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)

This article looks at the characteristics of New Jersey's alternate route program and outlines the processes and guidelines which distinguish this program from the traditional teacher education program. (MT)

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)

The National Education Association (NEA) asserts that precertification testing should be an important filter for guaranteeing that only competent candidates are certified to teach. However, NEA also stresses that all teacher education students must have equal opportunity and access to the resources required to produce quality teachers and is…

Field tests of test items are useful in developing cutting scores for important tests, such as teacher certification examinations and high school graduation tests, because they indicate test item quality and estimate future examinee performance. However, field test data may provide a faulty indication of examinee performance on the real test.…

This paper focuses on ways in which one state policy for improving education--standard-setting through testing mechanisms--affects the classroom teacher-learner relationship. That uniform policy-making is problematic is clear from observations of 43 Mid-Atlantic school district teachers. Responding to three types of standards, 45 percent found…