Three major pathways for teacher preparation and certification exist in the United States to recruit and train effective teachers, including traditional, alternative, and teacher residency programs. There is a growing but limited body of research on teacher effectiveness of educators who complete teacher residency programs and the factors of the…

Accreditation agencies and organizations calling for higher academic standards in the teaching profession have called for increasing minimum grade point averages and scores on standardized tests. However, it's not clear that these requirements actually improve teaching. Lisa Borden-King, Warren Gamas, Kathy Hintz, and Chelsie Hultz researched…

All students were mandated to pass high-stakes tests for teacher licensure. Problem was some students participated in Praxis II test multiple times before achieving passing scores. Purposes were to (a) explore relationships between different licensure tests and (b) predict if teacher candidates would pass Praxis II: Elementary Education Multiple…

Because educator licensure is gained by passing licensure examinations in most states, scores on high stakes tests are determining factors as to who will be teaching in America's classrooms. Due to a focus on program graduation rates, state funding cuts, and production of quality teachers, it is vital that teacher preparation programs produce the…

What teachers know about their content area plays a role in how they effectively enhance the scientific literacy of their students. This leads to questions about teacher content knowledge as they enter the field. The Praxis Earth and Space Science: Content Knowledge Test is the most widely used licensure assessment for aspiring Earth science…

The purpose of this study was to investigate a set of teacher-level factors that educator preparation providers (EPPs) may be examining to anticipate how effective teachers might be in the classroom. An ordinal logistic regression was performed to determine impact on teacher effectiveness, given five predictor variables: level (undergraduate vs.…

Teacher preparation programs in U.S. colleges and universities have been forced to re-evaluate curricular and student teaching requirements due to federal reform initiatives to support accreditation standards. A state-determined assessment must be passed to earn teaching credentials and in the state of Missouri candidates must pass the appropriate…

New initiatives in preservice teacher formal student teaching experiences seek to prepare high-quality educators commensurate with current demands of the profession. Professional development schools (PDS) provide more hours of clinical preparation for student teaching, with a qualified mentor teacher. This research study investigated the…

Test providers are increasingly moving toward exclusively administering assessments by computer. Computerized testing is becoming more desirable for test takers because of increased opportunities to test, faster turnaround of individual scores, or perhaps other factors, offering potential benefits for those who may be struggling to pass licensure…

Calls for evidence-based reform of teacher preparation programs (TPPs) suggest the question: Do the current indicators of progress and performance used by TPPs predict effectiveness of their graduates when they become teachers? In this study, the indicators of progress and performance used by one program are examined for their ability to predict…

Distance teacher education programs employing videoconferencing technology and other online teaching tools are increasingly being used to prepare teachers of students with disabilities in rural and remote communities. This evaluation study compared the effectiveness of a distance and an on-campus teacher education program for teachers of students…

This study compares knowledge as measured by grade point averages and Praxis II scores between first-year special education teachers who completed one university's alternative teacher preparation program (ATTP) and those who completed the university's traditional teacher preparation program (TTPP). A total of 33 teachers, 15 from the ATTP and 18…

Since 2006, the National Education Association (NEA) and Educational Testing Service (ETS) have been working collaboratively to support teacher candidates in preparing for "The Praxis Series"[TM] of teacher licensure assessments, currently used in 41 states and territories. Their focus has been particularly targeted to assisting minority…

Institutions of higher education attempt to select and prepare the finest K-12 teachers possible. National, state, and local influences also search for the best and brightest teacher candidates to become K-12 teachers. The result has been increased accountability measures to ensure quality. The selection process for admission to teacher education…

This descriptive-correlational study predicted performance of beginning agricultural education teachers on principles of learning and teaching (PLT) and Agriculture content (AgC) tests of the PRAXIS II examination using demographic and academic variables. Performance on the PRAXIS II was used for issuing initial teaching licenses to the…