Albert Shanker, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), speaks about the national testing of teachers and calls for the creation of a new and better national examination for new teachers. While members of the AFT have a few differences with some of the current reform proposals, the AFT in general supports the overwhelming majority of specific proposals called for in the various reports on the state of education. Current examining procedures are inadequate. Problems exist in the nature and level of the testing, and also with conflicts regarding the quality and quantity of teachers needed. The AFT supports the notion of a national teacher examination developed along the same lines as examinations for doctors, actuaries, or lawyers. Such an instrument and testing program could be developed by a group of leaders of educational organizations, college presidents and other professionals in the field who could constitute themselves as a non-governmental American board of education. Such an instrument and testing program could be developed within three to five years. The test should cover three general areas: subject matter knowledge, ability to make judgments to justify instructional decisions, and an internship program. Teacher organizations can have a very important role in the development as well as the acceptance of such a test in that the AFT and the National Education Association could make passage of such an examination a requirement for membership. (CB)