- In Austin, Texas state board has voted to authorize a new teacher certification exam, but changes to current policy wouldn’t come any sooner than next year. The Texas Tribune reports the State Board for Educator Certification voted on Friday to replace the old Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam with a different test. Board members voted 8-to-1 to adopt a test called the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment. The State Board of Education must still approve the test before it would be adopted for new Texas teachers. The Texas Tribune reports board is expected to consider the matter in June.
- This week is the first official full week on the job for the new president of the University of Texas at Arlington. Jennifer Cowley is the 10th UTA president and the first woman to hold the job. With a report, here’s KERA’s Kailey Broussard.
Jennifer Cowley says she wants to push UTA forward on both diversity and research. She's credited with doubling the money spent on research and improving representation among University of North Texas faculty. She had served as provost there since 2017. Cowley was appointed in February after the UT System Board of Regents named her the only finalist. She's the first permanent president in nearly two years. UTA started, then paused its search in 2020 as the first wave of COVID-19 cases hit north Texas. Teik Lim served as interim president during that time and helped Cowley transition into her new role. I'm Kailey Broussard in Arlington.
