This book is an international review of the literature on literacy and the new work order. The book begins with an overview examining the following topics: the history of workplace literacy education, the changing nature of work, the problem of illiteracy, and literacy in the context of the workplace. Part 1 presents texts critiquing or supporting…

The validation of Tennessee's Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) is described. Panels of experts from teacher education institutions and local school districts performed the test item review, focusing on test validity and minimum requirements for admission to teacher education programs. Participants (136 teacher educators, 108 high school…

A questionnaire was distributed to 456 post-secondary institutions offering preservice teacher preparation programs in 27 rural states. Of the 208 institutions responding, 21 offered specialized programs for teachers planning to work in rural areas. Of the suggested 26 preservice curriculum components, 14 were offered in over half the institutions…

The Functional Academic Skills Tests (FAST) was developed to measure the basic skills of mathematics, reading, and writing in teachers employed by the Houston, Texas, Independent School District. The three content domains were drawn from the Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST). These sets of skills, or proficiencies, were amplified by supporting…

This paper presents the three year process used in developing a teacher evaluation model for the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District. Based on Dr. Richard Manatt's School Improvement Model for Teacher Performance Evaluation, the purposes of the model were to improve teaching skills and to enable valid and reliable judgements concerning…

The Comprehensive Education Reform Act of 1984 (CERA) provides the mandate and framework for the Tennessee Career Ladder Program for teachers and administrators. The development and structure of the Tennessee Career Ladder Plan for teachers, a five level program which provides for teacher certification based upon performance, is discussed in this…

The National Teacher Examinations (NTE), were first administered in 1940. Teacher examinations had existed in the United States since colonial New England. During the late 1920's, intelligence tests became popular; teaching aptitude, subject matter competence, and knowledge of testing were also measured. In 1931, a cooperative program of the…

This book, aimed at mathematics and vocational educators and researchers, analyzes the historical, sociological, and practical elements of mathematics within vocational education against the emerging impact of technology. Focus is on the current situation of mathematics within Australian vocational and technical education and how that might be…

There are a number of issues involved in the validation of measures of teacher effectiveness, that is, a teacher's ability to promote student learning. Teachers' characeristics may be assessed at five different points: (1) pre-existing teacher characteristics--knowledge, skills, and attitudes which are necessary for success in the teacher…

The purpose of this paper, which is drawn from a larger analytic history of the National Teacher Evaluation (NTE) program, is to investigate issues of validity within the context of the program's 50-year history. Three major findings emerge from historical considerations relating to: (1) the continuity of test content and justification over the…

Trends in teacher competency testing, test bias against minority group teachers, and ways to encourage qualified personnel to join the teaching profession are discussed. Currently, 21 states require students to pass a test to enter a teacher education program, and 31 require teacher candidates to pass a certification test. Admission tests include…