State Board of Regents plans to require new teachers to show classroom expertise and prove they can improve test scores before they are certified.

"It's a sea change to focus on the practice rather than a quasi-academic paper and pencil test," said state Education Commissioner David Steiner.

 

Some education experts said that while state officials had identified the right problem - getting highly qualified teachers into high-needs schools - they are hesitant about the proposal.

 

"When you want to attribute learning to a specific teacher, it's extremely complicated," said William Baldwin, vice provost at Columbia University's Teachers College.