Most beginning teachers will agree that the student teaching experience is the most practical and worthwhile experience in their teacher preparation program. It is the one culminating experience that brings together the earlier studies in subject matter specializations, adolescent development, pedagogy, and curriculum. Middle level student teachers also share a respect for this final field…
In the past decade, states and districts have implemented reforms that hold students to high standards of academic performance and their schools accountable for ensuring that all students meet those standards. Holding districts, schools, and, by extension, teachers publicly accountable for improving student performance reflects a big change from the days when students advanced routinely…
Assessment is defined as the collection and interpretation of information or data for the purpose of making educational decisions. Decisions about the nature of the information to be collected, as well as its interpretation, are made with reference to purpose. The evaluation and assessment standards call for assessing the broad range of mathematics understanding and…
Teacher quality has been one of the most hotly debated education policy issues over the past ten years. Central to the discussions are strategies to align teacher education and professional development programs at colleges and universities with the reform of K-12 education. In many states, public officials have joined K-12 and postsecondary education leaders to…
