Testing Teacher Candidates

Americans have adopted a reform agenda for their schools that calls for excellence in teaching and learning. School officials across the nation are hard at work targeting instruction at high levels for all students. Gaps remain, however, between the nation's educational aspirations and student achievement. To address these gaps, policy makers have recently focused on the qualifications of teachers and the preparation of teacher candidates.This book examines the appropriateness and technical quality of teacher licensure tests currently in use, evaluates the merits of using licensure test results to hold states and institutions of higher education accountable for the quality of teacher preparation and licensure, and suggests alternatives for developing and assessing beginning teacher competence.Teaching is a complex activity. Definitions of quality teaching have changed and will continue to change over time as society's values change. This book provides policy makers, teacher testers, and teacher educators with advice on how to use current tests to assess teacher candidates and evaluate teacher preparation, ensuring that America's youth are being taught by the most qualified candidates.Table of ContentsFront MatterExecutive Summary1. Introduction2. Defining Teacher Quality3. Testing and Licensing Beginning Teachers4. Developing an Evaluation Framework for Teacher Licensure Tests5. Evaluating Current Tests6. Using Licensure Tests to Improve Teacher Quality and Supply7. Using Licensure Tests for Accountability8. Improving Teacher Licensure Testing9. Conclusions and RecommendationsReferencesAppendix A: Public Law 105-244 105th CongressAppendix B: Teaching Standards of the Interstate New Teacher AssessmentAppendix C: Educational Testing Service (ETS) and National Evaluation Systems (NES) Teacher Licensure TestsAppendix D: Teacher Requirement in Six StatesAppendix E: An Economic Model of Supply and Demand for TeachersAppendix F: Alternative Assessment Case StudiesAppendix G: Biographical Sketches of Committee MembersIndexBackground Papers Provided to the CommitteeTest 1: Pre-Professional Skills Test - Reading TestTest 2: Principles of Learning and Teaching Test: K-6Test 3: Middle School: English/Language Arts TestTest 4: High School Mathematics Proofs, Models, and Problems, Part 1 TestTest 5: Biology: Content Knowledge, Part 1 and 2 Tests