Standards in the New Millennium: Where We Are, Where We’re Headed

Abstract

This statement from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) explains efforts over the past decade to align standards for P-12 students, teacher candidates, licensing, and advanced certification. It highlights new NCATE expectations for teachers and other educators graduating from accredited institutions and discusses those expectations in light of the current policy environment. The article focuses on the next big challenge that is the logical outcome of the standards movement—assessment. Now that standards have been developed, states, institutions, and schools must determine whether teachers, colleges, and students meet them. What criteria should be used to make the decisions? What principles of assessment should guide their development? The article lays out some of the issues as well as guidelines NCATE has developed to assist institutions in creating assessment systems.