ETS Developing New Customized Assessment for Missouri Teacher Candidates
PRINCETON, N.J., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to assess the instructional capability of its teacher candidates prior to receiving a license, Missouri has chosen Educational Testing Service (ETS) to develop a customized, performance-based assessment as part of the state's Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments.
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Under the three-year contract, ETS will work with Missouri educators in developing, administering, and scoring the new Missouri Standards-Based Performance Assessments, which will build on candidates' student-teaching experiences. Specifically, they are designed to identify strengths and weaknesses, contribute to a development plan for professional growth, and develop more effective teachers in the classroom.
ETS Vice President and COO of Teacher Licensure & Certification Programs George Powell said, "In addition, the pre-service assessment is aligned to Missouri's Standards for Teacher Education Program, Content Standards and the Common Core State Standards. This provides the state with a quality, research-based assessment to help them place effective teachers in their classrooms."
The performance assessments — developed to help guide candidates to relate instruction to student learning — consist of a brief entrance examination and a more extensive exit examination that leverages a candidate's student-teaching experience. The entrance examination consists of one formative task designed to get a baseline read on candidates entering a teacher preparation program. The exit examination consists of four tasks: one formative and three summative. Task One gives focus to the beginning steps of student teaching. Task Two focuses on assessment and the use of data collection to measure student learning. Task Three focuses on instruction and technology. Task Four addresses a variety of standards while demonstrating a candidate's ability to use research-based instructional strategies, adapt instruction for individual needs and reflect on practice.
The professional growth plan component — the Professional Competency Profile — is created after completion of the four tasks and identifies areas for professional development that candidates can use when entering the teaching workforce.
"One of our primary goals is developing and supporting effective educators who can provide students with the skills and knowledge they need for success in postsecondary education and the workplace," said Paul Katnik, Interim Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Educator Quality at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. "The performance assessments will help prospective educators make the most of their student teaching experience as they prepare to enter the teaching profession."
For more information about the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments visit dese.mo.gov/eq/ep/.
About ETS
At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, as well as conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually — including the TOEFL® and TOEIC ® tests, the GRE® tests and The Praxis Series™ assessments — in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org.
SOURCE Educational Testing Service
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