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Report: UW-Parkside failing to properly certify teachers

Kenosha-based university may lose state certification

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(AP) - The University of Wisconsin-Parkside has not been properly preparing students to become licensed teachers and is at risk of losing its state certification, according to a report released Wednesday. The school’s teacher preparation program admitted students who didn’t pass a required exam and allowed them to student teach without passing necessary courses and a second mandatory exam, according to the Department of Public Instruction report. The DPI said the program has “serious deficiencies” and does not meet many state standards. The department warned the school must fix the problems soon or it will no longer sanction the program, which would mean graduates would no longer qualify for Wisconsin teaching licenses. The report said a number of current students may be at risk of not completing program requirements and thus may be ineligible for teaching licenses without additional work. UW-Parkside will have to certify that all graduates have met the necessary requirements for them to receive licenses, said DPI spokesman Patrick Gasper. He said the agency would not review other UW-Parkside graduates who have been licensed to teach in recent years because the investigation focused on current practices. UW-Parkside, a school of about 5,000 students in Kenosha, is one of more than 30 public and private universities whose graduates can become licensed teachers under agreements with DPI. Interim UW-Parkside Chancellor Lane Evans said the university has reassigned the program’s director, Kelly McFatter, and decided not to renew her employment contract. McFatter did not return a phone message for comment. In a letter to students enrolled in the program on Tuesday, Evans said the school was already taking steps to fix the problems. “I understand that a midsemester crisis leaves no one, least of all students, unscathed, but I want you to know that we are all joining forces to correct the problems,” he wrote. “We will do all that we can to affirm our reputation as a program that produces knowledgeable, reflective teachers for the local community and the state.” Evans said retired professor Dwayne Olsen had agreed to return to help students and ensure that teacher licensing and program accreditation requirements are met. He said Francine Tompkins, a senior academic planner in the UW System, would also be leading a leadership team to respond to the report. If the problems are not fixed within 60 days, DPI officials will visit the campus and determine whether to cut ties with the program. DPI launched its investigation after receiving a detailed complaint alleging numerous irregularities from a campus whistleblower. UW-Parkside substantiated many of the allegations and DPI sent a team to conduct an onsite visit and review. The report found: - Students were admitted to the program without passing the Praxis I exam required for admission. In a program for Korean students, only six of 15 of them passed the test. Despite the problem, all of them have been scheduled to student teach this fall. DPI said the Korean program should stop taking students. - Students were allowed to student teach without passing the Praxis II, which is supposed to be required, or completing some necessary courses. - Students have been given credit for independent study courses that did not comply with university policy and “did not fulfill original course requirement content.” - Advisers in the program have given students “inconsistent information” about requirements, putting them at risk of not being licensed. - Some students did not have evaluations from cooperating teachers whom they must observe for 150 hours before student teaching and did not meet requirements demonstrating proficiency in multicultural education.