Limited studies illustrate the significance of a transformative perspective on pre-service teachers' assessment practices during their study in higher education institutions (HEIs). As such, the need to prepare pre-service teachers for the transformative realities of the workplace has been widely acknowledged as a crucial element of contemporary…

In the United States, colleges of education are responding to demands for increased accountability. The purpose of this article is to describe one teacher education program's implementation of a performance evaluation tool during final internship that measures teacher candidates' development across four domains: Planning and Preparation,…

The student teaching seminar is a crucial component in the final course work of the music education curriculum, though research that examines the structure and content of this important course is minimal. In this article, we provide in-depth descriptions of sample seminar activities, assessments, resources, and suggestions for creating a…

The paper reviews teacher candidates' use of action research and the Professional Learning Community (PLC) concept to support their work in their pre-student teaching field experience. In this research study, teacher candidates are involved in a professional development school relationship that uses action research and PLCs to support candidate…

The usage of portfolio methods to document professional development in teaching is increasing in Germany, but despite its proliferation, the issue of how the effects of portfolio methods can be determined has received little attention. This paper investigates the acceptance of portfolio by the pre-service teachers (N = 144, 112 female) and the…

Preparing all students to succeed in today's increasingly global economy and complex world requires a shift from a teacher-centric culture to learner-centered instruction, according to a new report from the Alliance for Excellent Education. This report examines the characteristics of learner-centered instruction and the support that educators and…

In recent years, increasing numbers of professional development programs have dealt with assessment literacy for teachers and/or administrators. Is assessment literacy merely a fashionable focus for today's professional developers or, in contrast, should it be regarded as a significant area of professional development interest for many years to…

This study examined the assessment literacy of primary/junior teacher candidates in all four years of their concurrent program. Candidates from each year of the program completed a survey pertaining to self-described level of assessment literacy, main purposes of assessment, utilization of different assessment methods, need for further training,…

The single purpose of teacher education and subsequent professional development is to prepare increasingly effective and skilled teachers, where the indicator of such is increasingly effective students. It is reasonable to expect that when teachers have the appropriate instructional tools, the result will be an increase in their students' skills…

To prepare students for postsecondary education, educators and policymakers must perform two tasks at the same time: restructure high schools so they are aligned to the expectations of colleges and revamp instruction so that college readiness is the goal, measure, and substance of good teaching. The research is clear: the key to preparing students…

This proceedings is devoted to the publication of research papers in mathematics, science, and technology education, covering domain/content areas such as learning and the learner, curriculum and materials, instruction, assessment and evaluation, history and philosophy of science, and teacher preparation and professional development. Papers in…

Presents the address delivered by President Richard Theisen at the 79th National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference in Orlando (Florida). Discusses topics such as improving pre-service teacher education, content of social studies textbooks, staff development for teachers, student assessment, and civics education. (CMK)

Collaborative efforts by Texas Tech University (TTU) and the Lubbock Independent School District (ISD) resulted in an innovative program to improve the preparation of secondary-level preservice teachers in social studies. The program is grounded in the realities of the social studies classroom. Students are organized by teaching field in a…

This study examined whether using teaching portfolios would affect the meaning given to basic concepts in education by preservice teachers. Preservice teachers from two universities completed surveys before and after an experimental group was trained in teaching portfolios. At the semester's end, there were noticeable shifts in meaning…

This collection papers begins with "Introduction: The Dynamics of Successful Leadership in Foreign Language Programs," then features the following: "The Undergraduate Program: Autonomy and Empowerment" (Wilga M. Rivers); "TA Supervision: Are We Preparing a Future Professoriate?" (Cathy Pons); "Applied Scholarship…