ERIC Number: ED353292
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991-Aug-16
Pages: 98
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Report of Minnesota's Three-Year Administration of the Pre-Professional Skills Tests, 1987-90.
Minnesota State Board of Teaching, St. Paul.
The Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) of reading, mathematics, and writing are three separate tests designed to measure basic proficiency in these areas. In response to a mandate from the State Legislature, the Minnesota Board of Teaching adopted these tests, developed by the Educational Testing Service. An evaluation of the 3 years of administration of the PPST was conducted using data tapes from the 1987-90 examinations. Analysis was largely descriptive, obtaining frequency distributions of the testing groups and subgroups. Additional analysis included t-tests, analysis of variance, and chi-square procedures. Of the 21,521 examinees who took 1 or more PPST tests, most (75.3 percent) were female, and most (85.8 percent) had enrolled in or completed their undergraduate preparation at a Minnesota college or university. Only 1.8 percent of the examinees were minority group members. Overall, passing rates on the first attempts on the three PPST skills tests were 89.2 percent for reading, 95.1 percent for mathematics, and 88.2 percent for writing. Comparisons of subgroups showed a number of statistically significant differences in performance. Implications of these differences are discussed. Data indicate that for both Minnesota candidates and out-of-state candidates, the higher the education level at the time of taking the examination, the higher the level of performance. Forty-five tables present results of the analyses. (SLD)
Descriptors: Analysis of Variance, Beginning Teachers, Chi Square, Comparative Testing, Elementary Secondary Education, Higher Education, Licensing Examinations (Professions), Mathematics Tests, Minimum Competency Testing, Reading Tests, Scores, State Programs, State Surveys, Teacher Certification, Testing Programs, Undergraduate Students, Writing Tests
Publication Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Minnesota State Board of Teaching, St. Paul.
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Pre Professional Skills Tests
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A