TheAPTSEas a Tool for Measuring the Competencies of Special Education Student Teachers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Assessment of student teachers' performance in teaching practice has been an area of concern for researchers for many years. At the Institute of Education (IE), Singapore, an instrument called the Assessment of Performance in Teaching (APT) is used to assess the competencies of student teachers teaching in regular schools. In July 1988, staff from the Special Needs (SN) Department in IE adapted the APT for use with student teachers teaching in the special schools. The adapted instrument known as the APTSE (Assessment of Performance in Teaching for Special Education) was trialled for a 10-week period by the SN Dept staff and the principals of the special schools. The purpose of the paper is two-fold: first, to describe the development of an instrument to measure the competencies of student teachers teaching in special schools in Singapore, and second, to propose the use of this instrument as a viable means of assessing student performance in teaching in the special school context.