Knowledge Base
All teacher education programs should be developed around and held accountable to a common set of core performance outcomes. Thus, this performance goal addresses the desire to create an assessment system for teacher education licensure at institutions that without question provides artifacts and evidence of applying a required core set of skills and knowledge prior to a recommendation for licensure.
Research on performance outcomes for teacher candidates is beginning to coalesce around at least two dimensions. The most well-researched of these is teacher content knowledge or expertise. Although less clear from the teacher quality research literature, pedagogical skills have received some support as an important variable in teaching quality.
Taken together, these variables may explain a considerable portion of the variance associated with student achievement in the classroom. However, sound, standards-based assessment of these characteristics needs to be developed, implemented, and evaluated to ensure that all teachers reach some threshold of quality in teaching. Given the variability of teacher education requirements across preparation programs and licensure programs, perhaps the most effective and efficient way to ensure teacher quality in these areas is to require a standard assessment procedure of all teacher candidates.
Performance Goals:
All teacher education programs have a common set of core performance outcomes and measures appropriate for teacher licensure and entry into the teaching profession.
Each Teacher:
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Possesses content expertise
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Manages the classroom effectively
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Uses data to diagnose, assess and prescribe strategies to improve student performance
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Delivers differentiated instruction to all students
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Recognizes and corrects reading deficiencies
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Practices reflective teaching
Action Steps:
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Align requirements for competencies, content knowledge, and pedagogical skills with existing State of Tennessee evaluation and professional growth frameworks.
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Develop a competency-based strategy for credentialing in the state. All teacher candidates should be required to provide evidence of competencies, skills, and content knowledge to obtain initial licensure. Provision of evidence of competencies will result in licensure, regardless of previous coursework or experiences. Inputs such as completed courses, practica, and experiences etc. are insufficient evidence of competence in the absence of outcome indicators such as demonstrations, portfolios, performance assessments, simulations, etc.
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Collaborate with national accreditation and certification organizations, which have expertise in collection and evaluation of accountability data, to address evidence of competencies, including validity, reliability, representativeness, and fairness.
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Establish responsibility for evaluation of evidence of competencies with teacher preparation programs in the state in cases of both regular licensure and alternative licensure. Every candidate for licensure in the state should be required to present evidence of competencies to one of these programs.
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Develop and maintain an organizational structure to address evidence, competencies, and licensure related to Tennessee teachers. The responsibilities of this organization are two: (a) training of all teacher preparation programs in evaluating evidence of competencies; and (b) monitoring reliability of evaluation of evidence of competencies. The organization should have strong representation from business, public schools, institutions of higher education, and technical experts.