Teaching Profession Report Roundup

Study: Future Teachers Lack Testing Training

By Jaclyn Zubrzycki — June 05, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Only 3 percent of a nationwide sample of teacher-training programs adequately address assessment, according to a report from the National Council for Teacher Quality, a Washington-based advocacy group.

The NCTQ looked at syllabi and coursework from 180 of the nation’s 1,130 teacher-training programs and ranked them on a five-part scale from “inadequate” to “adequate” in three domains: assessment literacy, or understanding types and purposes of assessments; analytical skills, or analyzing data from assessments; and instructional decisionmaking, or working independently or collaboratively to use data to shape instruction. All but five programs addressed assessment in some way, but most did not meet the authors’ definition of adequacy, which entailed covering the topic in coursework and giving teachers-to-be practice in crafting and using assessments.

The report recommends more federal guidance for teacher-preparation programs, including amending the Higher Education Act to provide incentives for offering more instruction about assessments, and using Elementary and Secondary Education Act funds for training on assessment. The authors also call on states and foundations to push for more focus on the topic and recommend that districts test teacher-applicants on their assessment skills.

The report, expanding on a brief from the NCTQ released in March, is part of a broader review of teacher-preparation programs the NCTQ is conducting in conjunction with U.S. News & World Report.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the June 06, 2012 edition of Education Week as Study: Future Teachers Lack Testing Training

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Reading Instruction and AI: New Strategies for the Big Education Challenges of Our Time
Join the conversation as experts in the field explore these instructional pain points and offer game-changing guidance for K-12 leaders and educators.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Teachers Work 50-Plus Hours a Week—And Other Findings From a New Survey on Teacher Pay
Planning, preparation, and other duties stretch teachers' working hours long past what's in their contracts.
5 min read
Elementary teacher, working at her desk in an empty classroom.
martinedoucet/E+
Teaching Profession From Our Research Center How Many Teachers Work in Their Hometown? Here's the Latest Data
New survey data shows that many teachers stay close to home, but do they want to?
1 min read
Illustration of a 3D map with arrows going all over the states.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words 'I Was Not Done': How Politics Drove This Teacher of the Year Out of the Classroom
Karen Lauritzen was accused of being a pro-LGBTQ+ activist. The consequences derailed her career.
6 min read
Karen Lauritzen stands for a portrait on the Millikin University Campus in Decatur, Ill., on August 30, 2023. Idaho’s Teacher of the Year moved to Illinois for a new job due to right-wing harassment over her support of the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter.
Karen Lauritzen stands for a portrait on the Millikin University Campus in Decatur, Ill., on August 30, 2023. Laurizen, Idaho’s 2023 Teacher of the Year, moved to Illinois for a new job due to harassment over her support of the LGBTQ+ community and Black Lives Matter.
Neeta R. Satam for Education Week
Teaching Profession Reported Essay Public Schools Rely on Underpaid Female Labor. It’s Not Sustainable
Women now have more career options. Is that why they are leaving the teaching profession?
9 min read
Illustration of contemporary teacher looking at a line-up of mostly female teachers through the history of public education in the United States.
Traci Debarko for Education Week