GRE
Had a meeting today with various people from the School of Education to discus the creation of an Master of Arts in Teaching degree. I was included in the meeting because the coursework will parallel the coursework for MTC. There was discussion of whether to include the GRE as part of the application process for this new program (I think the GRE should be included as an admission requirement). Anyway, this got me thinking about MTC as, if the School of Ed requires the GRE for this new MAT program, MTC will probably have to require it for full acceptance into MTC. For any MTCers out there, would having to take the GRE have dissuaded you from applying?
My Groups
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Mississippi Teacher Corps Updated: 2 days ago
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Peace Corps Updated: Nov 28, 2007
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Comments
A long way of saying: I am not sure if it would have completely dissuaded me from applying, but it would have made my life a whole lot more difficult, and certainly would probably stop some people from applying. (For example, if my coach had said, "Well, you can miss one meet, but not two.")
I'd already taken the GRE though: people who are applying to other things may be in the same boat.
I disagree with the previous comment. Grades are a reflection of self-discipline and consistency, not necessarily intelligence or even retained knowledge. Many of the smartest students have spotty grades, and the highest GPA's are generally overachievers, not the smartest students. Because most grading policies deliberately reward effort and consistency as a sort of mercy policy and behavior reinforcement, stand-alone tests and exams are a truer measure of intellect and accumulated knowledge. Maybe you still prefer grades as a predictor of future success, but at least be honest about what they are measuring.
Regarding the original question, my answer is a great big NOT SURE. Other comparable teaching programs such as TFA and NYCTF do not require the GRE, so it is a significant discouragement. As Ms. M and others point out, it often is not convenient in terms of timing and location for many of us to take the tests within a certain timeframe. I felt the same way about the PRAXIS exams; it was a four-hour (onw-way) drive for the Praxis1 for me!
This brings us back to THE eternal question... what makes a good teacher? I would argue overachievers generally make better teachers than the smartest ones, but ... who knows.