Teacher Licensure Research Articles

Is Teacher Education Higher Education? The Politics of Teacher Education in Israel, 1970–2010

During the past 30 years, teacher training in Israel has undergone a revolution: the teaching profession has become academic, and since the mid-1980s all teachers were required to attend either an academic college of education or a university in order to acquire a bachelor's degree and a teacher's license. Yet, despite this process of academization, the teaching profession has found it difficult to establish itself as an academic field, and teachers constantly have to prove — to themselves, as well as to public opinion — that they are worthy of an academic status. This paper analyses the process of academization of teacher education in Israel, with special emphasis on the policies of the two chief actors in the field — the Ministry of Education and the Council for Higher Education — showing that they traditionally held contradictory perceptions of teachers and of the teaching profession, and that this source of conflict has slowed down the academization process and weakened the profession, thus preventing it from reaching its ultimate goal — the upgrading of the teaching profession.

Teacher Licensure Exams and Black Teacher Candidates: Toward New Theory and Promising Practice

Basic teacher licensure exams such as Praxis are the first gatekeepers to the teaching profession. Fewer than half of the aspiring Black teachers who take these exams pass on their first attempt. While critiques of these exams are warranted, critiques alone will do little to help certify more Black teachers. This solution-oriented article makes both a theoretical and practical contribution to this area. First, it provides a selected overview of two theoretical areas that have relevance to understanding teacher licensure testing. These theoretical areas are self-efficacy and sociocultural theory. The article then draws from the author 's 6 years of preparing Black preservice teachers for licensure exams to illustrate how these theories can shape practice at both programmatic and classroom levels.Keywords: teacher licensure, teacher education, self-efficacy, sociocultural theory, Praxis, Black and African American teachersAny discussion of increasing the numbers of Black teachers in United States' schools must include a discussion of when and how prospective teachers are tested. At present time, standardized teacher licensure examinations, which are designed and administered by testing agencies such as Educational Testing Service (ETS; www.ets.org/praxis) and Pearson (www.pearsonassessments.com) are gatekeepers to most teacher education programs in the United States. These exams entail a battery of timed tests in reading, mathematics, and writing. Currently, 29 states use ETS' Pre-Professional Skills Test (i.e., Praxis I) as a basic skills admissions test for teacher education programs. Twelve other states use a similar test created by a different testing company. Summarily, in 41 states, students must pass a licensure examination before they are admitted into a program. Some universities whose state department of education does not have these requirements still elect to have these exams as program admissions requirements.Due to the position of these exams, education is an undergraduate major fundamentally different from others because students must test into it. While it is normal for state certifying bodies in many professions (e.g., law, medicine) to administer professional assessments before granting licensure, the organization of teacher licensure is different from other professions. Traditionally, teacher education and licensure take place at the undergraduate level and not the post-baccalaureate level as in law and medicine. Consequently, prospective teachers must pass basic skills licensure exams before they can be formally admitted into a program, usually during their first or second year at an institution.Research by ETS (Nettles et al, 201 1) found that the first time passing rates of Black test takers between 2005 and 2009 on the Praxis basic skills exam were as follows: reading (40.7%), writing (44.2%), and mathematics (36.8%). Nettles and colleagues (2011) found that the passing rate for White first-time test takers was approximately double that for Black test takers: reading (81.5%), writing (79.5%), and mathematics (78.2%). Even when controlling for other variables such as household income, grade point average, and parent's education level, a 7-point math score difference still exists between Black and White test takers. While the passing rates and standards for White students should not be held as the desired standard for Black students, this gap is alarming and is a critical piece to understanding why only 7% of teachers in the United States are Black (National Center for Education Information, 201 1). If one cannot be admitted into a teacher education program, one cannot become a teacher. This battery of tests is the first significant gatekeeper that students who wish to become teachers experience in postsecondary education.Critiques abound for such standardized tests in general and their contemporary placement as gatekeepers in teacher education programs (Bennett, McWhorter, & Kuykendall, 2006; Flippo, 2003; Memory, Coleman, & Watkins, 2003; Mikitovics & Crehan, 2002). …

Education Majors Enrolled in Music, Art, and Physical Education Methods Classes: A Predictor Model for Final Course Grades

Abstract This study investigated the predictability of final course grades for college education majors (N = 68) who were enrolled in a methods course in art (n = 16), music (n = 20), or physical education (n = 32) to fulfill a requirement for degree completion and teacher licensure and who could elect to fulfill the requirement with one course. A survey was developed to gather information on college students’ experiences in art, music, and physical education courses in high school as well as in their college curriculum. The study was conducted to determine if an omnibus predictor variable comprised of high school grade-point average (GPA), college GPA, and a combination of high school experiences noted as an "experience score" enabled accurate prediction of final grades in college methods courses. Regression analysis demonstrated the predictor model was significant, but accounted for only a moderate amount of variability; no single factor, however, was predictive. The findings of this study generated ideas for further research related to prediction of course grade outcomes.

All that glitters is not gold: Challenges of teacher and school leader licensure licensing system in Qatar

In 2001, the Government of Qatar began a comprehensive education reform (Education for a New Era) based on RAND's recommendations and options for building an educational system that would meet the country's changing needs. Nine years later, Qatar's educational landscape has significantly changed. Among these changes is the introduction of Professional Standards for teacher and school leaders and Qatar's first system for the registration and licensing of teachers and school leaders that are directly linked to the professional standards. This study seeks to analyze school leaders’ perspectives regarding the Qatar National Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders and the recently introduced accompanying licensure system. The study reports results from questionnaires addressed to 74 school leaders. These findings illuminate problematic issues and indicate that these policies use ambiguous terminology and procedures, ignore local educators’ input, and provide unrealistic expectations of society, lack consistency and created resistance on the part of educators. Discussion is provided that centers on the implications of importing educational products and the need to take into account the local culture in implementing these products.

Useful Signal or Unnecessary Obstacle? The Role of Basic Skills Tests in Teacher Preparation

Many individuals who attempt to enter teacher education programs are precluded from doing so because of an inability to pass basic skills tests. The authors examine whether these tests are simply a gate that needs to be passed through or whether they provide useful early information about how individuals are likely to perform on subsequent licensure tests. By examining a pool of individuals who took both basic skills and licensure tests, the authors contrast the likelihood of passing licensure tests given how well individuals performed on the basic skills test. The results support the hypothesis that basic skills tests are measuring cognitive skills important to the learning of material required for success in attaining teacher licensure and are not simply a bureaucratic hurdle.

Teacher Work Sample Methodology: Displaying Accountability Of U.S. Teacher Education Program Effectiveness

Productive strategies for evaluating outcomes in teacher licensure programs are becoming increasingly important in the education field. Research data from 492 teacher licensure program completers from 2006-2009 in the School of Education, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado (USA) was compiled after accreditation by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). Three categories including subject matter knowledge, pedagogy, and caring teaching skills were acknowledged in accreditation. An important pedagogy experience for students during the licensure program was teacher work sample methodology. This article discusses teacher work sample methodology, explains the experience of building a teacher work sample (TWS) and presents data regarding students results from TWS rubrics. Findings demonstrate teacher education program effectiveness and highlight the effective use of TWSs to meet accreditation requirements.

Teachers’ knowledge base for implementing response-to-intervention models in reading

This study examined the knowledge base of 142 elementary-level educators for implementing response-to-intervention (RTI) models in reading. A questionnaire assessed participants’ professional background for teaching reading, as well as their familiarity with specific assessments, research-based instructional models, and interventions potentially useful in RTI approaches. A multiple-choice knowledge survey patterned after a teacher licensure exam, including items situated in classroom contexts, assessed participants’ knowledge about different components of reading, assessment, and RTI practices. Overall, participants obtained the highest scores on a knowledge survey subscale involving fluency/vocabulary/comprehension and the lowest on a subscale involving assessment/RTI practices, with a subscale involving phonemic awareness/phonics in the middle. Mean percentages correct on the subscales ranged from about 58–65% correct. However, participants who said they had prior code-focused professional development outperformed other participants on all survey subscales. General elementary certified teachers performed comparably to special education certified teachers on two out of three subscales, with both groups outperforming unlicensed participants; on the assessment/RTI subscale, only the special educators outperformed unlicensed participants. Most participants were familiar with basic features of RTI such as the three tiered model but were unfamiliar with the research-based instructional approaches and interventions named in the study questionnaire, although participants who had experienced code-focused PD were significantly more likely to be familiar with certain interventions. The study suggests that professional development will be important to enable many educators to implement RTI effectively in reading.

대학(교)의 보육관련 교과목 개설 현황

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of pre-service curriculums for child care teachers at universities and colleges in Korea. To accomplish this, a survey was implemented to gather the lists of courses from each department training pre-service child care teachers. A total of 225 departments at universities and colleges across Korea participated in the survey. The results showed that the 37 different courses offered for child-care teacher licensure were different by school type (university or college) and major. Departments in colleges with specific majors such as early childhood education and social welfare offer courses that are also required for other certificates, including kindergarten teachers or social workers, so pre-service child care teachers may not have the opportunity to take courses specifically designed for their specific teaching needs or interests. Accordingly, there may be a restricted number of courses from which to choose during pre-service training periods. Based on the findings from this study, several political implications for improving child-care teacher professionalism were suggested.

STATISTICAL PROCEDURES TO EVALUATE QUALITY OF SCALE ANCHORING

ABSTRACTProviding information to test takers and test score users about the abilities of test takers at different score levels has been a persistent problem in educational and psychological measurement (Carroll, 1993). Scale anchoring (Beaton & Allen, 1992), a technique that describes what students at different points on a score scale know and can do, is a tool to provide such information. Scale anchoring for a test involves substantial amount of work, both by the statistical analysts and test developers involved with the test. In addition, scale anchoring involves considerable use of subjective judgment, so its conclusions may be questionable. This paper describes statistical procedures that can be used to determine if scale anchoring is likely to be successful for a test. If these procedures indicate that scale anchoring is unlikely to be successful, then there is little reason to perform a detailed scale anchoring study. The procedures are applied to several data sets from a teacher licensing test.

Using podcasts to replace lecture: Effects on student achievement

This study examined achievement when podcasts were used in place of lecture in the core technology course required for all students seeking teacher licensure at a large research-intensive university in the Southeastern United States. Further, it examined the listening preferences of the podcast group and the barriers to podcast use. The results revealed that there was no significant difference in the achievement of preservice teachers who experienced podcast instruction versus those who received lecture instruction. Further, there was no significant difference in their study habits. Participants preferred to use a computer and Blackboard for downloading the podcasts, which they primarily listened to at home. They tended to like the podcasts as well as the length of the podcasts and felt that they were reasonably effective for learning. They agreed that the podcasts were easy to use but disagreed that they should be used to replace lecture. Barriers to podcast use include unfamiliarity with podcasts, technical problems in accessing and downloading podcasts, and not seeing the relevance of podcasts to their learning.

An Alternate Route to Teaching

Introduction: Alternate route to teacher certification typically refers to programs that permit people with non-education bachelor degrees the option to earn a teaching license. This route allows people to enter the teaching field without returning to a college campus for two years of coursework and student teaching to obtain a license.

Medicaid and Supervision in Schools

Medicaid and Supervision in Schools

‘Bound by recognition’1: some thoughts on professional designation for teachers

A recent move in the effort to professionalize teaching has been a call for a professional designation for teachers in some Canadian jurisdictions. While teacher certification or licensure seeks to protect public interest and is concerned about professionalism – the quality of teachers' work – professional designation is concerned with public recognition of teachers' professional status, that is, acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the intellectual and ethical location from which teachers act – teachers' identities. While not wishing to argue for or against professional designation per se, I do want to reveal a certain predicament that results when the teaching profession becomes ‘bound by recognition’ (Markell, 2003). The predicament relates to the limits of identity: in the context of recognitive encounters with others, human beings constantly exceed and frustrate prior identifications, often contradicting their own expressed and deepest commitments. What then, one may ask, is the use value of recognition for the profession?

Commentary on Articles from Issue Three of RSEQ's 30-Year Retrospective

When the first issue of RSEQ was published 30 years ago, I was unaware of special education and its positive impact. Like most individuals educated in the 70s and early 80s, I saw few students with special needs in school. I grew up in rural Utah where students were bused from miles away to attend the local elementary. I know we had individuals with special needs in our small community. I vividly remember a neighbor boy with Down syndrome riding his noisy bicycle that had a playing card attached to the spokes of the front wheel. However, I have no clear recollection of Sam attending our elementary. I also remember who started out with our first grade class. She was a sweet girl who invited us to play with her jacks or jump rope at recess. Unfortunately (for those of us without our own set of jacks), Rachel was quickly moved to the third grade because she could read and do math better than the rest of us. From these recollections, I assume that special education was done outside of the grade-specific general education classroom. I went on to college in the early 80s and decided to pursue my degree and secondary teaching licensure. It was only due to a recommendation from my advisor that I went on to pursue a career in special education. My advisor stressed the need for special educators, especially in rural areas. I was lucky enough to be introduced to ACRES during my graduate work. I was glad that there was an organization focused on rural issues. Coming from a rural community, I know that many do not understand the unique challenges faced by those in rural areas. I also was impressed with Rural Special Education Quarterly (RSEQ). RSEQ is a wonderful oudet for those seeking to publish research in the field of rural special education. It is only through publications, such as RSEQ, where rural issues are stressed that positive changes in rural special education can occur. It is with great pleasure that I comment on the articles chosen for this retrospective. The classic articles in this issue address a wide array of topics still relevant today. Topics include distance education in special education teacher preparation, community-based rehabilitation, vocational competencies, and identification of gifted and talented students. Each of these articles stress the unique challenges faced by rural communities addressing issues in special education. The authors have illustrated how specific interventions and programs can overcome rural setting obstacles. In this issue, a 1999 article by Ludlow and Brannan presents distance education programs in special education teacher preparation. In the introduction, the authors mention that distance education is seen as a way to overcome teacher shortages. Unfortunately, in this era of increased standards and budgetary concerns, special education teacher shortages continue. In a listing put out in March 2010 by the U.S. Department of Education, 48 of the 50 states reported special education teacher shortages. These shortages are of particular concern in rural areas where populations are more static and have less access to traditional teacher training facilities. It is no surprise that rural areas are still relying on distance education as a way to overcome these shortages. In an act of prescience, Ludlow and Brannan predicted an increase in competition in distance education programs to attract students. This is clearly the case today. What students need to consider in choosing a program is the quality of components used. Ludlow and Brannan describe diese components from a perspective that still has relevance today. In another article, Zambone and Suarez (1996) describe community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programs used by developing nations as a way to overcome some of the obstacles of relying on institutional-based programs. In many of these settings, individuals with disabilities lack access to institutional programs due to their location. The authors call for rural communities in the U. …

Speaking Strategies: Meeting NCATE Oral Proficiency Standards

Abstract: The teaming of ACTFL and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education resulted in the requirement that teacher candidates speak at the Advanced Low (AL) or higher level on the Oral Proficiency scale. Providing the means to help candidates meet that minimum standard for certification is a fundamental consideration. This article outlines the design of a course, Speaking Strategies, that was implemented to address the specific issue of increasing students' oral proficiency. Inspired by Schmidt's (1990, 1993, 1995, 2001) noticing hypothesis, Speaking Strategies focuses students' attention on the tasks of the next proficiency level, resulting in an increase in proficiency of at least one sublevel in 71% of the cases. Most important for teacher candidates, more than one-third of those who did not reach the minimum AL rating prior to the course did so upon its completion. Key words: conversation, NCATE standards, oral proficiency, teacher certification, teacher credentials Introduction Teacher preparation programs underwent significant changes in 2002 with the collaboration of the ACTFL and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The result of the organizations' efforts to standardize teacher training are articulated in Program Standards for the Preparation of Foreign Language Teachers (ACTFL, 2002). That document prescribes minimum competencies in language, culture, pedagogy, and linguistics for the licensing of foreign language teachers. Moreover, the Standards establish a minimum level of oral proficiency in the target language at the Advanced Low (AL) level on the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Guidelines. Of the areas in which teacher candidates are tested, oral proficiency is likely the most difficult for many of them. Proficiency refers to a speaker's ability to ''use the language effectively and appropriately in real-life situations'' (Swender, 1999, p. 1). Unlike content areas that one masters through study, oral proficiency develops and improves over time. In addition, Advanced-level proficiency is an ambitious goal for typical undergraduate foreign language majors, particularly if they have no significant study abroad experience (Rifkin, 2003). Research shows that most language majors rate at the Intermediate High (IH)/AL border upon completing their studies, with more placing on the Intermediate side of the border. Swender (2003) reported that in a study of 501 Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) ratings of undergraduate majors, 47% rated above the Advanced-level border and 53% rated below. As such, the AL minimum requirement sets the bar higher than many undergraduates' typical performance. The challenge for teacher trainers is to assist students in developing their skills to perform consistently at the Advanced level. The preparation of future teachers is the responsibility of faculty and program directors in both education and foreign language departments. It is incumbent on those of us in language programs to address the requirement that our future teachers speak at the AL level for teacher certification and attempt to train them accordingly. A primary question guides this article and the course described herein: Is it possible to increase oral proficiency by means of a classroom experience, in one semester? The answer is affirmative. This article describes the design of a course in Spanish oral proficiency called Speaking Strategies, which is offered in the Department of Hispanic Studies at the College of Charleston. Speaking Strategies was created to address the development of Advanced-level proficiency among undergraduate Spanish majors. Based on the results of pre- and post-OPIs, along with class activities that target Advanced-level tasks, Speaking Strategies has proven successful in increasing students' oral proficiency by at least one sublevel (i.e., Intermediate Mid to IH, IH to AL, etc.) for 71% of the students enrolled in the course. …

Mathematics Reform and Teacher Quality in Elementary Grades: Assessments, Teacher Licensure, and Certification

We analyzed the gap in mathematics standards, assessments and accountability, and teacher licensure and certification requirements in mathematics for elementary grades. We found states delineated mathematics academic standards in specific content areas. Licensure and certification requirements were weak indicators since they lacked the specificity of conceptual and procedural knowledge that could strengthen mathematics content knowledge and inform instructional practices. The most recent changes in licensure and certification requirements intended to affect teacher quality are not reaching a large proportion of elementary teachers; thus, their overall impact on teacher quality is likely to be limited. We discuss policy strategies for licensure and certification requirements likely to have a broader reach in addressing teacher quality at the elementary grades.

The Cost Effectiveness of 22 Approaches for Raising Student Achievement

Review of cost-effectiveness studies suggests that rapid assessment is more cost effective with regard to student achievement than comprehensive school reform (CSR), cross-age tutoring, computer-assisted instruction, a longer school day, increases in teacher education, teacher experience or teacher salaries, summer school, more rigorous math classes, value-added teacher assessment, class size reduction, a 10% increase in per pupil expenditure, full-day kindergarten, Head Start (preschool), high-standards exit exams, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification, higher teacher licensure test scores, high-quality preschool, an additional school year, voucher programs, or charter schools. Limitations of the study are discussed and the findings are interpreted with regard to studies of the effect of performance feedback on student motivation and perceptions of control over academic outcomes.

Knowing what engineering and technology teachers need to know: an analysis of pre-service teachers engineering design problems

With the rapid advances in civilization, technological breakthroughs, and a globally growing workforce, there is a strong need for engineers capable of working in the 21st century environment (Galloway, The 21st century engineer: A proposal for engineering education reform. ASCE, Washington DC 2008). To help increase the quality and quantity of students choosing to pursue engineering, leaders have called on K-12 education to look for methods of inserting pre-engineering into the K-12 curriculum. Leaders in technology education have responded to the call to develop top quality candidates for engineers by infusing engineering into the technology education curriculum. Teacher preparation programs have used various methods to provide future technology teachers with the required content knowledge in order to effectively teach engineering design within the technology curriculum. One such program uses an ABET accredited engineering curriculum for the content and additional training to strengthen engineering education pedagogy for technology teachers. Students who graduate from this program possess both an engineering degree and technology teaching license. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain the differences between technology teachers from this program and traditionally trained technology teachers. In particular, how each group incorporates the engineering design process in classroom assignments. Design briefs were gathered from pre-service teachers who graduated from the aforementioned program and compared to design briefs of practicing technology teachers around the United States. The engineering design process was used to develop a rubric to compare the usage of engineering content between the two groups. It was found that students with 4 years of engineering training were more likely to use all steps of the engineering design process. Further examination illustrates that engineering trained technology teachers were significantly more likely to use mathematical and analytical methods to determine optimum solutions. In order for technology education teachers to effectively infuse engineering design into coursework, they need to be familiar and comfortable with the engineering sciences and the design process. With limited engineering design experience, technology teachers are not as likely to use optimization techniques involving mathematical and analytical reasoning. These concepts are critical for engineering students to be successful in college engineering programs and beyond.

<p>Perceived Life Satisfaction of Workplace Specialist I Faculty and Mentors Participating in a First-Year STEM Teacher Training Project</p>

The purpose of this study was to measure perceived professional and personal life satisfaction of Indiana Workplace Specialist I (WS I) faculty and their mentors. Workplace Specialist I teachers are all first-year career and technical education (CTE) faculty who must complete the WS I training program to be eligible for the Workplace Specialist II teaching license. These new teachers bring significant professional skills and experience to the secondary classroom; however, none had completed traditional teachers college training before they were licensed. WS I faculty are assigned mentors during the first year of training. Mentors must have at least five years of kindergarten-12 (K-12) teaching experience, and typically they are CTE faculty members.
 During a WS I / Mentor training workshop, 84 first-year WS I faculty and 68 mentors were asked to take the Life Satisfaction Index for the Third Age (LSITA) in an effort to determine perceived overall life satisfaction; 105 total people participated in the study. Of these 105, 45 mentors perceived life satisfaction as higher than did the 60 first-year WS I CTE teachers. The results of the statistical analyses revealed statistical significance at the 0.1 level (0.068).
 When analyzing only participants (both mentors and WS I teachers who were 50 years of age or older, the results of the statistical analyses revealed a statistical significance at the 0.05 level (0.023) between the perceived life satisfaction results of the 10 first-year WS I faculty and the 28 mentors. Mentors who were 50 years of age or older had a higher level of perceived life satisfaction than did the first-year WS I faculty members of the same age group.

Race, Gender, and Teacher Testing: How Informative a Tool Is Teacher Licensure Testing?

Virtually all states require teachers to undergo licensure testing before participation in the public school labor market. This article analyzes the information these tests provide about teacher effectiveness. The authors find that licensure tests have different predicative validity for student achievement by teacher race. They also find that student achievement is impacted by the race/ethnicity match between teachers and their students, with Black students significantly benefitting from being matched with a Black teacher. As a consequence of these matching effects, the uniform application of licensure standards is likely to have differential impacts on the achievement of White and minority students.