A description is presented of a new extended teacher education program at Memphis State University. Instituted in 1985, the program has four objectives: (1) to develop and implement an extended (five-year) program covering all areas of teacher preparation, with institutional recommendation for certification coming only after completion of the total program, which would terminate in the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree; (2) existing graduate degree programs typically completed by education practitioners will be redesigned to ensure that these programs visibly and clearly incorporate the standards of performance included in the Tennessee Career Ladder Plan for teachers, counselors, and administrators; (3) procedures and programs will be designed to increase the College's responsiveness to inservice needs of professional practitioners; and (4) the performance effectiveness of certificated educators having completed the new teacher education model will be ascertained through carefully designed research procedures. The centerpiece of the overall plan is the development of a five-year program for the initial preparation of teachers. A description is given of how the new program is being developed, the reasons for it, and several major benefits expected to accrue once it is in full operation. (JD)