NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP/WMOT) — An influential education advocacy group is pushing for Tennessee teacher candidates to face higher academic standards before they even begin taking college classes.
The move by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education comes after state education officials linked teacher effectiveness to better ACT scores.
SCORE says some colleges and universities admit teacher education students with marks as low as 15 on the college admissions test.
But Dr. Phil Waldrop of Middle Tennessee State’s College of Education says that’s not the whole story.
“That is true for the university. It’s not true for teacher education, because you’ve always had to have an ACT of at least 22, or you had to take an alternative test called ‘Praxis One’ in order to be admitted."
Waldrop says new teacher qualifications will need to be considered carefully to avoid causing a teacher shortage in coming years.