Back in the mid-90s, when I hit the "age barrier" in upper-level Hollywood, I briefly considered the option of doing some substitute teaching in LAUSD (a fate I was eventually saved from by being monolingual), but I took the C-BEST exam, the California state teacher's competency exam (in which you demonstrate a 9th grade level of knowled…
Back in the mid-90s, when I hit the "age barrier" in upper-level Hollywood, I briefly considered the option of doing some substitute teaching in LAUSD (a fate I was eventually saved from by being monolingual), but I took the C-BEST exam, the California state teacher's competency exam (in which you demonstrate a 9th grade level of knowledge). Unlike everyone else who took it that day, I did not take any cram courses, and the last time I had done "story problems" was in 1958. We had three hours to take the test. I finished in about an hour and 15 minutes and got many surprised looks when I turned it in and left, the first one to do so. Two weeks later I got my result - 94th percentile! At least a third of the test-takers - and most looked to be recent college graduates - failed it.
it's funny...when it looked as if I wouldn't get any social work positions in the NYCBE, I took the equivalent test ("general knowledge"). I was genuinely bugged by how easy it was, and I made sure in the "writing sample") that I used a lot of complicated sentences (which is to say, lots of dashes and semicolons). it turned out I'd gotten two wrong answers (one relating to books I hadn't read and the other had two perfectly good answers, but I probably picked the wrong one--and I still maintain I was right). in the essay, my score was perfect.
and I was still angry because I didn't feel like I'd be comfortable with any kid of mine (theoretical kids, of course) being taught by someone who'd need a cram course to pass THAT test.
Back in the mid-90s, when I hit the "age barrier" in upper-level Hollywood, I briefly considered the option of doing some substitute teaching in LAUSD (a fate I was eventually saved from by being monolingual), but I took the C-BEST exam, the California state teacher's competency exam (in which you demonstrate a 9th grade level of knowledge). Unlike everyone else who took it that day, I did not take any cram courses, and the last time I had done "story problems" was in 1958. We had three hours to take the test. I finished in about an hour and 15 minutes and got many surprised looks when I turned it in and left, the first one to do so. Two weeks later I got my result - 94th percentile! At least a third of the test-takers - and most looked to be recent college graduates - failed it.
now THAT is actually pretty shocking. FAILED IT??
maybe that's why every friend I ever had from that part of the world would begin to shake whenever they mentioned the possibility of working in LAUSD.
it's funny...when it looked as if I wouldn't get any social work positions in the NYCBE, I took the equivalent test ("general knowledge"). I was genuinely bugged by how easy it was, and I made sure in the "writing sample") that I used a lot of complicated sentences (which is to say, lots of dashes and semicolons). it turned out I'd gotten two wrong answers (one relating to books I hadn't read and the other had two perfectly good answers, but I probably picked the wrong one--and I still maintain I was right). in the essay, my score was perfect.
and I was still angry because I didn't feel like I'd be comfortable with any kid of mine (theoretical kids, of course) being taught by someone who'd need a cram course to pass THAT test.