ERIC Number: ED354258
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1991-Oct
Pages: 21
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Some Nagging Doubts on NCATE's Conceptualization of "Knowledge Bases."
Johnson, Michael N.; Erion, R. L.
The revised standards used by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) embody several departures from past standards. One difference is that they oblige units to focus on the knowledge bases pertinent to professional preparation for education. The concept of knowledge bases is explored, and implications for the construct validity of the NCATE assessment process are examined. To pin down exactly what is meant by knowledge bases is a difficult task, and to demand that units structure their programs around knowledge bases is equally difficult. It is implicit in the standards that explicit knowledge bases are a necessary characteristic of quality programs, but there is no research to support the idea that programs based on explicit knowledge bases necessarily produce better teachers than do programs with no explicit knowledge base. The current reliance of the NCATE process on the construct of knowledge bases prompts doubts and highlights the need for an increase in conversation about the construct validity of the NCATE process itself and inferences drawn from it. Eighteen references are included. (SLD)
Descriptors: Academic Standards, Accreditation (Institutions), Accrediting Agencies, Construct Validity, Curriculum Evaluation, Educational Change, Elementary School Teachers, Elementary Secondary Education, Evaluation Criteria, Evaluation Problems, Higher Education, Knowledge Base for Teaching, Secondary School Teachers, Standard Setting, Teacher Education Programs
Publication Type: Opinion Papers; Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A