National Teacher Examinations Research Articles

Predicting Employment in Education: The Relative Efficiency of National Teacher Examinations Scores and Student Teacher Ratings

Multiple regression techniques were used to analyze the relative contribution of scores on the National Teacher Examinations, area examination for elementary school teachers, and of teacher supervisor ratings in predicting employment in elementary school teaching. Correlations between the independent variables and success in obtaining or not obtaining a job were computed for Ill students from five state and private universities. Although moderate correlations were found between area examination scores and supervisor ratings of student teaching performance, the rating was a more valid predictor of employment (R = .34, R2 = .12, p < .05) than was the examination score.

Teacher Education at Grambling State University: A Move Toward Excellence

In the decade since the mid-1970s, there has been a distinct trend toward increased use of competency tests in the certification of teachers. By 1982, fifteen states required new entrants into the profession to gain certification via the testing route. The test required by eight of the fifteen was the National Teacher Examinations Core Battery, developed and administered by Educational Testing Service. At this writing, twenty-eight states use the National Teacher Examinations (NTE), twenty-one of them requiring it for initial certification. In 1977 the Louisiana legislature passed a law that required all new applicants for teacher certification to take and pass a competency test. Decisions about which test and what cutoff score to use were the province of the state superintendent of public instruction. Thus, when the superintendent selected the NTE as its competency test, Louisiana became the ninth state to require that test for certification. To assist him in making the decision, the state superintendent convened panels of teacher educators from all of the state's public and private colleges and universities to participate in a study to determine the validity of the NTE's content for use in Louisiana. Panelists who were familiar with the knowledge and academic skills needed for competent performance as a beginning teacher were asked to perform the following tasks: (1) examine each test question and judge whether students in their college programs had an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and academic skills to answer it correctly; (2) examine the description of test content that guides the development of each edition of the test, and judge whether each

A National Teacher Examination

A National Teacher Examination

THE IMPACT OF NTE USE BY STATES ON TEACHER SELECTION

ABSTRACT This study was designed to investigate the impact of the National Teacher Examination (NTE) Core Battery and Specialty Area tests on the selection of teachers. The areas examined were how states use the NTE Programs Tests; distribution of test takers and test scores by racial/ethnic group; impact of qualifying scores on passing rates of these groups; and implications for the composition of the future teaching force. Most states set qualifying scores for each test they use. Test scores may be used to screen candidates for teacher education programs; evaluate student performance; screen candidates for initial certification; provide an alternative to the approved program approach for certification; and/or select teachers 'for participation in special programs. Passing rates differ significantly among racial/ethnic groups when qualifying scores set by states are applied to the national pool of NTE examinees. State policies have a direct impact on minorities. Current efforts are directed toward enacting more, or stricter, standards rather than addressing problems of equity. (DwH)

ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ESSAYS: BLIND VERSUS INFORMED RÉVIEWS

This study was undertaken to evaluate two procedures for establishing a minimum performance standard for the essay subtest of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) Communication Skills test. Twenty public school teachers and 20 teacher educators were randomly assigned to either a “blind” or “informed” review panel. Both panels were directed to evaluate the same set of 12 sample essays. Those assigned to the informed panel were apprised of the scores previously awarded to each essay and were asked to decide upon the lowest score they would judge to be acceptable for a beginning teacher. Those assigned to the blind panel were not informed of the scores and were asked to judge whether each essay was at least minimally acceptable for a beginning teacher. Following their blind reviews, the scores were revealed to this group, and they were also asked to indicate the lowest score they would judge to be acceptable. No significant mean differences were observed for the standards associated with blind and informed reviews, but a significant mean difference was observed between the standards set by teachers and teacher educators; the former being more stringent. Based upon criteria other than mean differences, it was concluded that the preferred procedure for setting standards on essays should involve a blind review followed by an informed review. This strategy was subsequently implemented in a state‐wide validation study in Virginia, and the results of this full‐scale study are presented along with results reported for a study using informed reviews in another state.

A COMPARISON OF THREE METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING MINIMUM STANDARDS ON THE NATIONAL TEACHER EXAMINATIONS

Minimum standards were established for the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) area examinations in mathematics and in elementary education by independent panels of teacher educators who had been instructed in the use of either the Angoff, Nedelsky, or Jaeger procedures. Of these three procedures, only the Jaeger method requires that normative data be provided to the judges when evaluating the items. However, it was of interest to study the effect such information would have upon the standards obtained using the other two methods. Therefore, the design incorporated three sequential review sessions with the level of normative information different for each. A three‐factor ANOVA revealed significant main effects for methods and sessions but not for subject area. None of the interactions was significant. The anticipated failure rates, the psychometric characteristics of the ratings, and other factors suggest that the Angoff procedure, as modified during the second session of this study, yields the most defensible standards for the NTE area examinations.

Student Achievement at Predominantly White and Predominantly Black Universities

This study explored the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) performance of students with similar Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores who attended Jive predominantly black and 10 predominantly white universities. Except for two campuses, black graduates of predominantly white institutions scored higher on the NTE than black graduates of predominantly black institutions after SAT was controlled. When the graduates were grouped by race of student and predominant race of institution, both black and white graduates of predominantly white institutions received higher NTE scores than blacks and whites with similar SATs from predominantly black institutions. Uncontrolled, precollege differences among students may account for some of these differences in NTE performance, but the analysis suggests that the universities themselves are the more important influence.

A Survey of Health Educators regarding a Health Education Area Test in the National Teacher Examinations

A Survey of Health Educators regarding a Health Education Area Test in the National Teacher Examinations

Predicting Teacher Nte Scores in Mathematics and Science

Scores on the Mathematics and two science-related Tests of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) were the dependent variables in stepwise multiple regression analyses using personological variables of inservice teachers as predictors. Two variables—number of semester hours' credit in mathematics and grade level of teaching—accounted for 61% of the observed Mathematics NTE score variance. In a cross-validation, shrinkage was approximately 1%. Predicted and obtained NTE scores were compared for a trichotomous division of teachers into low, middle, and high achievement status. The prediction correctly placed 67% of the cases. NTE Mathematics Examinations appears to have substantial criterion-related validity. In the Science Tests of the NTE the multiple regression outcome of 10 to 20% of variance explained for various teaching disciplines indicated low criterion-related validity.

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN ITEM CONTENT AND GROUP MEMBERSHIP ON ACHIEVEMENT TEST ITEMS

It is often argued that certain types of items are biased against some groups. Of particular concern is the possibility that non-essential characteristics of particular test items may result in misleadingly poor performance for minority and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged children. For example, when vocabulary is incidental to the skill that the items are purported to measure (e.g., an arithmetic story problem), then the use of words that are less familiar to members of one group than to another may result in a biased indication of the relative performance of the two groups. A variety of student characteristics could interact with item characteristics to affect overall performance on a test. Ethnic group membership or socioeconomic status are but two of many potentially important characteristics. Differences in motivation or in test taking anxiety could also lead to interactions with characteristics of test items. The identification and understanding of possible interactions between student characteristics and the characteristics of items used to measure student achievement could contribute to the development of improved measurement procedures. Characteristics which have the potential to distort test results by interacting undesirably with student characteristics can be investigated experimentally. Item characteristics would be systematically varied and the performance of groups differing in characteristics such as socioeconomic status or level of anxiety would be compared experimentally. A study by Medley and Quirk (1974) is an example of this approach. Medley and Quirk used altered content specifications for the general education items of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE). For two experimental forms of the examination, the proportion of items involving contemporary culture (modern items) and the proportion of items involving black cultural contributions (black items) were increased and the proportion of items dealing with classical contributions (traditional items) was reduced. The relative performance of black and white candidates was then compared on the three types of items. The black candidates did relatively better on the black and modern items than on traditional items, and, when black and modern items were compared, their relative performance was better on the black items.

The Relationship of Performance in Professional Education Courses To National Teacher Examinations Scores

Scores on the National Teacher Examinations subtest in profes sional education for 55 secondary education majors were correlated with their grades in courses in educational psychology, secondary methods, and test and measurement. Findings revealed that differ ences existed in the strength of the relationships for males and fe males, but combining the subgroups resulted in stronger correlations for each of the three courses.

Concurrent and Predictive Validity of the National Teacher Examinations

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the concurrent and predictive validity of the Weighted Common Examinations and Education in the Elementary School test scores from the National Teacher Examinations for a group of teachers who were graduates of one university. Results of the study of both tests were similar and support the findings of other researchers. Suggestions for use of the results of the study in teacher selection were advanced.

Teacher Performance on the National Teacher Examinations and Student Mathematics and Vocabulary Achievement

AbstractAlmost all of the efforts to validate the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) have failed to consider the relationships between teacher performance on the NTE and student achievement. This study, however, examined the importance of Weighted Common Examinations Total (WCET) scores to the prediction of mathematics and vocabulary achievement, initial findings indicated that teachers with higher WCET scores were associated with significantly higher levels of student mathematics and vocabulary achievement, and the WCET scores accounted for 2 to 3 percent of the variance of the student achievement measures. Yet when teacher race was controlled, the WCET scores were no longer significant predictors and the magnitudes of their contributions decreased. Thus, WCET scores were significant predictors of effective teaching when variance shared with teacher race was included. However, WCET scores without this shared variance were not significant predictors of effective teaching.

Some Observations on the National Teacher Examination on “English Language and Literature”

Some Observations on the National Teacher Examination on “English Language and Literature”

Relationship of Selected Variables to Success in a Teacher Preparation Program

Subjects (N = 603) were graduates of a four year teacher preparation program who had completed the American College Test prior to admission to the University, the Mooney Problem Check-list, Kuder Preference Record Vocational and Personal, and Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes as freshmen, and the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) as seniors. Overall Quality Point Average (QPA) and hours of credit and QPAs earned in various subject matter areas were obtained. Results of the study indicated differences in the correlational patterns of the variables for two subgroups (elementary and secondary majors). The most valid predictors of success in teacher preparation as measured by overall QPA and composite scores on the NTE, were social science and major teaching field QPAs. Subjects who had been more successful as compared with those who had been less successful in courses normally taken in lower division college work, i.e., science, social science, and English, tended to complete the teacher preparation program more successfully as measured by overall QPA and scores on the NTE.

THE APPLICATION OF A FACTORIAL DESIGN TO THE STUDY OF CULTURAL BIAS IN GENERAL CULTURE ITEMS ON THE NATIONAL TEACHER EXAMINATION1

This article describes a series of studies performed with the National Teacher Examinations which were designed to study the relationship between the cultural content of special sets of general culture test items and the performance of blacks and whites on these experimental items. Significant differences between the performance of blacks and whites were found in terms of black, modern, and traditional test items. A replication of the study with the same test items, and also with a different group of test items, is also described.

Review of Studies of the Concurrent and Predictive Validity of the National Teacher Examinations

This review is organized into four main sections. In the first, the background and purposes of the National Teacher Examinations (NTE) and the hazards of combining data on these tests in research studies are discussed briefly. The second section is concerned with articles related to the concurrent validity of the NTE and their relationship to pre-service teacher preparation. The third section has to do with the predictive validity of the NTE with in-service teachers. The last section is a summary of the research findings. The reader who wants more detailed information about any article mentioned in this review is urged to study the more extended discussion of these articles in the annotated bibliography by Quirk, Witten, and Weinberg (1972). The National Teacher Examinations have been in existence for

Review of Studies of the Concurrent and Predictive Validity of the National Teacher Examinations

Review of Studies of the Concurrent and Predictive Validity of the National Teacher Examinations

Use of The D-48 Test, Otis Quick Score Mental Ability Test, and National Teacher Examinations for Predicting Success in a Graduate School of Education

Use of The D-48 Test, Otis Quick Score Mental Ability Test, and National Teacher Examinations for Predicting Success in a Graduate School of Education

Results of the National Teacher Examinations at Tulane University, 1948-1966.

Results of the National Teacher Examinations at Tulane University, 1948-1966.