In 2009 New York State began an initiative to improve teaching and learning through the implementation of new teacher certification exams. The Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST) replaced the much-maligned Liberal Arts and Sciences Exam (LAST) that had been in a legal battle with minority test takers since 1996. Billed as a "basic test of literacy," the ALST had a 68% state-wide pass rate. At the same time, the New York State Education Department and the Federal Department of Education began making plans to reform teacher preparation, plans that included closing schools whose teacher candidates did not pass certification tests. Policy pressures like these from federal, state and local entities have been altering teacher preparation since the inception of public education, and yet little research has been done on how certification tests shape teacher preparation curriculum. This study sought to answer three questions: did faculty in New York teacher preparation programs alter their curriculum to align with the ALST and, if so, how; did faculty who made changes to their curriculum plan to continue with the altered curriculum after the cancellation of the exam; and what knowledge and beliefs may have affected faculty members' willingness to alter their curriculum? To investigate these questions, an online survey was created and distributed to 417 faculty members at 118 private and public colleges and universities across New York State. Descriptive and correlational analysis showed that over half of those who completed the survey had made changes to their curriculum due to the ALST, that most faculty who changed their curriculum intended to continue with the altered curriculum even after cancellation of the exam, and that perceived pressure from outside entities was higher in those who changed their curriculum than those who made no changes due to the ALST. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]