Just What This Country Needs

Less-prepared teachers:

In an attempt to relieve Illinois’ severe teacher shortage, state lawmakers last year voted to remove a requirement known as the “basic skills test.” That test has proven to be a stumbling block, especially for people pursuing the profession later in life, as a second career.

California's "basic skills test", the California Basic Educational Skills Test, is at about the 8th grade level for reading, writing, and math.

But back to the story.  So much wrong here:

But even after earning a degree in educational studies, she couldn’t pass the state’s Basic Skills Test. The math portion, with 60 story problems, gave her the most trouble. That’s partly because, at age 52, McConohy hasn’t taken a rigorous math class in decades. But it’s partly because the test is tough. Only 31 percent of college students pass the math portion on the first try.

University students (at most schools) need to have passed Algebra 2 to get into said university.  Exactly what topics are covered on this test, such that so many fail?  It can't be that hard if every teacher in the entire state has passed it.  Back to the wrong:

In order to focus on preparing for that test, McConohy quit her part-time job, which was, somewhat ironically, working in an after-school program as a math tutor.

Words fail me.

OK, I have a few.  Someone who wants to be a teacher, someone who knows a test is coming up, can't prepare sufficiently for a basic skills test and the problem is the test?  So much for setting the example.