Legislative and/or state department of education mandates requiring some form of competency assessment of teachers are currently in force in 38 states. An additional seven states report planning activity, and only five states report no plans to test the competency of teachers. Descriptions are given of competency assessment activities in each…

A response to articles by Alan Tom and Richard Wisniewski (November-December 1981 Journal of Teacher Education) is offered. Alternatives to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards are considered. It is suggested that higher selection standards for teachers be coupled with financial incentives. (PP)

The implementation of uniform standards for assessing prospective teachers' competencies in basic skills prior to admission is growing rapidly. There is also a trend toward increasing the grade point average required for admission. Policies on admission to teacher education programs reflect concern about the decline in both the number and quality…

Some of the realities, at a state and national level, of implementing new teacher education standards that emphasize basic skills are discussed. Reported on is Kansas' response to the national trend toward teacher basic skill testing (five house bills concerning teacher education). The Kansas State Board of Education proposal for a competency…

Because historically black institutions have provided the major share of non-white teachers to the nation's schools, this monograph was prepared to illuminate some of the proactive initiatives which have taken place in four of these black colleges' teacher education programs: (1) Bethune-Cookman College in Florida; (2) Norfolk State University in…