The National Teachers Examinations (NTE) Core Battery scores of initially certified teachers in North Carolina were compared with teaching effectiveness scores. Teacher effectiveness scores were obtained using the Teacher Performance and Appraisal Instrument (TPAI)--a classroom observation instrument used by a trained team of observers. The TPAI focuses on teaching techniques used in the classroom and identifies 25 teaching practices grouped into five major teaching functions: (1) time management; (2) behavior management; (3) instructional presentation; (4) instructional monitoring; and (5) instructional feedback. All 111 subjects involved in the study had completed the NTE; only 74 of the subjects completed both the NTE and the TPAI. No correlations were found between scores on the two instruments. Reliance on the NTE by administrators hiring new teachers is questioned. (TJH)