1. TEACHER LICENSURE AND CERTIFCATION April 4, 2012 Quality-Inequality Quandary: Transacting Learning Relevance and Teacher Education in South Asia: from Salzburg to Lahore

2. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. Topics We Will Discuss Basics of the Licensure and Certification Process The Praxis Series of Licensure tests—how they are developed and how the passing scores are set 2

3. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. The Basic Paradigm Two-year teacher-training program at college or university --basic skills test in reading, writing, and mathematics required to get in Pass licensure tests in the subject area you intend to teach and in pedagogy Student teach Receive certification and find a teaching job 3

4. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. State Sovereignty: Variations on the Theme Variation in the number of licensure tests required (from 2 to 50 or more) In some states, licensure tests not used for licensure; instead, colleges/universities use their own composite scores on content and pedagogy tests to recommend graduates to state for licensure Variety of alternate routes to certification (no university teacher training program, but licensure tests usually required) 4

5. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. Licensure Tests Licensure tests in content and/or pedagogy factor into almost all of the somewhat different paths to certification 39 states use their own selection of tests from the Praxis series of licensure tests The other states use licensure tests that are customized to their own teaching standards and state curricula 5

6. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. PRAXIS: THE TESTS AND THEIR PURPOSES National Testing Program used by 39 states; 144 Titles. Consists of: Praxis I 1.Reading, Writing, Mathematics components 2.Purpose: Used by IHEs to admit students to teacher training programs 3.Some states also require a passing score on Praxis 1 for licensure Praxis II 1.Series of content and pedagogy tests covering most but not all licensure areas in user states 2.Purpose: Used by State Licensure Agencies/Commissions for initial licensure of beginning teachers 6

7. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. 6 TEST DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION Every title reviewed for job relevance at least once every five years (on staggered schedule) More often if warranted (e.g., Pre- Professional Skills Test because of CCSS) Testing Vendors do not make up the content of tests; stakeholders determine the content (educators and teacher educators in Praxis states)

8. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. 7 TEST DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION National Advisory Committees 1. Review relevant sets of standards (e.g., CCSS, National Science Education Standards) 2. Review/revise content domain in light of evolution of the profession and the standards review 3. Create descriptive frameworks and content specifications 4. Ratify test design and types of test questions (multiple-choice, constructed response, innovative questions or stimuli)

9. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. 8 TEST DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION Job Analysis Surveys 1. Collection of judgments regarding the linkage between the test content and occupationally important knowledge and skills 2. Distributed electronically to national sample of educators and teacher educators (hundreds of people) 3. Responses analyzed/summarized at ETS 4. Reviewed by NAC; adjustments made to framework and test specs if needed.

10. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. 9 TEST DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION Item Development and Review 1. Training of stakeholder item writers 2. Ongoing Mentoring of stakeholder item writers 3. Review/revision by ETS assessment specialists 4. Review by content specialists at ETS 5. Review for bias by trained ETS specialists 6. Editorial review by professional ETS editor 7. Banking and Coding by subdomain, depth of knowledge, standard alignment, etc.

11. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. 10 TEST DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION Test Assembly and Review 1. Assembly to spec (content spec, statisical spec) from item pool in the item bank 2. Summative review by Content Specialist at ETS 3. Overall bias review 4. Editorial review 5. Two fresh-eyes review by uninvolved test specialist and editor 6. Outside review by stakeholders in adopting states

12. Copyright © 2008 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. 11 TEST DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION Standard-Setting Study to recommend passing score 1. Panels of about 15 to 20 teachers in given subject area. 2. Discussion of just-qualified candidate 3. Review of live, new test & judgment re % of just- qualified candidates who would answer each question correctly 4. Tabulation of recommended passing score Multi-state study vs. single-state study (multi-state can have as many as 50 stakeholder panelists Either way, each state uses recommended passing score to set its own passing score