Common Core for Teachers
December 10, 2012 | 8:30 a.m.
The American Federation of Teachers proposed a universal "bar exam" for teachers last week, arguing that the profession deserves to be associated with high standards and the rigorous training needed to meet them.
"There's this one universal assessment that would be available for adaptation. ...It would be so aligned with what new teachers need to know and be able to do. Just like the Common Core, many, many states would adopt it," said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
The association with the Common Core State Standards Initiative is no accident. The Common Core skirts the third rail of education politics--national standards--because its achievement standards for K-12 students were negotiated by state governors and voluntarily adopted by states. The standards may blanket the country, but there is no "education czar." Under AFT's vision for teachers, there