American Samoa teachers to sit job tests

Transcript

Teachers in American Samoa have been told they need to pass a test in order to keep their jobs.

That's caused some nervousness among teachers but the Director of Education says raising student achievement is the main driver.

She also intends hiring extra teachers from Samoa in an effort to address teacher shortages, which she hopes will also help raise standards.

Bridget Tunnicliffe reports:

Five hundred public school teachers in American Samoa are to be tested on their reading comprehension, writing and basic maths this Saturday as part of a reform of the education system. Teachers need to pass the test, known as Praxis I, to be able to continue teaching. The director of education, Vaitinasa Dr Salu Hunkin Finau, says studies have shown that there's a direct correlation between teacher quality and student achievement.

VAITINASA DR SALU HUNKIN FINAU: In the last 30 years plus, we have not seen our student performance move above average, we are at below basic so this is not good. We're looking at the system and this is one of the key things to help us change that, is helping the teachers become better prepared.

The Federation of Teachers' president Peni Te'o says some of his colleagues are anxious about the new requirement.

PENI TE'O: Initially most of them because here at Leone High School where I'm at I have 86 percent of the teachers have not taken the test. There is some nervousness making it manditory to take the test and also the fear of failing.

But Peni Te'o says this weekend's test is more about data collection so the Department of Education can see which areas teachers need help with and set up a mentoring programme for those who don't pass.
Vaitinasa says if teachers don't pass the first time they can sit the test again but says they must pass on the second attempt in order to keep their jobs. Our correspondent in American Samoa Monica Miller says parents are generally seeing the move as positive but they also recognise that qualifications aren't everything.

MONICA MILLER: There's some compassion for teachers who have been teaching but have the minimum requirements but their dedication makes up for the lack of teaching credentials, degrees particularly, so there's some sympathy for teachers in that category, and we do have a lot.

The director of education also plans on hiring educators from Samoa to address teacher shortages.
Vaitinasa says high rates of attrition among teachers is creating an urgent need to fill vacancies, which could be putting school children at a disadvantage. The Department intends to have teachers from Samoa in local classrooms when the new school year begins in September following a recruitment drive there last month, which netted close to 100 applications. Monica Miller says that too could help raise teaching standards.

MONICA MILLER: The attrition and turnover of staff at the Department of Education every year is so high that a lot of times they pretty much pick whoever applies and meets the minimum requirements but she says now is the time to really weed out the mediocre teachers and go for good quality.

Samoa has its own issues with teacher shortages but Monica Miller says salary packages offered in American Samoa are usually higher than their neighbours so would be very attractive.