The Mississippi Teacher Assessment Instruments (MTAI) for the evaluation of beginning teachers has been adopted by the Mississippi State Board of Education. The MTAI assesses on-the-job performance and consists of 16 competencies measured by 3 separate instruments, which are to be administered twice during the beginning teacher's first year of professional practice. The first instrument measures teaching plans and materials, with evaluation based on the teacher's portfolio of lesson plans. The second instrument assesses the teacher's cognitive interaction with learners, skill in organizing and presenting instruction, and classroom management, all measured by classroom observation. The third instrument evaluates classroom environment and interpersonal skills, utilizing observation as the measuring technique. A statistical report presents individual indicators that were failed by beginning teachers; analysis is also made on the basis of gender and race. A large number of provisional teachers failed to clear proficiency on the first evaluation and to a lesser degree on the second. Implications point to the need for more attention by preservice and staff development programs to effective performance on the Teaching Plans and Materials sections. The complete Mississippi Teaching Competencies and Indicators (MTCI) instrument is appended. (LL)