Trainee teachers to face tougher entry tests

Teacher trainees in England face tougher tests in English, mathematics and reasoning from next September.They were developed by a panel of heads and experts following complaints current tests were too easy.Education Secretary Michael Gove says the rigorous selection of trainees is key to raising standards.He added: These changes will mean that parents can be confident that we have the best teachers coming into our classrooms.Above all, it will help ensure we raise standards in our schools and close the attainment gap between the rich and poor.The move follows a government-commissioned review by a panel of heads and educationists of the current skills tests for people wishing to become teachers.The new exams replace simple arithmetic with more complex mathematical problems without the help of calculators.And there will be longer written exercises rather than straightforward word identification. In English, as now, candidates will be tested on spelling, grammar and punctuation.We also want teaching to be a real choice for top graduates”The pass mark has been raised and there are also questions in verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning.These will take the form of on-screen and verbal tests to assess the candidates ability to solve problems, recognise patterns, think laterally, evaluate and analyse issues.But, perhaps most importantly, from September 2013 anyone wishing to train to be a teacher must pass these tests before attending a training course. Currently trainees sit these later on in their course.Candidates will also be limited in the number of times they can retake the test, being allowed to sit it three times. Anyone who fails three attempts will not be allowed to take the test again for a further two years.But unions have expressed concerns about the move - saying it places too much emphasis on those who are new to teaching.Association of Teachers and Lecturers past president Julia Neal said: If youre going to raise standards its not just about recruiting teachers in the first place, it is actually keeping them and retaining them.I do think that sometimes theres a message going out which is really just undermining the profession. Are we saying that teachers at the moment arent good enough because they havent passed these tests?I do worry about the message thats going out about the profession.Charlie Taylor, chief executive of the Teaching Agency, and Joe Grant, a prospective trainee teacher, discuss the planned changes.The current tests were introduced between 2000 and 2003, amid concerns about the standard of teachers literacy, numeracy and ICT.