As of the fall of 1984, 40 states had by state mandate adopted some form of student minimum competency testing; 19 are or will be using test performance for the award of high school diplomas. In the other 10 states, local initiatives had implemented such testing programs on the school district level. Five states were using competency tests to…

In accordance with Florida statutes, the state's Division of Community Colleges conducted a program review of teacher education in Florida's community colleges. Two questions were examined: (1) What role does the community college system currently play in teacher preparation and continuing education? and (2) What role should the community college…

The purpose of this study was to compare the scoring of Teacher Performance Assessment Instruments (TPAI) indicators using discrete descriptors when some are considered "essential" with the scoring of these same indicators, and when no descriptors are considered essential. The two questions addressed in this study were: (1) To what…

Reasons to de-emphasize testing as a means of assessing teacher quality are offered in this paper. The following questions pertinent to teacher testing are asked: (1) Granted that teacher education is now attracting low caliber students, can the testing movement reverse the trend? (2) Is it justifiable to determine, and even predict, the quality…

A study examined Florida's certification process for postsecondary vocational education teachers. After reviewing previous research on the certification of vocational educators in Florida, the commission solicited data analyzing the differences in teaching ability between certified and noncertified vocational teachers and the content validity,…

Relationships among variables that may predict medical school graduates who will be licensed, will practice primary care medicine, and will select Ohio and southwestern Ohio as the location of their practice were evaluated with the 1980 initial graduating class of the Wright State University School of Medicine, Ohio. The following statistical…

Participants in the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE)/Institute for Research on Teaching (IRT) Summer Workshop on "Quality Assurance in Teacher Education: Research Into Practice," attended sessions on higher education and took part in workshops focusing on research on teaching. The ATE presented 32 sessions reviewing current developments in…

Three chapters set forth the regulations of the Washington State Board of Education that relate to teacher preparation and certification. General certification provisions incorporated in chapter WAC 180-75 include rules on: (1) equivalency of standards; (2) appeal procedures; (3) certificate revocation and notification of revocation; (4)…

These national standards are intended to serve as a guide for the establishment of thorough and complete apprenticeship programs to produce trained retail meatcutters to carry on the tradition of quality in the retail meatcutting industry. Covered in the individual sections are the following topics: definitions, the National Joint Apprenticeship…

The National Teacher Examination (NTE) validation and cut score determination procedures for use in teacher certification in Arkansas are discussed. The NTE area examinations to be validated were selected by the Arkansas Department of Education, which compared the state's certification requirements with the NTE's rationale, content, and scope…

A five-part questionnaire was used to determine the degree of effectiveness of homemaking teacher certification programs as perceived by 362 vocational homemaking teachers in two geographical areas of Texas. Responses revealed the extent to which graduates of home economics certification programs: (1) felt equipped to help youth and adults solve…

Content, instructional, and curricular validity, as related to certification tests, are examined. All three deal with content validity but the domain differs among the the three. Certification tests must have instructional validity, i.e., the test must be valid both with respect to the domain used to define the minimum competencies and the…

The Florida Teacher Certification Examination was developed as a comprehensive written examination for use in initial teacher certification in the state. Applicants must demonstrate mastery of 23 generic minimum competencies in teaching adopted in Florida statutes and State Board of Education rules. Subtests in General Education cover writing,…

National statistics reported in recent studies of educational quality and information gathered by the Nevada Governor's Commission on Educational Excellence both show disturbing trends in educational performance, despite some positive indications. Among recent signs of improvement in Nevada are the recognition of some Nevada schools as outstanding…

Alternative teacher education programs have come under fire from a variety of sources--researchers, legislators, parents, even other educators. The authors' responses to the focus article provide the insights of practitioners who regularly work with teachers so prepared. Warren states that the problem addressed in this study notes the absence of…