I have close friends who are or were teachers but I knew next to nothing about the actual curriculum they took to become teachers. As I mentioned above, since I had no desire or intention of entering a teacher education program, I relied on the written and verbal information I was given by the State Department of Education. I was informed that, yes, there were alternative “paths” to becoming a teacher but all of them included successfully negotiating something called the ‘PRAXIS” (Don’t ask me what “PRAXIS” means, I don’t know.) Passing this test, however, was somehow magically going to improve teacher quality in the Commonwealth.

PRAXIS is a test concocted by Educational Testing Services in New Jersey. E.T.S. is the company that has the semi-monopoly on the college admissions test (S.A.T.) and pretty much controls the test that qualifies for darn near anything. I secretly believe that E.T.S.’s long-term goal is to have a test for every job in the world! You want to pick lettuce? Ya gotta pass an E.G.S. test. Want to play basketball? Your score better be good.

It seems entirely possible that some future Pope will have to take and pass a special “Pope Test” so as to insure he has the proper Papal credentials. After all, you want to insure that you have a highly qualified candidate as Head of the Holy See.

I can almost see it now…The future pope receives his failure notice from E.T.S. He opens it and it reads:


“Dear Cardinal Manicotti, this letter is to inform you that while you were duly elected Pope—we all saw the white smoke—you did not pass your required E.T.S Pope Test. You missed the history question on the reign of Pope Urban V by two years. You can re-test in 6 months. We will be conducting a special Papal workshop in your area soon and have a special study kit that includes high school yearbook pictures of all the Popes going back to Peter that can be purchased for the bargain price of only 5,000 Euro. Unfortunately, Your Almost Holiness, credit cards are not accepted. Better luck next time. Carpe. Diem

Best regards, Your Friends at E.T.S.”


For teachers in Virginia there are three (a magic number?) sub-tests that each individually had to be completed and passed. The three sub-tests are: Math, Reading Interpretation, and Writing Assessment. Each of these tests required a score of at least 300 points. If you were just one point under 300 on any of the three tests…”Sorry, Charlie, only the best tuna…” Being under the magic score meant you had to take that particular test over and over and over again until you got 300 points. Hey, they have standards you know.

Each state that used the PRAXIS could decide what its passing score or scores would be. Virginia, not to be outdone by anyone, just happened to have the highest threshold for passing scores than any state in the nation! Hey, its called bragging rights. “Our state is tougher than your state.” “Our teachers have to wade through more do-do than your teachers. Ergo, they are more qualified.” It is definitely a macho thing writ large at the state level. It’s the “little people”, though, who fight the battles. The “big people” make the rules.