The current chapter focuses on philosophical and scientific developments in the assessment of teacher knowledge. The goal is to provide an overview of major developments in the assessment of teacher knowledge and to illustrate those developments with representative and significant efforts. The authors made evaluative judgments of importance based…

The introduction of the "Praxis" tests to certify preservice teachers has added to the controversy over what content should be taught in educational psychology classes. "Praxis II" tests are essentially exit examinations, usually taken between the junior and senior year to ensure that students know their specialty content areas…

A job analysis helped develop specifications for physical education (PE) assessment of the Praxis Series for beginning teacher evaluation. A national sample of PE teachers, administrators, and college faculty judged knowledge domains for importance and created 128 crucial knowledge statements for beginning PE teachers. An appendix provides the…

This paper reviews current literature about three tools used by teacher education programs and school districts to assess teacher candidate quality. It presents a matrix which aligns the underlying dimensions of teacher knowledge, dispositions, and skills for the STAR Teacher Interview, the Teacher Perceiver Interview, and the Praxis III Teacher…

A job analysis was conducted of the knowledge important for newly licensed or certified physical education teachers. The results of the analysis were to be used to develop specifications for The Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers and to support the content validity of the assessment. An initial draft domain of knowledge…

A job analysis was conducted to define the knowledge domain of general principles of teaching and learning necessary for newly licensed (certified) teachers, regardless of grade level or subject, to perform in a competent manner. The results of the study are being used to develop test specifications for The Praxis Series: Professional Assessments…

This paper discusses underlying beliefs about teaching that are related to the assessment of prospective teachers and elucidates some basic beliefs that are guiding the development of new types of assessments for new teachers. These new assessments are called "The Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers(TM)."…

A job analysis was conducted to define the content domain in which newly licensed (certified) special education teachers must be knowledgeable to perform their jobs in a competent manner. The results of the job analysis will be used to develop test specifications for the Subject Assessment in Special Education of the Praxis Series: Professional…

A transportability study was conducted to determine if multidisciplinary knowledge necessary for elementary school teachers was also relevant for newly licensed (certified) secondary school teachers. The results of the study may be used to study the possibility of developing a test of multiple subjects for all teachers. Form 1 of the Education in…

A job analysis was conducted to define a knowledge domain necessary for newly licensed (certified) general science teachers to perform their jobs competently. The results of the job analysis will be used to develop test specifications for the Praxis II Subject Assessment in General Science. An initial draft domain of important knowledge statements…

This report is introduced by a history of the development and implementation of the Nevada Competency Testing Program for Educational Personnel. The study examined the test taking histories of persons entering the Nevada educational system to determine how well the competency testing program was accomplishing its purpose of ensuring that new…

The preparation of preservice teachers plays a major role in closing the achievement gap in the education of urban children. Urban teachers often do not understand how their low expectations and deficit assumptions influence their instructional practices and contribute to a widening achievement gap between urban and non-urban students. Many…