WASHINGTON — Schoolteachers should have to pass a stringent exam — much like the bar exam for lawyers — before being allowed to enter the profession, one of the nation’s largest teachers unions said Monday.
The proposal from the American Federation of Teachers calls for a tough new written test to be complimented by stricter entrance requirements for teacher training programs, such as a minimum grade point average.
“It’s time to do away with a common rite of passage into the teaching profession, whereby newly minted teachers are tossed the keys to their classrooms, expected to figure things out, and left to see if they and their students sink or swim,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten, calling that system unfair to students and teachers alike.
The proposal, released Monday as part of a broader report on elevating the teaching profession, calls for a new test to be developed by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The nonprofit group currently administers the National Board Certification program, an advanced, voluntary teaching credential that goes beyond state standards.
There is no single, national standard for teacher certification, although the federal government does ask states to meet certain criteria to be eligible for federal funding.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan commended the proposal, describing it as part of a broader push to raise the bar for teachers and enable schools to predict a teacher’s potential for success in the classroom.
“Too many new teachers enter our schools feeling unprepared. We shouldn’t tolerate that in a profession so important to our country’s future,” Duncan said in a statement.
The union’s executive council will consider whether to approve the report at a February meeting. Other teachers unions, such as the National Education Association, have yet to weigh in on the proposal.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
