The process of teacher identification, selection, initial training, and on-going professional development that has developed at the Illinois Virtual High School (IVHS) over the past seven years is described and discussed in this article. Validation was based upon existing practices and research. To provide background the creation and initial…

In the past five years state-required testing of potential teachers has become a nationwide trend involving 38 states (7 more are considering such laws); 9 states enacted teacher testing regulations in 1984 alone. Troubling questions raised by this trend are discussed, as are decisions considered educationally unsound that are being made in…

Implications of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' program of voluntary teacher certification for excellent experienced teachers on the field of gifted education are considered. Noted is the importance of determination of competencies for both teachers of the gifted and classroom teachers serving the gifted in the regular…

Describes an expert panel member's experiences in working with Educational Testing Service to redesign the scoring for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Early Adolescence/English Language Arts Assessment. Maintains that a less mechanistic and more valid scoring system could have been developed if criticism and open discussion…

Suggests that the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is the best hope teachers have for changing the way they are perceived and to change the way they perceive themselves. Discusses one teacher's early teaching days, changes in teacher evaluation, and the work of the National Board. (RS)

This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs summarizes the findings on issues related to teacher quality in the chapter authored by Thomas B. Corcoran in the book, "The State of Education Policy Research." The report also draws on discussions that took place during a 2006 policy briefing on teacher labor-market issues held in Chicago and sponsored by the…

Each school district in the state of Florida was required to submit for approval a model for implementing the Beginning Teacher Program mandated by the Florida legislature. The program model required that a support staff, consisting of a peer teacher, building-level administrator, and at least one other professional educator be assigned to assist…

Performance-based teacher education in New York State is examined. Information is presented on its background, its advantages and disadvantages, and the important aspects that need to be examined by all teachers are pointed out. (Author/JR)

This document first takes up the broader aspects of accountability, then details in later sections specific state legislation for assessment and accountability. There are three parts. Part I, "A Crisis in Education: Accountability and Quality," provides an overview of the current issues surrounding teacher accountability. Part II, "Guidelines for…

Outlines the research involved in the development of a new set of standards in teacher assessment by the Teacher Assessment Project at Stanford University (CA). The program is based on a conception of teaching as a unique activity that is more than the generic skills of pedagogy and that cannot be observed in any single setting. (MD)

Examines professional certification and its definitions and purposes. Implications of professional certification for adult education are provided as well as a list of important questions regarding certification that adult educators should critically analyze. (CT)

All beginning teachers in Georgia receive a three-year nonrenewable certificate. During the term of the certificate they must satisfactorily demonstrate 14 performance competencies in two consecutive assessments. (Author/MLF)

Describes a $50 million research and development program begun by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) to develop assessment instruments and prototypes for its teacher certification system. NBPTS's mission is to develop a national voluntary certification system for experienced teachers. (FMW)

Discusses the evaluation of a teacher's craft knowledge, or wisdom of teaching. Uses case studies from a national board certification assessment to illustrate the problems of test design and validation. (FMW)