The Educational Testing Service has initiated the development of a new series of tests to be used as part of the process states use to license or certify their teachers. Stage I of this new generation of tests will determine whether teachers possess an acceptable level of competence in the enabling skills the beginning teacher requires. This…

The Educational Testing Service is developing a new generation of teacher assessments--the Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers. The assessment series consists of three components. An academic skills component will assess the candidate's basic academic and enabling skills. Subject assessments will test the candidate's…

This publication offers practical support to those in British higher education implementing the Observation of Teaching governmental directives. It provides discussion of key issues as well as a range of materials on how to carry out teaching observation including 23 checklists. The materials are grouped in four main areas: general issues, self…

College-level students' achievements may be negatively impacted because college-level instructors, though well educated and informed in their particular subject area, may not be effective classroom teachers. A study was conducted to examine the preparation of postsecondary educators to determine if methodology training is considered to be of any…

This paper examines the role played by an office of institutional research in developing a new student evaluation of teaching protocol. At Southeastern Louisiana University, a comprehensive 4-year public institution, the administration appointed a campus-wide committee to study the student evaluations of teaching and to make recommendations for…

In 1984, the Kentucky General Assembly mandated a beginning teacher internship program that combined knowledge testing prior to a 1-year initial license for teaching and performance assessment prior to continuing licensure (determined by an internship committee with a teacher at the same school, a principal, and a teacher educator). An internship…

A systematic method for evaluating the presentation skills of volunteer trainers would enable the discovery of hidden problems. It would also increase individual trainer skills and satisfaction and improve the overall effectiveness of the training program. A first step is to determine the general presentation skills a successful volunteer trainer…

This monograph presents an assessment instrument that utilizes teacher and student behavioral indicators to assess the quality of inquiry instruction. The instrument provides teachers with feedback which not only assesses the presence of critical teaching skills, but also serves as a valuable training aid for helping them perceive how their own…

Designed to assess and describe the nature and frequency of teaching methods, activities, and materials used in secondary school English courses, this survey consists of 14 questions related to teaching objectives, activities, and materials, each followed by a list of possible responses. Teachers are asked to select a course, and to circle for…

A new teacher certification law, enacted by the Maine Legislature in 1984, included a chapter which delineated standards and procedures for creating and operating support systems for candidates seeking a higher level certificate, a transitional endorsement, and/or renewal of the master's level certificate. This chapter requires that all teachers…

This paper discusses three methods of assessing student teacher performance: checklists; measurable objectives; and teaching performance tests. Checklists, recommended by some schools of education, need to contain a comprehensive set of knowledge, skills, and attitudinal behaviors pertaining to quality student teaching. Checklists permit a…

This study investigated the degree of teacher evaluation policy implementation in Alberta, the events that influenced teacher evaluation policy adoption, and the variables that affected the policy implementation process. The first phase of the study was primarily qualitative, using semistructured interviews with selected key decision-makers and…

This report presents three needs assessment survey models that are designed to improve the process of teacher evaluation. The surveys, which were field tested in a large urban school district, address ways administrators can qualitatively differentiate between "good" and "excellent" teaching, or "poor" and "unsatisfactory" teaching, and be able to…

This report describes the second phase in the development of the University of Washington Teacher Assessment System designed to produce a new system for the evaluation of student teachers. The development of the new system took place in several phases. Phase one, a literature search as a data source for the development of a teacher assessment…

Teacher performance areas, criteria for evaluating them, and response modes (checklists for rating teacher performance) are supplied in this document, a prototype developed for the School Improvement Model (SIM) project. Teacher performance areas selected for evaluation include productive teaching techniques; organized, structured class…