A Vision for Teacher Education.

In 1977 only three states required some kind of teacher assessment program. As of 1983 the number had grown to over 30. Under these policies, testing occurs primarily at the entry level, either prior to admission to the teacher preparation program or prior to certification. The assessments include one or more of three areas: basic skills, professional/pedagogical practice, and subject area knowledge. In the near future at least 2 1 states will be testing applicants for admission to teacher education programs, 28 will be testing candidates prior to certification, and 10 will be requiring some form of assess ment during the initial year of teaching (Sandefur, 1982, 1983).