It is by now well established that teacher characteristics play a major role in the way high stakes tests impact education (Alderson and Hamp-Lyons, 1996). What remains an open question, however, is specifying the type of characteristics that have the potential to moderate the backwash effects of tests. This study was designed to isolate the…

Teachers often engage in curricular planning by critiquing and adapting existing curriculum materials to contextualize lessons and compensate for their deficiencies. Designing instruction for students is shaped by teachers' ability to apply a variety of personal resources, including their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). This study…

Introduction: Interprofessional education (IPE) is interactive and constructivist in nature and requires specific facilitation skills to engage participants in a unique body of content, interpersonal interaction, and learning from each other. This article describes the development and testing of a scale, the Interprofessional Facilitation Scale…

This article presents our plans and initial work to explore how mathematics teacher education programs can prepare teachers for diverse middle grades classrooms. It describes the start-up of a five-year National Science Foundation project to design, develop, and test technology-enriched teacher preparation strategies to address equity in algebra…

Contends that Multiple Subjects Assessment for Teachers is not aligned with essential elementary-level teaching functions, thus preventing many otherwise qualified persons from teaching. Describes some individual test-taking experiences in California. Recommends changes in prospective elementary teacher assessment practices. (PKP)

The continuing trend toward increasing diversity of curriculum offered within secondary agricultural education programs is driving a change in pre-service and in-service technical training for agriculture teachers. This study looks at agriculture teachers' perceived importance of, and competence in, traditional technical competencies such as…

Reports on a survey of experienced teachers to assess their knowledge of the structure of spoken and written language. Results reveal pervasive conceptual weaknesses in the very skills needed for direct, language-focused reading instruction. The importance of specific linguistic knowledge for instruction is illustrated, and policy changes for…

The comprehensive review of Nevada's Competency Testing Program for Educational Personnel grew out of a study which followed a cohort of new teachers over 2 years to determine their test-taking experiences. Results suggested a need to investigate the program and its scope, implementation problems, and relation to other educational entities such as…

A study used the Delphi technique to validate teaching competencies of graduate teaching assistants. A panel of 17 experts in teaching assistant support and training validated 26 competencies as important but also suggested some depend on specific responsibilities assigned to the teaching assistants. (Author/MSE)

This study examined (1) whether students taught by National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)-certified teachers would produce higher quality work than students of teachers who attempted NBPTS certification but were not certified; (2) whether the observed classroom behaviors of NBPTS-certified teachers would be demonstrably…

This paper reports on an independent review of two examinations designed to assess teacher competencies: the Praxis Series and the Content Mastery Examinations for Educators (CMEE). The review was ordered by the Montana Department of Public Education in order to decide which battery of tests would replace the National Teacher Examination (NTE).…

Demonstrates a process for creating a preservice teacher evaluation instrument utilizing the expertise of teacher educators who conduct the evaluations. Highlights how one college developed such an instrument using the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS). Preservice teacher supervisors participated at all stages of development of the rating…

While the increase of older students in college undergraduate programs across the nation and the increasing need for teachers have been documented in a multitude of diverse research studies, there is little to link these two areas of research. This study provides a comparative analysis of 10 traditional and 22 nontraditional student teachers'…

This publication presents a response from the Ontario College of Teachers to the Canadian Minister of Education regarding the newly mandated teacher certification testing. It sets the stage for the provision of complete, accurate, and reliable advice, containing a summary of the extensive research conducted by the College and providing a wide…

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…