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Executive Summary
Pages 1-10

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From page 1...
... Teacher licensure tests also play a critical role in the recently enacted Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and Partnerships (Title II)
From page 2...
... The law requires teacher education institutions to report on the quality of their teacher preparation programs, to report their students' passing rates on state teacher licensure tests, to compare the institutions' passing rates to the state's average passing rates, and to indicate whether their programs have been designated as low performing. The law's requirements create a mechanism that could limit federal funding to teacher preparation programs from which states have withdrawn approval or funding because the programs are low performing.
From page 3...
... They are designed to separate teacher candidates who are at least minimally competent in the areas assessed from those who are not. Initial teacher licensure tests do not provide information to distinguish moderately qualified from highly qualified teacher candidates nor are they designed to test all of the competencies relevant to beginning practice.
From page 4...
... Making Decisions About Candidates Based on Licensure Tests States set passing scores on licensure tests based on judgments about the levels of knowledge and skill needed for minimally competent beginning teaching. Although many states rely on commonly used standard-setting procedures, there is little documentation about these procedures and how states actually use this information in arriving at a final decision about passing scores.
From page 5...
... 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.
From page 6...
... . The committee's criteria for judging test quality include the following: tests should have a statement of purpose; systematic processes should be used in deciding what to test and in assuring balanced and adequate coverage of these competencies; test materials should be tried out and analyzed before operational decisions are made; test administration and scoring should be uniform and fair; test materials and results should be protected from corruptibility; standard-setting procedures should be systematic and well documented; test results should be consistent across test forms and scorers; information about tests and scoring should be available to candidates; technical documentation should be accessible for public and professional review; validity evidence should be gathered and presented; costs and feasibility should be considered in test development and selection; and the long-term consequences of licensing tests should be monitored and examined.
From page 7...
... This makes it hard to determine what effect licensure tests might have on improving the actual competence of beginning teachers. Recommendations · States should strive to use the committee's or similar evaluation criteria when developing and evaluating tests for use in initial teacher licensure systems.
From page 8...
... was enacted in 1998 to achieve four goals: to improve student achievement; to improve the quality of the current and future teaching force by improving the preparation of prospective teachers and enhancing professional development activities; to hold institutions of higher education accountable for preparing beginning teachers to have the necessary teaching skills and to be highly competent in the academic content areas in which they plan to teach; and to recruit highly qualified individuals, including individuals from other occupations. Conclusions · It is reasonable to hold teacher education institutions accountable for the quality of their teacher preparation programs.
From page 9...
... The federal government should not use passing rates on initial teacher licensing tests as the sole basis for comparing states or teacher education programs or for withholding funds, imposing other sanctions, or rewarding teacher education programs. · Federal officials should continue to collect the state and school data required by Title II but should not withhold funds from, otherwise sanction, or reward programs until a study is mounted of the multiple and varied data that might be used to judge the quality of teacher preparation and licensure.
From page 10...
... Conclusion · New and developing assessment systems warrant investigation for addressing the limits of current initial teacher licensure tests and for improving teacher licensure. The benefits, costs, and limitations of these systems should be investigated.


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