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Calif. Physics Certification (YUK)

It seems as if I was needlessly disturbed about the quality of new
Physics teachers in California. I stated that they would receive only 6
hours of instruction before certification. Jean Beard, who heads up the
Natural Science Education section of San Jose State University send me
the following information:

The program...is from Cal Poly Pomona, called SCA---, for
Southern CA - - . It offers a sequence of Saturday courses. Each >course meets 3 Saturdays, and requires the preparation of lesson >plans to teach some of the concepts. The total package will earn >them 10 semester units in upper division Physics, which is enough for >a PHYSICS SUPPLEMENTARY CREDENTIAL (caps mine).
This will indeed allow them to be H.S. Physics teachers, along with >whatever else they are credentialed to teach, apparently most often >Biology.

I am relieved. Seems the 45 hours of methods class that I took plus the
hundreds of hours of supplemental workshops were not necessary to teach
Physics in today's high school. All that is needed today is about 18
hours.

I'm sure that Physics enrollments in California will soar. As will the
failure rate. But it is PC to grant access to all. It is not
psychologically correct to place students into programs were they will
fail but I'm sure that the administrators will (1) change grades (2)
pressure teachers to pass students (3) change course titles...Physics
becomes a non-college bound class, Honors Physics becomes a minimalistic
college bound class (they have to do MATH!!!) and AP Physics becomes the
traditional physics course. NEWSPEAK.

Ray Rogoway
Independence High
San Jose, CA (where quantity replaces quality)