This study attempted to gain insight into what teacher candidates think about teacher-competency testing and how test results should be used. A majority of students were negative toward testing, and the weight test scores could be given in hiring and evaluation of teachers. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (MT)

Questionnaires returned by 285 graduates were used to survey perceptions of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination in terms of adequacy to measure competence, difficulty level, need for more rigor, and usefulness in upgrading standards. The results suggest that education graduates do not necessarily dismiss the value of a certification…

This bibliography represents a personal selection, focusing primarily on the use of group paper-and-pencil tests to assess teacher competence. It is organized in terms of general information, political issues, legal issues, national teacher examinations, defining competence, measurement issues, and technical information. (MT)

The high failure rate of Black prospective teachers in the southern states raises the challenge to change the quality of education for all Americans. (MLF)

The legal issue of teacher competency testing is not the testing itself, but the type, manner, application, and purpose of the testing. Legal concepts pertinent to the issue of competency testing are explored. (MT)

This study was designed to investigate the impact of the National Teacher Examination (NTE) Core Battery and Specialty Area tests on the selection of teachers. The areas examined were how states use the NTE Programs Tests; distribution of test takers and test scores by racial/ethnic group; impact of qualifying scores on passing rates of these…

The President of the National Council on Measurement in Education replies to his critics. He argues that the concept of measurement error should not be used to make cut-scores more valid and that grade point averages have not been demonstrated to be valid indicators of teachers' subject matter competence. (LMO)

Using a statewide sample of prospective teachers' results on the National Teacher Examinations (NTE), the investigation probed relationships between NTE Composite Scores, Weighted Common Examination Total (WCET) scores, and WCET subscores with selected predictor variables, specifically, American College Testing (ACT) Composite and Area Scores.…

Before using the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) for teacher certification, states are required to conduct a state-wide validity study. This paper describes approaches used in 35 studies for 18 states to establish (NTE) content validity through curriculum and job relatedness and to establish minimum performance standards. (BS)

Two central aspects of the teacher-testing movement are addressed: (1) assumptions that form the basis for the prescription that teachers should be tested; and (2) the various domains in which testing might take place. Recommendations for teacher education institutions concerning appropriate use of competency testing are given. (PP)

Two aspects of the teacher testing issue are discussed: (1) reasons for assuming that teachers should be tested; and (2) domains in which testing might occur. The effects of testing on teacher quality and public opinion are discussed. Ways that teacher educators can use their influence to improve teacher quality are suggested. (PP)

Competency testing is a fact of life for many new teachers. This article describes different types of tests and the purposes for which they are used in various states. Teachers and spokespersons for educational organizations and institutions express their views on testing and on how test results may affect teacher education. (PP)

Offers different perspectives of the conference topics that were discussed at the 1984 meeting of the International Federation for the Teaching of English (IFTE): language and English teacher education, language and competence, language and tests, language and schooling, language and technology, and language and technological overkill. (HOD)

California, in response to pessimism about the efficacy of public education, adopted the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST), a three-part test of reading, writing, and mathematics required of teacher applicants. This paper takes a critical look at the genesis, passage, implementation, and consequences of the CBEST legislation. In…

The Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST), was developed at Educational Testing Service at the request of the National Teachers Examination Policy Council. The battery of three tests is designed to provide objective, standardized measures of basic proficiency in reading, mathematics, and writing. The steps in the test development process of this…