An Organizing Framework for Using Evidence-Based Assessments to Improve Teaching and Learning in Teacher Education Programs (1) (original) (raw)

2005, Teacher Education Quarterly

There is widespread understanding of the need to evaluate teacher education programs. For example, the importance of conducting program evaluations has been addressed in past, as well as current, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards. There is a widespread expectation for teacher educators to provide evidence of effectiveness of regular, as well as innovative, programs. Additional impetus is present in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 with its mandate to school districts to place high quality teachers in every classroom. Policy makers, the media, fellow teacher educators, and teacher education candidates all assume that their programs are effective and that supporting documentation is readily available. Unfortunately, the history of teacher education program evaluation is spotty, evolutionary, and limited in scope. However, there exists a convergence of new expectations, policies, and methodologies for gath