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Aimee Hare is studying to be a teacher.
But she has a problem. Before she can take the next step and become a student teacher, she has to pass the Professional Readiness Exam, or PRE. She's taken the test twice and failed both times.
"I consider myself fairly intelligent," says Hare, "I have a lot to offer my students and it's hindering the abilities I have to give to my future students. This test is in the way."
Michigan has raised the bar for future teachers. Many aspiring1 teachers are having trouble meeting the higher expectations.
She's not alone. Many prospective2 teachers are failing the test in Michigan.
In the last year of the old Basic Skills test, roughly 9 out of 10 prospective teachers passed. But in the first year of the new Professional Readiness Exam, that pass rate fell to less than a third.
Leah Breen is the director of the office of professional preparation services at the Michigan Department of Education.
Breen says the old testing standard rested on the question: What does a teacher need to know to be minimally3 qualified4? The new the standard is: What does a teacher need to know to perform effectively?
"That language change, as slight as it sounds, has made a big impact on the content that is in our assessments," says Breen.
That language change, as slight as it sounds, has made a big impact on the content that is in our assessments," says Breen.
However, those teaching Michigan's future teachers say the new test is not relevant for what most teachers actually need to know.
Bob Barnett is the dean of the school of education at the University of Michigan-Flint. He says many students wait until they've invested two or three years earning a degree before taking the PRE.
"If they don't pass when they're ready to student teach, then they've invested a lot of time and money into a degree that may not ever happen for them," says Barnett.
He fears fewer students passing the exam will significantly decrease the number of new teachers entering the profession.
"And so the problem is that we have a teacher shortage ahead of us and a set of rules and regulations that are decreasing the potential number of students who could become teachers," says Barnett.
But the state education department's Leah Breen does not expect the tougher test will lead to a teacher shortage.
"We don't think it's going to impact our shortage areas, which are sometimes the higher math and sciences, because we expect that those individuals probably won't struggle with the content of the PRE as much as other candidates might," says Breen.
Another potential side effect of the higher standards is that some smaller teaching programs at Michigan colleges and universities could have a hard time attracting enough students. Several schools have already cut back because of falling interest in teaching as a profession.
Many deans say they hope the legislature will do something to change the PRE.
But that appears unlikely.
State Representative Amanda Price is the chair of the state House Education committee. She says she's glad to see students struggling to pass the Professional Readiness Exam.
"If we are going to be world-class in our education system," says Price, "it starts with really highly motivated and educated teachers."
Meanwhile, Aimee Hare is not giving up on her quest to become a teacher.
"It's very frustrating5. I'm very frustrated6 over it," Hare admits. "But I'm not letting it get the best of me."
State officials expect students will get better at taking the test and they will be better teachers.
收听单词发音 |
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aspiring
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| adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求 | |
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prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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3
minimally
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| 最低限度地，最低程度地 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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frustrating
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| adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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