KANSAS CITY - How high should a prospective teacher's own GPA be before they can hand out grades to students?
The Missouri State Board of Education is publishing notice of a rules change coming next summer. It would to lower the requirements for new teachers.
Right now, they have to have a 3.0 grade point average in the specific subject area they want to get certified to teach. This proposal would lower that to a 2.5.
The board says districts are having trouble finding new teachers, specifically for STEM subjects.
Chris Gaines of Education Plus, a consortium of area school districts, says individual teachers always select their own hires and then decide whether to retain them based on performance.
Prospective teachers still have to pass state assessments in their chosen content area.
None of Missouri's eight border states have any kind of minimum GPA requirement in content areas.