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State Skills Test Waived For City Schools Chief
Ohanian Comment: Your choice of where the outrage lies probably depends on your view of Praxis testing--and on your interpretation of the adage What's good for the goose, is good for the gander.
By Robert A. Frahm
Hartford's school superintendent, hired last fall to bolster the school system's lagging performance in reading and mathematics, won a reprieve this week from an exam that would have tested his own basic skills.
State lawmakers passed an amendment to waive Steven J. Adamowski's obligation to take a test required of all new educators in Connecticut under the state's certification regulations.
The veteran educator and school reformer had also been a superintendent in Ohio, New Jersey and Missouri before coming to Hartford last fall, but that did not exempt him from Connecticut's licensing requirements.
"Dr. Adamowski has spent most of his adult life leading school systems," said state Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, who introduced an amendment authorizing the waiver. "It seems evident he's well qualified to be superintendent in the city of Hartford."
Adamowski started his career as a teacher in New Haven and once worked as superintendent in Norwich, but that was long before Connecticut's current certification requirements were in place, officials said.
Adamowski was out of town Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.
Fleischmann, co-chairman of the legislature's education committee, said he would prefer that Adamowski "focus on reforming Hartford's schools rather than taking another exam."
The exam, known as Praxis I, tests fundamental reading, writing and math ability.
New administrators and teachers who come from out of state can be granted temporary licenses while they complete certification requirements, including the basic skills exam. Some veteran educators have questioned the need for the exam, but one state education official said she did not know of any in recent memory who had been granted a waiver.
"I do remember some seasoned superintendents coming in and having to take [the test]," said Frances Rabinowitz, associate commissioner in the state Department of Education. "Frankly, it's been very difficult at times to tell people they have to do this, but we have state statutes and regulations."
She said the certification regulations are under review.
"We certainly wouldn't want to lower our standards," she said, "but in some cases I don't think the requirements we have on the books right now make sense for all the situations we encounter."
— Robert A. Frahm
Hartford Courant
2007-06-08
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