Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

To determine the extent to which knowledge of evidence-based reading instruction and mathematics is assessed on licensure tests for prospective special education teachers, this study drew on information provided by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, and National Evaluation Systems (now Evaluation Systems group of Pearson). It estimated the percentage of test items on phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary knowledge and on mathematics content. It also analyzed descriptions of ETS’s tests of “principles of teaching and learning.” Findings imply that prospective special education teachers should be required to take both a dedicated test of evidence-based reading instructional knowledge, as in California, Massachusetts, and Virginia, and a test of mathematical knowledge, as in Massachusetts. States must design their own tests of teaching principles to assess knowledge of evidence-based educational theories.

Keywords

licensure tests teacher tests special education teachers mathematics knowledge reading instructional knowledge

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Armbruster, B. , & Osborn, J. ( 2001). Put reading first: The research building blocks for teaching children to read. Urbana: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement.

Chall, J. ( 1996a). Learning to read: The great debate (3rd ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.

Chall, J. ( 1996b). Stages of reading development (2nd ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace.

Chall, J. ( 2000). The academic achievement challenge: What really works in the classroom? New York: Guildford .

Greenberg, J. , & Walsh, K. ( 2008). No common denominator: The preparation of elementary teachers in mathematics by America’s education schools. Washington, DC: National Council on Teacher Quality .

Levine, A. ( 2006). Educating school teachers. Washington, DC: Education Schools Project.

Massachusetts Department of Education. (2007 ). Guidelines for the mathematical preparation of elementary teachers. Malden: Author.

Mitchell, R. , & Barth, P. ( 1999, Spring). How teacher licensing tests fall short. Thinking K-16. Washington, DC: Education Trust. Retrieved October 10, 2008, from http://www.edtrust.org

National Council on Teacher Quality. (2006 ). What teacher preparation programs aren’t teaching about reading-And what elementary teachers aren’t learning. Washington, DC: Author.

10.

National Mathematics Advisory Panel. (2008 ). Foundations for success: The final report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

11.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

12.

Pearson, P.D. ( 2004). The reading wars. Educational Policy , 18, 216-252.

13.

Rigden, D. ( 2006). Report on licensure alignment with the essential components of effective reading instruction. Retrieved May 24, 2007, from http://www.rften.org/content/Rigden_Report_9_7_06.pdf

14.

Steiner, D. , & Rozen, S. ( 2004). Preparing tomorrow’s teachers: An analysis of syllabi from a sample of America’s schools of education. In F. M. Hess , A. J. Rotherham , & K. Walsh (Eds.), A qualified teacher in every classroom? Appraising old answers and new ideas (pp. 119-148). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

15.

Stotsky, S. ( 2006). Why American students do not learn to read very well: The unintended consequences of Title II and teacher testing. Third Education Group Review/Articles, 2. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://www.thirdeducationgroup.org/Review/Articles/v2n1.htm

16.

Stotsky, S. ( 2007a). How state boards of education can upgrade math teaching in the elementary school. National Association of State Boards of Education, Commentaries, Vol. 13, No. 2, February 2007.

17.

Stotsky, S. ( 2007b). Teacher licensure tests: Their relationship to mathematics teachers’ academic competence and student achievement in mathematics . Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, Department of Education Reform, Education Working Paper Archive. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from http://www.uark.edu/ua/der/EWPA/Research/Teacher_Quality/1798.html

18.

Stotsky, S. ( 2008). Licensure tests for special education teachers: How well they assess knowledge of research-based reading instruction and mathematics . University of Arkansas, Department of Education Reform, Education Working Paper Archive. Retrieved May 28, 2009, from http://www.uark.edu/ua/der/EWPA/Research/Teacher_Quality/1809.html

19.

Stotsky, S. , & Haverty, L. ( 2004). Can a state department of education increase teacher quality? Lessons learned in Massachusetts. In D. Ravitch (Ed.), Brookings papers on education policy (pp. 131-180). Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

0.07 MB