FUNCTIONS OF PROFESSIONALLY PREPARED, OBJECTIVE, STANDARDIZED TESTS FOR TEACHERS AND PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS, FOR NATIONWIDE USE, ARE DESCRIBED. THESE ARE (1) ADVANCING THE PRESERVICE PREPARATION OF TEACHERS BY DEMONSTRATING SIGNIFICANT TEST-SCORE DIFFERENCES AMONG STUDENTS FROM VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS, (2) IMPROVING CERTIFICATION OR LICENSING POLICIES…

A discussion is presented of the component in the Educator Improvement Act (mandated by the state of South Carolina) which provides an evaluation procedure for prospective teachers beginning in the freshman year in college and ending during the first year of teaching. A description of the basic skills Educational Entrance Examination includes…

Findings of teaching effectiveness research were related to the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Test of Professional Knowledge (TPK). Delphi methodology was used to classify TPK items according to findings in a selected review of research. Six professors in teacher education completed a questionnaire to rate seven literature reviews. The three…

This issue reviews recent studies conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Three sections are included. The first section--"Enough Good Teachers?"--examines teacher availability and concludes that there currently is an undeniable shortage of minority teachers. However, there are some encouraging signs of renewed interest in…

The initial phase of the National Teacher Examination classroom management test for entry level teachers has been completed. Two systematic reviews of the literature on classroom techniques resulted in the identification and description of a wide range of managerial strategies--authoritarian, behavior modification, permissive, intimidation. Also…

Shows that teachers who are paid more stay longer in teaching, that teachers with high opportunity costs, as measured by scores on the National Teacher Examination and subject specialties, stay in teaching less long than other teachers do, and that salaries influence duration less for teachers with high test scores than for those with low scores.…

This study guide contains intensive review and practice tests as an aid in preparing for the Grades 1-8 Teaching Area Examination of the National Teacher Examination. The Teaching Area Examinations attempt to measure competency to teach in a specific field. [The Common Examinations are covered in the publication, "Barron's How to Prepare for…

The National Teachers Examinations (NTE) Core Battery scores of initially certified teachers in North Carolina were compared with teaching effectiveness scores. Teacher effectiveness scores were obtained using the Teacher Performance and Appraisal Instrument (TPAI)--a classroom observation instrument used by a trained team of observers. The TPAI…

The sparsity of significant positive relationships between the National Teacher Examination (NTE) scores and teaching performance ratings, when coupled with the presence of a few significant negative relationships, tends to undermine confidence in the relationship of NTE scores to teaching performance ratings. (Author/IRT)

In the Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers program, trained assessors observe teacher candidates in their assigned teaching environments and determine their instructional effectiveness. The article highlights the program's improvements over its predecessor, noting the need to explore teaching performance as a new…

A discussion of the correlations found between scores received on (1) the Teaching Area Examination in English Literature and Language, National Teacher Examination, and (2) the Illinois Teacher Evaluation Questionnaire, and the grades given by University of Illinois (Urbana) student teaching supervisors to that population of 56 1968 English…

The National Teachers Examination, criticized for cultural bias, is being replaced in many states by the "Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers." The new assessment focuses on portfolios and classroom style and includes evaluation of basic skills (in the sophomore year), subject area knowledge (on completion of…

Contends recent efforts in social studies reform have been mostly rhetorical and have not changed day-to-day work of teachers. Argues changes in teaching and learning may be real reform story of 1980s and 1990s. Describes work of the National Council for the Social Studies Task Force on Teaching and Learning and predicts it will have significant…

Relationships were examined between scores on the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Personal Beliefs Inventory, Teaching Practices Inventory, Rokeach Dogmatism Scale, National Teacher Examinations (NTE), and grade point average (GPA) for 55 teacher education students. Significant correlations were established between the cognitive outcomes…

This study examined relationships between measures of personality characteristics, personal and teaching practices beliefs, levels of dogmatism, and cognitive outcomes for a sample of graduating education students. (Author/GSK)