Considers how many teacher educators feel caught between the need to comply with state and federal laws governing the approval of their teacher education programs and the desire to resist what many feel to be another example of "testing gone wild." Presents a conversation with Alfie Kohn on high stakes tests for teachers and for students. (SG)

In recent case studies, teachers' strong endorsement of National Board standards highlights the importance of encouraging policies that will increase participation and success rates and contribute to their equitable distribution. However, teachers face significant problems due to inadequate information and wide variations in available support…

Soon after formal education became the norm, those in leadership talked about making improvements to the process. However, decades after, educators still use some practices that are contraindicated by research findings. As such, physical educators are required to play a more active role in educational reform. In this article, the author presents a…

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which is regarded as the most significant federal education policy initiative in a generation, was signed into law on January 8, 2002. The purpose of this law is to ensure that each child in America is able to meet the high learning standards set forth by the state in which he or she lives. One of the specific…

At a time when most American states have embedded an initial certification test into their teacher preparation programs, Canadian educational authorities are faced with a choice: to test or not. One province, Ontario, has experimented with a standardized entry-to-the-profession testing instrument. For three years, 2002-04, teacher candidates were…

This case study chronicles one teacher's experience in the semester after an in-service course, Using Technology for Instruction and Assessment. Results suggest that success in the course and good intentions do not necessarily translate into dramatic change in methods or media of instruction. Student mobility and special needs, unexpected…

This update of a 1986 survey of state certification standards for teachers of students with learning disabilities presents data in narrative and tables on certification categories (titles) and level(s); (2) teacher training requirements (i.e., courses, standards, and hours); (3) examination requirements for certification; and (4) other additional…

An evaluation of the Massachusetts Educator Certification Test has revealed unforeseen, counterproductive consequences. Teacher preparation colleges are adjusting curricular emphases to teach to a test of dubious validity and are inadvertently excluding substantial portions of enrollees to boost test scores. Minorities are failing at higher rates.…

A protracted class-action suit against California's Commission on Teacher Credentialing (by 15 minority individuals and 3 organizations) proved a major loss for plaintiff educators. The Ninth Circuit's ruling follows the trend of high-stakes testing decisions favoring the government, despite revised Office of Civil Rights guidelines. (MLH)

Discusses the Praxis II exam, "English Language, Literature, and Composition: Content Knowledge," a two-hour multiple-choice exam with questions on American, British, and world literature, literary terms, grammar and usage, and teaching. Suggests that knowledge of subject matter seems to be related to successful teaching, but whether…

In November 1999, participants in "The McLaughlin Group," a weekly PBS talk show, peremptorily decided that progressive education and teacher preparation programs were to blame for public education's failings. This article also discusses teacher competency testing, expansion of alternative teacher certification in Colorado, and direct…

In the past, evaluation of teacher performance often focused on generic behaviors related to common instructional strategies (Medley, Coker, & Soar, 1984). More recently, educational researchers and test developers have focused more on teachers' subject matter knowledge as tested through tools like the Praxis and California's Single Subject…

This research examined concerns that primary teachers had in challenging gifted pupils in a normal classroom setting. Research findings in England indicated that children with high ability do not always attain highly, and within the context of primary science education underachievement was often linked to lack of appropriate challenge. The…

The Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Assessment (ICLA) is a faculty-developed, state-wide, high-stakes assessment of pre-service teachers' knowledge and application of research based literacy practices. The literacy faculty control all aspects of the test, including construction, refinement, administration, scoring and reporting. The test development…

This paper analyzes research on accreditation, licensure, and certification standards that have impacted teacher education programs, providing a historical perspective of how and why standards came about in teacher education and examining each of the standards bodies in teacher education: the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education…