This article is a description of the process of constructing an assessment of written and oral language for pre-service teachers. This assessment was used prior to their formal admission into the teacher education programme. The rationale for this evaluation is presented along with the actual processes involved. Finally, comparisons are made…

The purpose of this paper is to describe and present results from the fourth year of a five-year collaborative research project between an interactive science center and a local college. The purpose of the project is not only to recruit and train approximately 50 highly qualified science teachers who will teach in New York City public schools, but…

Several federal legislative proposals have called for specified minimum pass rates on state teacher licensing examinations to establish institutional eligibility for certain federal funding. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia will use The Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers developed by the Educational…

Notes that policy makers would like to "guarantee" that candidates from teacher education programs are content and pedagogy certified. Discusses how accountability assessment plays out in teacher education programs. Focuses on the tests required in Georgia, the Praxis Series of Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers, developed…

This paper outlines how shared decision making among teacher education faculty, preK-12 educators, and the Science and Mathematics faculty at Wright State University successfully led to the preparation of quality educators. It offers a historical overview of the Wright State redesign efforts, then: examines the university's collaboration for…

This study investigated the extent to which two quality assurance mechanisms, accreditation and teacher certification, are consistent in assigning high marks for teacher quality to the same teacher education institutions in Georgia. The study sample was teacher candidates in thirteen institutions in Georgia that sought initial…

A study was undertaken to determine the effects on essay scores of intermingling handwritten and word-processed versions of student essays. A sample of 32 examinees, each of whom had produced both a handwritten and a word-processed essay, was drawn from a larger group who had participated in a pilot study of item types for The Praxis Series:…

A study was conducted on the performance of black students from a historically black university (HBU) as well as examinations used for teacher certification in Mississippi. Of specific concern for this paper was the success of black students in successfully completing the NTE/PRAXIS Examinations. Its scope began with the NTE examinations and…

The objective of this study was to assess the degree to which the mode of administration of the computer-based Academic Skills Assessments of the "Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers" contributes to performance differences among test takers. Inexperienced or anxious computer users (Praxis pilot sample of 446…

This monograph describes Ohio University College of Education's Entry Year Pilot Project. The College of Education was awarded grant money to create and implement a mentoring program to help entry-year teachers through their first year and through the Praxis III assessment. The project involved beginning teachers, school-level mentors, and…

A job analysis was conducted to determine the knowledge important for newly certified or licensed teachers of art. The results of this job analysis will be used to develop test specifications for the art assessment of The Praxis Series of Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers and to support the content validity of the assessment. Three…

A job analysis helped develop specifications for physical education (PE) assessment of the Praxis Series for beginning teacher evaluation. A national sample of PE teachers, administrators, and college faculty judged knowledge domains for importance and created 128 crucial knowledge statements for beginning PE teachers. An appendix provides the…

This paper reviews current literature about three tools used by teacher education programs and school districts to assess teacher candidate quality. It presents a matrix which aligns the underlying dimensions of teacher knowledge, dispositions, and skills for the STAR Teacher Interview, the Teacher Perceiver Interview, and the Praxis III Teacher…

This paper explores relationships among grade point average (GPA), SAT scores, and Praxis I and II scores for traditional undergraduate preservice teachers, describing the development of an instrument to assess teaching skills. Participants were students from eight graduating classes at Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania, from 1994-2001…

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…