Job Analysis for Teacher Competency Testing: Identification of Basic Skills Important for all Entry-Level Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct a job analysis of the basic skills judged to be important for all entry-level teachers regardless of subject area taught or grade level. Committees of content experts defined a domain consisting of 134 basic skill statements clustered within six basic skill dimensions: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Listening, Speaking, and Interactive Communication Skills. A national survey of 6,120 practicing teachers was then conducted to verify the judgments of the committees and to identify a core of basic skills judged to be important by relevant subgroups of teachers (race/ethnicity, sex, teaching experience, subject area, school setting, school level, and geographic region). The results of the survey verified the importance of the basic skills domain. The subgroup analysis indicated that 113 statements (84% of the domain) were judged to be important by all subgroups of teachers.