the certification standards. (Find out more about the Board, including who is serving on it and how to contact members, here.)
“As educators who are in the classroom every single day with our students, it’s imperative that our voices are at the table where decisions are being made ” Batista says.
Rodriguez, who chairs the Board, says it will be looking at many aspects of certification, including the tests required to obtain certification.
“Being tested on my ability to teach about World War II is not relevant to what I’m doing every day as a first-grade classroom teacher,” she says. “As educators, we bring the lived experience of not just the assessment, but how did it apply to the curriculum and the standards I’m held accountable for.”
Listen to the entire conversation below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
