Low-income students struggle with resources while trying to achieve future financial stability. As colleges explore ways to support students, one solution is integration with public benefits. This study focuses on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a program that offers cash assistance to low-income adults with children. Statistical…

To address the issue of student learning at the state level, an invitational forum of public policy, business, and education leaders was convened by James B. Hunt Jr., governor of North Carolina. The forum recommended that the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education initiate a "demonstration project" to determine whether or not it…

Issues related to the development of test items to assess pedagogical content knowledge for an elementary school licensure test are discussed. The subject test is the Connecticut Elementary Education Certification Examination. Several items useful for assessing pedagogical content knowledge are described. (TJH)

The CONNTAC program marks an attempt to develop an integrative performance assessment process that will measure knowledge, skills, and instructional repertoire of beginning teachers. The development of assessment center exercises and the critical role that scoring plays in exercise development are described. (SLD)

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System is invited to design a core curriculum for associate degree programs for paraprofessionals and other individuals interested in the field of education. All candidates who pursue Associate of Applied Science Degrees for Paraprofessionals will receive special training that will assist them in…

Alternatives for testing the achievement of college students in Maryland are reviewed by committee members appointed by the State Board for Higher Education and Maryland's public institutions of higher education. The achievement testing alternatives would be a means of assessing institutional effectiveness; all entail the use of tests currently in…

This digest summarizes the results of the latest annual survey of state teacher testing programs. State directors of teacher testing programs were contacted in the summer of 1989 and asked to update the data compiled by the American Institutes for Research in 1988. Data indicate that: (1) states commonly use admission tests for applicants to…

In 1986, the Florida State Legislature passed a law requiring teachers to demonstrate knowledge of their subject areas before being granted teacher certification. The state also provided funding for developing subject area examinations. The generic procedures for developing these examinations are outlined. During the first phase of the project, an…

The efforts of the Florida Institute for Instructional Research and Practice in designing, developing, and analyzing the subject area knowledge tests of the Florida Master Teacher Program are described. A total of 13 subject area examinations was developed in 1984-85, and 5 additional tests were developed the following year. For each subject area…

Forms of reasoning and problem solving required of students by innovative assessment projects in science are examined. The initial phase identified activities and school systems where new forms of science assessment were being piloted. The following are general dimensions of performance that were identified: (1) structured, integrated knowledge;…

This collection of five symposium papers explores the initial design and development of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations. The papers refer to work in progress to assess knowledge and skills associated with subject-matter knowledge and knowledge and skills in instruction and the profession of teaching. The following papers are…

The process of development of tests for teacher certification in Tennessee is described. In response to the Tennessee Comprehensive Education Reform Act of 1984 requiring the use of tests for individuals seeking initial teacher licensure, the Department of Education identified 12 areas of teacher endorsement for which no currently validated and…

Memphis State University conducted a study for the Tennessee Department of Education to determine the validity of 11 previously unvalidated, extensively revised, or new Educational Testing Service (ETS) tests as measures of the skills and knowledge required for specific initial certification endorsements of public school personnel in Tennessee.…

Comparative data and results of validation and standard-setting studies are presented for five subject-matter tests for teacher certification in two states. The five tests evaluated were available from the Educational Testing Service (ETS): one National Teacher Examination specialty area test (special education); and four tests from a consortium…

In 1988 a study was conducted to determine the validity of candidate teacher licensure examinations for use in Tennessee under the 1984 Comprehensive Education Reform Act. The Department of Education conducted a study to determine the validity of 11 previously unvalidated or extensively revised tests for certification and to make recommendations…