Teacher Certification Testing Program Support Systems for Students and Colleges / John R. Silvestro and Sharon L. Downs.

In the interests of improving and ensuring the quality of teachers in the schools, testing is increasingly becoming an integral part of the certification process. Almost all states currently require that prospective teachers pass a test either as a requirement for entering a teacher education preparation program or after completing such a program to obtain a teaching certificate. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how several states have responded to the challenge of implementing a teacher certification testing program and preparing candidates for the test by providing a support system of materials for students and teacher education colleges. The paper will discuss activities for providing such a support system to prepare candidates and teacher educators for these certification testing programs, and will examine the strategies implemented by several states over the past decade. The paper will consider research and evaluation issues in determining the effectiveness of these support systems and will then discuss the results and implications of these strategies as they contribute to the improvement of teacher education and the preparation of quality teachers. (Author)

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