The AATG and Goethe Institute, realizing that tougher standards will not lead to better schools unless delivery standards and standards for practice receive equal attention, developed a vision for strengthening the German teaching profession. The resulting document entitled Professional Standards for Teachers of German offers guidelines for the development of programs for the preparation of teachers as well as for their continued professional development. The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards has now published standards for accomplished teachers of world languages and is developing assessments for this certification. These high-quality courses will improve German instruction and ultimately enhance student learning. They keep on-line journals in which they analyze course content and applications in their classrooms.
Instructors provide feedback on assignments, discussions and written work.
National certification, once available in German, will be tied to the courses and participants may pursue this option as well. A panel of reviewers assesses each course for quality of content, general methodology, skill-specific methodology, adherence to the principles of distance learning, integration of the student standards and effective use of technology.