The purpose of this paper is to describe and present results from the fourth year of a five-year collaborative research project between an interactive science center and a local college. The purpose of the project is not only to recruit and train approximately 50 highly qualified science teachers who will teach in New York City public schools, but…

This report focuses on two aspects of teacher supply and quality: (a) the under-representation of racial/ethnic minorities, especially African Americans in the teaching pool, and (b) teacher candidates' performance on licensure assessments, including general skills tests in reading, writing, and mathematics (known as Praxis I[R]) and selected…

Notes the importance of selecting teachers based on professional attitudes and personal attributes, synopsizing four tools used to assess teachers and teacher candidates regarding knowledge, skills, and values (Teacher Perceiver Instrument, STAR Teacher Interview, Praxis III Teacher Performance Assessment, and National Board for Professional…

This study investigated whether training cooperating teachers using a Praxis III/Pathwise model to frame discussions on teaching and learning would enhance development of pedagogical skills, examining the effects of mentor training on student teachers' demonstration of 19 target criteria. Student teachers were randomly assigned to field…

This paper reviews current literature about three tools used by teacher education programs and school districts to assess teacher candidate quality. It presents a matrix which aligns the underlying dimensions of teacher knowledge, dispositions, and skills for the STAR Teacher Interview, the Teacher Perceiver Interview, and the Praxis III Teacher…

This paper reports on an independent review of two examinations designed to assess teacher competencies: the Praxis Series and the Content Mastery Examinations for Educators (CMEE). The review was ordered by the Montana Department of Public Education in order to decide which battery of tests would replace the National Teacher Examination (NTE).…

This paper explores relationships among grade point average (GPA), SAT scores, and Praxis I and II scores for traditional undergraduate preservice teachers, describing the development of an instrument to assess teaching skills. Participants were students from eight graduating classes at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, from 1994-2001…

This comparative study was conducted in preparation for selecting a successor to the National Teachers Examination (NTE) for initial certification of Montana educators. The paper begins by discussing the background of using teacher competency tests in Montana, and examining demographic data on Montana students and certified teachers. Then, the…

This report is introduced by a history of the development and implementation of the Nevada Competency Testing Program for Educational Personnel. The study examined the test taking histories of persons entering the Nevada educational system to determine how well the competency testing program was accomplishing its purpose of ensuring that new…

This paper is one of four individual case study reports presenting the qualitative findings from a five-year investigation of the impact of accountability reform on students with disabilities in four states, eight districts, and twenty schools. This case study report presents qualitative data collected over a four-year period--2001-2004--from…