(AP) -- AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Several thousand first-year elementary

school teachers in Texas will have to take exams as early as this

spring, the U.S. Department of Education has ordered, rejecting an

appeal from the state to waive the requirement.

In a letter to state Education Commissioner Robert Scott this

week, the federal agency said first-year teachers in elementary and

some middle schools who didn't pass a "generalist" exam measuring

knowledge in core subjects are not in compliance with federal

standards and must be tested. Texas has a week to come up with a

testing plan.

However, federal officials did exempt teachers who specialize in

music, art and similar courses from the generalist exam. That

waiver may cover thousands of first-year fine-arts teachers.

Debbie Ratcliffe, a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency,

said there is no estimate yet on how many teachers will have to

take the exam. Before the waiver for fine arts teachers was

granted, state officials said as many as 30,000 new teachers hired

in the current school year might have to take the exam.

Texas schools typically hire about 45,000 new teachers each

year.

"We're pleased with the ruling because we didn't think we would

win on any front," Ratcliffe said Friday. "We're glad they

recognized the special circumstances of fine arts teachers."

Teachers hired before the current school year were already

exempted from the testing requirement, which is meant to ensure

that teachers are "highly qualifed."

Most new teachers passed only a certification exam in a specific

subject, which the state backed by the Bush administration at the

time said was sufficient to be licensed as a teacher. Teachers also

must pass a separate pedagogy and professional responsibilities

exam.

But an Oct. 19 monitoring report from the education department

said the state is in violation of federal law and must submit a

timeline and plan to implement the requirement that those teachers

pass a multi-subject exam.

State education officials have been directed to submit a plan to

test the teachers and come in compliance with federal law by Jan.

15.

Secondary school teachers are generally unaffected by the

federal action, since they tend to teach in just one subject. Most

elementary school teachers, though, educate students in multiple

subjects.

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