The National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Core Battery and Specialty Area tests were assessed to determine (1) test validity and (2) minimum performance standards for use in the state of Tennessee. The NTE was reviewed by 316 teacher education personnel, who focused on its relevance to teacher education programs. A group of 288 local school district staff judged the NTE on the basis of its relevance to entry-level teaching competence. Both groups also estimated the correct response rate, for each item, among minimally qualified certification applicants. The data were reviewed by a Standards Committee consisting of thirteen educational and lay representatives named by the Commissioner of Education. The Committee determined that all three of the NTE's Core Battery tests were valid for use in Tennessee, and that 23 of the 25 specialty area tests were valid. The two tests which were declared invalid--art education and education of the mentally handicapped--did not adequately represent their specialized curricula. The Committee also recommended acceptable minimum qualifying scores, based on the panel's estimates of minimum competencies, and the test results of recent examinees in the area. The qualifying scores were to be raised each year from 1984 to 1989. (GDC)