Policy emphasis on use of standards for assessments
in K-12 education has also affected teacher
education. Teacher educators are being asked to use
standards for assessment and produce concrete
evidence for the skills and knowledge their
candidates possess prior to certification. This
study examined the assessment data produced in one
teacher education program with an aim to identify
the purposes these assessments fulfilled for the
program, and whether these assessments produced the
evidence desired by policy makers.
My findings concur with other studies which claim
that the lack of research on use of standards in
teacher education and inexperience of the field
leads to inefficient systems of assessments. This
study also highlights the potential that use of
standards holds for teacher education programs such
as: creating linkages between theory and practice,
creating coherence within the programs, serving as
tools for self-reflection for the student teachers,
and facilitating the process of learning to teach.
in K-12 education has also affected teacher
education. Teacher educators are being asked to use
standards for assessment and produce concrete
evidence for the skills and knowledge their
candidates possess prior to certification. This
study examined the assessment data produced in one
teacher education program with an aim to identify
the purposes these assessments fulfilled for the
program, and whether these assessments produced the
evidence desired by policy makers.
My findings concur with other studies which claim
that the lack of research on use of standards in
teacher education and inexperience of the field
leads to inefficient systems of assessments. This
study also highlights the potential that use of
standards holds for teacher education programs such
as: creating linkages between theory and practice,
creating coherence within the programs, serving as
tools for self-reflection for the student teachers,
and facilitating the process of learning to teach.