Ms. Gwen Pollock
Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. First Street
Springfield, IL 62777-0001
Dear Gwen,
It was a pleasure to speak with you on October 23 about the portfolio component of the proposed licensure system for secondary school teachers. As promised, I have carried our discussion forward to the Executive Council of the Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (ISAAPT). The Executive Council met on October 25 and agreed that it would be in the best interest of secondary physics teachers, their students, and the people of the State of Illinois if representatives of the ISAAPT were involved in the assessment of physics teacher portfolios should this be part of a new licensure system.
The ISAAPT has among its membership some of the finest, most experienced physics teachers and physics teacher educators in the country. These teachers could serve as an excellent resource for the portfolio review process. This letter is to acknowledge the ISAAPT Executive Council's desire to bring this human resource to bear on the new assessment process should it become a reality. Because the ISAAPT does not advocate political change, this letter should not be construed as support for any modifications in the current certification system; rather, it should be seen as indicative of our general willingness to participate in the portfolio assessment process should it become part of the proposed licensure system.
I hope that you will keep the ISAAPT fully informed as progress is made toward achieving a new teacher licensure system for the State of Illinois. Of particular interest is an implementation timetable, pilot projects, and training sessions for establishing interrater reliability. The ISAAPT looks forward to hearing from and working with the ISBE as the new licensure program moves toward reality.
Cordially yours,
Carl J. Wenning, President
Illinois Section AAPT