Nevada Judge Upholds Basic-Skills Test, Gives Teachers Course-Credit Alterna

By Melanie Lasoff

Nevada teachers who fail a required basic-skills test can instead take college courses to satisfy competency requirements, a state judge ruled last week.

But District Court Judge Don P. Chairez also ruled that the state has a right to test teachers who want a license and that the Pre-Professional Skills Test is valid.

"The decision is sort of a win-win for everyone," said Martin Kravitz, a lawyer representing the Clark County Teachers Association and a group of teachers who had failed the test. "The best part is that the jobs [of teachers who have not passed the skills...