A job analysis was conducted to define the content domain in which newly licensed (certified) special education teachers must be knowledgeable to perform their jobs in a competent manner. The results of the job analysis will be used to develop test specifications for the Subject Assessment in Special Education of the Praxis Series: Professional…

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…

The evaluation of a high school teacher by his principal in Alberta, Canada, was examined by analyzing the conversations that occurred between the researcher, the principal, and the teacher he was evaluating. The analysis reveals much about why the principal undertook teacher evaluations, and what counts as evidence for good or poor practice.…

Methods that might be used to establish standards of performance that will permit the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to classify candidate teachers as highly accomplished (worthy of National Board certification) or less than highly accomplished (not worthy of certification) are contrasted. Plans for research on these issues are…

Widely endorsed national reports on educational reform have proposed career ladders and merit pay to raise the quality of the teaching force, and hence contribute to educational excellence. This report contends that careful analysis of proposed changes of teacher reward systems has been omitted. The issues requiring attention involve incentive…

This report identifies present and future problems confronting Tennessee's teachers and offers proposals for responding effectively to these problems. A brief overview of trends in the teaching profession provides a preface to reports on: (1) findings of the teacher compensation subcommittee; (2) findings of the teacher training subcommittee; (3)…

The results of the first year of study of an approach in Tennessee using student performance assessments in the evaluation of teachers are summarized and the results of a field test on student performance and attitude are presented. The Tennessee approach places the responsibility for selecting and presenting the data on the teachers. About 130…

This report describes the activities and research directions taken during the second year of an anticipated four-school-year study that attempts to identify effective instructional practices in Chapter 1 junior high schools in Los Angeles (California). The report is divided into four sections. Section 1 reviews the purposes of the study and…

Structural equation modeling was used to assess the plausibility of a conceptual model specifying hypothesized linkages among perceptions of characteristics of standards-based evaluation, work environment mediators, and career satisfaction and other outcomes. Four comprehensive high schools located in two neighboring counties in southern…

The past eight years have seen an unprecedented level of education policy activity focused on issues of teacher quality. Policies have been developed at federal, state, and institutional levels, and include increased institutional reporting of teacher candidates' test scores, the mandate for Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) in the No Child Left…

The "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" examines what is arguably the single most powerful authority over the teaching profession: state government. This Colorado edition of the National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) "State Teacher Policy Yearbook" is the first of what will be an annual look at the status of state policies…

This paper reports on the feedback obtained from Ohio public school teachers who supervised the Creating Active and Reflective Educators (CARE) program students, initially called the Teacher Education for Civic Responsibility (TECR) program, during its first 4 years, from 1989-1993. The first group of 11 students were accepted into TECR in 1989;…

The Louisiana Intern Teacher Assessment Program, part of the Louisiana Teacher Appraisal System, began with a preliminary field test, followed by a pilot test and implementation in 1993-94. Evaluation of the preliminary field test was conducted through responses of 223 assessors, intern teachers, principals, and assessor trainers to nine different…

Results of the 1981-1982 Rutland Center project in Athens, Georgia, which assists agencies in improving services to seriously emotionally disturbed children (2 to 8 years old), are presented, as are program materials, survey forms, and a newsletter. Outcome data are presented regarding therapeutic classroom services provided to 549 severely…

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…