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Incorporating pupil assessment into teacher preparation.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

Teacher educators sought to simultaneously improve the performance of teacher candidates and individual pupils in California schools by redesigning selected courses. This redesign represents a major shift in methodology for teacher education, away from the study of texts and exemplary case studies to the use of direct pupil measures as guides to seminar content.

Need for Improved Pupil Outcomes

Despite the billions of dollars spent on education each year, the American public, policy makers, and business community have remained generally dissatisfied with the effectiveness of the nation's educational system. Over the last three decades, the average American pupil's inability to read and execute math at proficient levels has risen to the top of education reform issues. Most recently, the National Assessment of Educational Progress reported that only 32% of fourth-graders could read at a proficient level and test scores have remained essentially flat since 1970 (U.S. Department of Education, 2003). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001, No Child Left Behind is a direct response to the nation's demand for improved student achievement. No Child Left Behind places an emphasis on state, district, school, and teacher accountability; among other provisions, it requires annual testing in grades 3 through 8. As federal and state accountability for student achievement increases, the need for qualified teachers has become a national area of focus. Under the guidelines of No Child Left Behind, every state is required to provide students with "highly qualified teachers" who are capable of planning, measuring and reporting students' progress toward state standards and annual academic goals. If Dietel (2002) is correct, the new act will force educators to better interpret and use information and will help schools measure their progress in reaching important goals.

The Role of Data-based Instruction and Teacher Preparation Programs

What makes an effective teacher can in part be determined by the quality of initial preparation (Darling-Hammond, 1998; Darling-Hammond, 2003; Laczko-Kerr & Berliner, 2003). As teacher quality comes under public and legislative scrutiny, teacher preparation is being viewed as an important link in producing teachers who are proficient in assessing student knowledge, monitoring student progress, and remediating areas of academic weakness (Koret Task Force, 2003; Moir, 2001; U.S. Department of Education, 2003; Ysseldyke, Thurlow, Kozleski & Reschly, 1998). While it appears an...

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