Testing is a part of life. Most professions require some sort of test and you only get so many tries. But a News Station Investigation shows - when it comes to teaching or running a school, for thousands of North Texas educators its try, try and try again…and again.

The anticipation and pressure mounts on most any public school student in Texas every year as they are required to tackle the TAKS test before they can move on or graduate. But what about those running the classrooms? Fox 4 found lots of teachers repeatedly flunked the tests required to teach in Texas.

Lorraine Snowden is a teacher at Urban Park Elementary in East Dallas. State records show Snowden started taking her certification exams back in 1989 but failed year after year until she finally passed in 2003. She flunked exams a total of 54 times in 14 years.

“Can you tell us what happened?” asked Fox 4’s Becky Oliver. “I just needed one on one tutoring,” Snowden responded. Snowden told Fox 4 she worked as a substitute teacher until she passed the required certification exam to teach elementary school.

“How do you teach kids to take tests when you’ve had such a hard time passing tests yourself?” Oliver asked Snowden. “I teach them strategies they need for their grade level,” Snowden replied. “But isn’t that what the test is all about…knowing the strategies?” asked Oliver. “Yes,” Snowden replied.

Roberto Urbina is a teacher at W.H. Adamson High School. State records show he failed certification exams 44 times over a 10-year period. Urbina did pass exams allowing him to teach Spanish, Social Studies and History. Urbina did not want to be interviewed for this story.

The Texas Education Agency told Fox 4 most teachers in Texas pass certification exams on the first try. So, Fox 4 analyzed TEA’s teacher testing data to see how teachers at major school districts in North Texas fared on the first try. The records show: at Plano ISD 20% failed exams at least once; at Arlington ISD 25%; at Fort Worth ISD 34%; and at Dallas ISD 41% failed a test at least once, 3790 teachers. The data show 478 DISD teachers failed a test at least 5 times. 71 of them took 10 times or more to pass a certification exam.

Emma Hurd is a teacher at Cuellar Elementary in DISD. Hurd failed her tests a total of 49 times in 11 years before getting certified in 2005. Hurd didn’t want to interview with Fox 4 on camera but told Becky Oliver on the phone she doesn’t think certification tests “relate to teaching kids” and the process is “political.”

Fox 4 spoke with former DISD Board President, Sandy Kress, who is now an educational consultant with Excellence in the Classroom, about DISD teacher test records. “I was shocked by it and I find it unbelievable. I almost don’t believe the words on the page,” Kress told Fox 4’s Becky Oliver. “The inability over a period of time to pass a test like that is a very bad sign about a teacher’s ability to be successful in the classroom,” Kress explained. “(It is) highly unlikely you are going to find an effective teacher among those who can’t pass those minimum competency tests.”

Fox 4 also spoke with Cassandra Black, who is in charge of teacher certification for DISD. “You keep trying because that is the way to be successful,” Black told Becky Oliver. Black says DISD doesn’t hire based on how many times a teacher took a test before passing or how they scored. She argues that a teacher’s failures can actually be beneficial. “As an educator I am not going to slam someone that keeps trying because then the point of education would be mute,” Black explained. “The bottom line is – TEA, in its best efforts, or anyone who creates a test…it is going to be somewhat subjective,” said Black.

The Texas Education Agency says whether or not teachers think tests are subjective, they are extremely important. “These are the key elements that every teacher should know before they go in to the classroom,” said Ray Glenn, Director of Educator Certification and Standards for TEA. “You want to make sure that a person is competent to teach the subject matter and then, too, you want to make sure they have the appropriate instructional strategies,” Glenn continued.

It’s not just teachers Fox 4 found having trouble passing certification exams. Dolores Chavez failed the exam required for school principals 16 times. State records don’t show her ever passing the exam. Yet Fox 4 found her working as an assistant principal at Barbara Jordan Elementary School.

Becky Oliver spoke with Cassandra Black about Chavez. “She does not have a certificate?” Oliver asked. “She does not have a certificate,” Black responded. “And she is not in a provisional program?” Oliver asked.

“Not that we can identify,” Black confirmed. “But she has been in this position since the beginning of the year?” Oliver asked. “It would appear so,” Black replied. Chavez could qualify as a principal or assistant principal if she were enrolled in a certification training program. “How she, first of all, was placed without being certified, I am not 100% certain,” Black told Oliver. The day after Becky Oliver’s interview with Cassandra Black, DISD informed Fox 4 that Delores Chavez was removed from her position at Jordan Elementary and reassigned within the district.

Stephanie Hall is an assistant principal at Thomas Rusk Middle School. She flunked the exam required for principals 18 times in 6 years before passing. Rusk Middle School is one of 5 DISD schools slated for reorganization because of low academic ratings. Hall told Fox 4’s Becky Oliver she would interview on camera but she never returned calls.

TEA records show 88 DISD principals and assistant principals failed their certification exams at least once. 27 failed their exams 3 times or more. 12 failed more than 5 times before passing.

Earlier this month, DISD unveiled its new plan to improve student achievement. Fox 4 asked DISD Superintendent, Dr. Michael Hinojosa about educator testing and certification. “There is a difference between certification and qualification,” Dr. Hinojosa replied. “Some people take a little longer to meet the tests that are required but they still have to accomplish that. Even if they pass that, it does not guarantee they will be employed in that classroom if they are not moving the students,” said Dr. Hinojosa.

Download the Data:

If you’d like to check the certification record of your child’s teacher or principal, you can run their name through the State Board of Educator Certification online certification record search at https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECONLINE/virtcert.asp [2]

*All records analyzed for this story were obtained by Fox 4 from the Texas Education Agency. These records are publicly available through the Texas Public Information Act to anyone who requests them.

**If you do not find the teacher or principal you are looking for in these certification test records, any of the following could explain why:

• The educator obtained certification while employed at another school district or in another state.
• The educator had a name change due to marriage or divorce.
• The educator is not certified and/or has not taken the required tests.