Letters

To the Editor:

Recently, I was asked to attend an informal meeting at a local school district, as I will graduate in December with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree in elementary education. At the meeting, we education students were told that none of us would be hired until we have passed our Examination for the Certification of Educators Test, or EXCET, because of requirements in the "No Child Left Behind" Act of 2001 ( "City Districts Seek Teachers With Licenses," Sept. 11, 2002).

What I am having problems understanding is how the district can continue to hire alternative-certification teachers, who are not eligible to take their certification test until next year, but not be able to hire recent teacher education majors who have gone to college to be teachers and who are going to be taking their test this fall. It...