In this article the Governor of Arkansas discusses the importance of the Arkansas Educational Skills Assessment Test which all Arkansas teachers must pass. (Author/MT)

This paper focuses on the teacher competency testing movement that is sweeping the nation. The first section provides an overview of teacher testing programs nationally, including the rationale for such programs, the types of tests used across the states, concerns about current testing programs, test validity studies, and fiscal and legal issues.…

The author updates information on teacher competency testing and discusses issues that should be considered by states planning the development and implementation of competency testing programs. Recommendations are made. (MT)

The Texas legislation requiring testing of teachers holding "life" credentials is reviewed. The reactions of teachers groups to the Texas Examination of Current Administrators and Teachers (TECAT) and to the Governor's support for testing are described. (Author/MT)

Issues raised by teacher competency testing are addressed. How competency can be defined and measured and whether competency assessment makes a positive contribution to teaching are discussed along with legal and ethical concerns. (Author/MT)

A brief report on status of state mandates for teacher testing considers: (1) the number of states that have or are establishing testing programs; (2) the type of competency testing being conducted by each state; (3) whether currently employed teachers should be tested; (4) whether such tests discriminate against minority group members; and (5)…

Legal decisions from the past 20 years that have been influential on the direction of the competency-based and teacher certification testing movement are described. Suggestions for test developers are made to guide them in developing tests that are fair and that comply with legal precedents. (JL)

Designed for policymakers and programs planners involved with the topic of teacher testing, this publication outlines issues involved in teacher testing and describes state-level activities in this area. A question-and-answer section provides general information on major types of teacher tests, prevalence of teacher tests, problems addressed by…

Information on competency testing for teacher certification is reprinted exactly from four pages (70-71, 129-130) of a National Center for Education Statistics Publication (volume I of "The Condition of Education: Elementary and Secondary Education 1988," edited by J. D. Stern.) As of the fall of 1987, 45 states had enacted competency testing…

Teacher education testing requirements for all of the states are displayed on a chart. Categories of information include: date of data revision, the name of the test, passing rates, and passing scores for both admission to teacher education programs and teacher certification. (JD)

This article describes Virginia's Beginning Teacher Assistance Program (BTAP), implemented to test teacher competence, and to help teachers acquire missing competencies. The effect of BTAP and similar programs on the teaching profession is discussed. Included is an appendix which lists the BTAP competencies and indicators. (IAH)

This paper examines the major issues to be faced and the decisions to be made in the development and administration of basic competency tests used for the certification of teachers. The focus is on the use of competency tests as criteria in determining the initial certification of teachers, as differentiated from the ongoing observation and…

This bulletin contains the specifications for the Professional Education subtest of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination. The specifications presented are being used for the 1980-81 examinations. General information on the test includes an outline of the content base, a content base/competency matrix, and a blueprint of the test by…

Information regarding tests and requirements at entrance into teacher education programs, at initial certification, and as a teacher are presented on a state-by-state basis. (Author/MT)

A pilot test of 29 (78 percent) first-year trade and industrial (T&I) teachers who took the Connecticut Competency Examination for Prospective Teachers compared their scores with those of general education majors. Only 21 percent of the T&I teachers passed, suggesting the need for better basic skills preparation in T&I teacher…