Less than a year ago, Fox News in Dallas revealed that 41 percent of Texas teachers failed the state's certification test at least once, and nearly five percent failed it at least four more times. (One aspiring teacher took the test 55 times until she finally passed, 14 years later.)

It took proposed changes in the licensing law in Massachusetts to make Texas regulators look tough: the Massachusetts State Senate has approved a bill that allows aspiring teachers who fail the certification test three times to get licensed anyway. With a lopsided vote in the legislature, and the bill's apparent support by the current chair of the state Board of Education (soon to become the first "state education secretary"), it looks like teacher tutors will have to find a new line of work.

Last month's TQB noted a similar bill that passed in Indiana, but was wisely vetoed by governor Mitch Daniels.

Licensing exams may not be perfect measures of a teacher's academic and professional knowledge, but they're hardly tests of rocket science. Most are pegged to assess the skills of a middle schooler.

As Massachusetts State Senator Richard Tisei said, "[People] do think that we're really lowering the bar, and what type of message does that send to the kids?"