Testing Teacher Candidates The Role of Licensure Tests in Improving Teacher Quality (2001) / Chapter Skim
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5. Evaluating Current Tests
5. Evaluating Current Tests
Pages 83-114
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From page 83... ...
A subset of available tests was selected for review. SELECTING TEACHER LICENSURE TESTS FOR REVIEW Selecting Praxis Series Tests In negotiations with ETS, a number of factors were considered in selecting Praxis tests for review.
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From page 84... ...
From Praxis II the committee selected four tests for review: the Principles of Learning and Teaching (K-6~; Middle School English/Language Arts; Mathematics: Proofs, Models, and Problems, Part 1; and Biology: Content Knowledge Test, Parts 1 and 2. Selecting NES Tests To obtain material on NES-developed tests, the committee contacted NES and the relevant state education agencies in the states listed as using NES tests in the 2000 NASDTEC Manual.1 Efforts to obtain sufficient technical information for the committee to evaluate the tests similar to what the committee received from ETS were unsuccessful for NES tests.
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From page 85... ...
Several state agencies provided registration booklets and test preparation guides and one state provided a summary of passing rates. California officials provided technical documentation for one of its 40 tests, but the committee concluded that the documentation did not include sufficient information for a meaningful technical evaluation.
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From page 86... ...
The committee's lack of success in obtaining sufficient technical material on NES tests currently in use precludes a meaningful technical evaluation by the committee of the quality of these tests or an assessment of their possible adverse impact. The committee urges efforts to ensure that users and other interested parties can obtain sufficient technical information on teacher licensure tests in accordance with the joint 1999 Standards.
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From page 87... ...
Overall Assessment of Praxis Tests With a few exceptions, the Praxis I and Praxis II tests reviewed meet the criteria for technical quality articulated in the committee's framework. This is particularly true regarding score reliability, sensitivity reviews, standard setting, validation research (although only content-related evidence of validity was provided)
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From page 89... ...
Middle School English/Language Arts Test The Middle School English/Language Arts test is well constructed and has reasonably good technical properties. The procedures for test development and standard setting are consistent with current measurement practices (see Box 5-3~.
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From page 93... ...
The test development and standard-setting procedures are consistent with current measurement practices (see Box 5-4~. Specifications for the test are unclear, and it appears that the test may include material not directly related to the content specifications.
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From page 95... ...
Historically and currently, African American and Hispanic candidates usually have substantially lower passing rates on teacher licensure tests than white candidates (Garcia, 1985; George, 1985; Goertz and Pitcher, 1985; Graham, 1987; Rebell, 1986; Smith, 1987; Gitomer et al., 1999; Mehrens, 1999; Brunsman et al., 1999; Brunsman et al., 2000; Carlson et al., 2000~. The size of the gap in passing
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From page 97... ...
METHODOLOGICAL NOTE ABOUT COMPARISONS First-Time and Eventual Passing Rates Within all racial/ethnic groups, first-time test takers of teacher licensure tests generally have higher passing rates than do repeaters. Moreover, as a byproduct of the differences in passing rates among groups, a larger percentage of minority applicants are likely to be repeaters than are nonminority candidates.
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From page 98... ...
test takers who repeat but never pass the licensing test. Initial passing rates are important.
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From page 99... ...
, the difference in average scores between African Americans and white test takers was one standard deviation on the mathematics section and 0.89 standard deviation units on the verbal section (College Entrance Examination Board, 1999~. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MINORITY AND MAJORITY TEACHER CANDIDATES ON THE SAT Differences in SAT scores among prospective teachers provide another point of comparison for differences among racial/ethnic groups on teacher licensure tests.
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From page 100... ...
Whether these restrictions play out differently for minority and majority test takers is unknown. TABLE 5-2 Differences Between Average SAT Scores of Minority and White Praxis I and II Test Takers in Standard Deviation Units, 1994-1997 Praxis ~ Examinees Praxis IT Examinees Differences Between Whites and: SAT Math SAT Verbal SAT Math SAT Verbal African Americans 0.88 0.86 0.81 0.78 Asian Americans -0.16 0.24 -0.29 0.10 Hispanics 0.42 0.38 0.40 0.45
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From page 101... ...
The difference in the average scores of African American and white candidates on the PLT (K-6) test for TABLE 5-3 Average Praxis Scores for 1998-1999 Test Takers by Racial/Ethnic Group PPST: Reading PLT (K-6)
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From page 102... ...
Licensure testing programs generally report passing rates instead of average scores for their candidates because passing rates show about how many candidates have access to the profession. ETS states generally report passing rate data for the Praxis tests.
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From page 103... ...
TABLE 5-6 Differences Between Praxis Passing Rates for Minority and White Test Takers, 1998- 1999 Differences Between Whites and: PPST Reading PLT (K-6) African Americans 36a 38 Asian Americans 27 4 Hispanics 21 21 aDifference in percentages.
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From page 104... ...
For example, a national longitudinal study of graduates of American Bar Association-approved law schools found initial passing rates on the bar exam to be 61 percent for African Americans, 81 percent for Asians, 75 percent for Hispanics, and 92 percent for whites (Wightman, 1998~. The corresponding eventual passing rates (after as many as six attempts)
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From page 105... ...
Test preparation courses are less widely available for teacher licensure tests. There may be other differences between these doctoral-level licensing tests and teacher licensure tests that Slav out differently for minority and majority examiners.
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From page 106... ...
From these data, eventual passing rates tell a different story than do initial rates. The committee contends that both sets of data need to be included in policy makers' judgments about the disparate impact of tests for licensing minority and majority group teacher candidates.
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From page 107... ...
. TABLE 5-10 Differences Between MSAT Passing Rates for Minority and White California Candidates, 1996-1997 Cohort First-Time Eventual Differences Between Whites and: Passing Rates Passing Rates African Americans 49a 42 Mexican Americans 35 26 Latinos or other Hispanics 33 22 Asian Americans 11 7 aDifference in percentages.
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From page 108... ...
TABLE 5-12 Differences Between Praxis I: Computer-Based Test Passing Rates for Minority and White Connecticut Candidates, 1994-2000 First-Time Eventual Differences Between Whites and: Passing Rates Passing Rates African Americans 23a 26 Asian Americans 17 15 Hispanics 25 22 aDifference in percentages. TABLE 5-13 Passing Rates on the Praxis II: Elementary Education Tests by Population Group, for 1994-2000 Connecticut Candidates First-Time Passing Rates Eventual Passing Rates Ethnicity N % Passing N % Passing African American 64 33 122 64 Asian American 38 66 48 83 Hispanic 66 54 95 78 White 2,965 68 3,877 89 SOURCE: Data provided to the committee by the State of Connecticut Department of Education on February 9, 2001.
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From page 109... ...
The committee contends that data on initial and eventual passing rates for minority and majority candidates should be sought from other states so that a broader picture of disparate impact on teacher licensure tests can be developed. THE MEANING OF DISPARITIES The differences in average scores and passing rates among groups raise at least two important questions.
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From page 110... ...
At least some developers of teacher licensure tests, though, put considerable work into eliminating bias during test construction. Items are examined for potentially biasing language or situations, and questionable items often are repaired or removed (Educational Testing Service, 1999a)
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From page 111... ...
This concern for test validity should be particularly salient when large numbers of individuals who are members of historically underrepresented minority groups have difficulty passing the tests. Lower passing rates for minority candidates on teacher licensure tests mean that a smaller subset of the already small numbers of minority teacher candidates will move into the hiring pool as licensees and that schools and districts will
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From page 112... ...
From a legal perspective, evidence of disparate outcomes does not, by itself, warrant changes in test content, passing scores, or procedures. While Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 says that employment procedures that have a significant differential impact based on race, sex, or national origin must be justified by test users as being valid and consistent with business or educational necessity, court decisions have been inconsistent about whether the Civil Rights Act applies to teacher licensing tests.
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From page 113... ...
On all of the tests that the committee reviewed, minority candidates had lower passing rates than nonminority candidates on their initial testing attempts. Though differences between the passing rates of candidate groups eventually decrease because many unsuccessful test takers retake and pass the tests, eventual passing rates for minority candidates are still lower than those for nonminority test takers.
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From page 114... ...
The lower passing rates for minority teacher candidates on current licensure tests pose problems for schools and districts in seeking a qualified and diverse teaching force. Setting substantially higher passing scores on licensure tests is likely to reduce the diversity of the teacher applicant pool, further adding to the difficulty of obtaining a diverse school faculty.
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