Dec. 8, 2007 – The Virgin Islands Department of Education in conjunction with Educational Testing Services has validated the Praxis II in nine areas to include: English, mathematics, special education, elementary education: content knowledge, elementary education: principles of learning, general Sciences, reading, English as a Second Language (ESL), and school leadership, according to Education's Human Resources Director Alscess Lewis-Brown.
Elementary school teachers with an Elementary Education degree who are not content area highly qualified will be required to take the Elementary Education-Content Knowledge Praxis II examination to become highly qualified. Secondary school teachers who do not hold a degree in their assigned subject area can take the Praxis II examination in that particular subject to achieve content area highly qualified status, and teachers hired prior to 2001 may achieve highly qualified status by completing the High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation or HOUSSE to become content area highly qualified.
In order to assist teachers and administrators prepare for these tests, Education has purchased study guides that are available on loan. It will pay the examination fee for a limited number of teachers and school administrators in each of the nine areas. Spaces are limited and will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Teachers and administrators may sign up at the Human Resources in both districts between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 11 through Thursday, Dec. 13. On Friday, Dec. 14, they can sign up between 8 a.m. and noon. Tutorials are also available through UVI-CELL. Principals may contact the Human Resources to arrange tutorials for their respective schools.
For more information, contact the Division of Human Resources offices at 772-3848, on St. Croix, or 774-0100 ext. 8039, on St. Thomas.
