AACTE Statement on AFT ‘Raising the Bar’ Report

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has released a new report, Raising the Bar: Aligning and Elevating Teacher Preparation and the Teaching Profession. The report calls for a systemic approach and more rigorous standards to prepare teachers for successful careers, including establishing a professional bar that all teacher candidates must clear to enter the profession. As one part of this approach, the AFT proposes a formative and summative assessment of teacher candidates’ performance before they are allowed to become practicing teachers.