The need for sophisticated and highly skilled educators in urban schools is painfully obvious, even to the most casual observer. National and local test data demonstrate that students in urban schools are generally not achieving at the same levels as are their suburban and more affluent peers. Teacher educators in urban areas struggle with how to…

Assessing the preparation of preservice candidates for quality teaching, both for mainstream students and for ELs, requires reliable and valid assessments that pay close attention to context, process, and reflection, factors that traditional evaluations of teaching either ignore or undervalue. In this article, the authors focus on one high-stakes…

In 1992, the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) grant program was established to provide funded opportunities for first and second-year teachers having completed a preliminary or professional clear multiple/single subject, credential. Matriculating from a teacher preparation program to the classroom, they were ready to "expand,…

In September 1998, the California State Legislature passed SB 2042, legislation that authorized the reform of teacher recruitment, certification, and licensing in the state. Its provisions are unique in that they represent the first time in California's history that almost all of the standards dealing with teacher preparation and induction were…

Science notebooks can be a formative assessment tool for both teachers and students to determine: (1) prior knowledge and existing science ideas; (2) how conceptual understanding is being built; (3) procedural understanding; (4) mastery of curriculum goals; and (5) the ability to apply/transfer ideas to new context (Volkmann & Abell, 2003). Using…

Introduces a theme issue on reflective practice in California's Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment program. Papers highlight: state policy mandating teacher reflection; the California Formative Assessment and Support System for Teachers; teacher skills and beliefs for promoting reflective practice in novice teachers; beginning teachers'…

Surveyed beginning teaches, support providers, site administrators, and program staff in local California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment programs regarding their perceptions of the effectiveness of various program elements in fostering reflective teaching, examining policy intents, program goals, and teachers' understandings of their…

Examines implementation of the California Formative Assessment and Support System for Teachers (CFASST) within local California Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) programs using data from six case studies and highlighting how local BTSA program directors thought about and acted to implement CFASST. The study illustrated the essential…

As part of its ongoing process of formative evaluation, the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) conducted a survey of four cohorts of recent graduates. The data from this survey are being used in concert with findings from other lines of inquiry to assess and improve the program. The discussion in this paper is centered on several research…