Besieged Institutions and the Massachusetts Teacher Tests

Authors

  • Larry H. Ludlow Boston College, Lynch School of Education
  • Dennis Shirley Boston College, Lynch School of Education
  • Camelia Rosca Boston College, Lynch School of Education

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v10n50.2002

Keywords:

Colleges, Higher Education, Schools of Education, State Programs, Teacher Competency Testing, Teacher Education

Abstract

Teacher testing was inaugurated in Massachusetts in 1998 and a 59% failure rate among test-takers led to public shaming of the teacher candidates and their colleges and universities in the media. Within a two-year time period, low-performing teacher education programs in Massachusetts initiated a wide range of test preparatory activities which led to a dramatic increase in their students' pass rates. The authors separate colleges and universities into three categories and examine their differentiated responses to teacher testing. Their finding that institutions of higher education have responded effectively to teacher testing does not preclude critique of teacher testing as currently practiced in Massachusetts.

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Author Biographies

Larry H. Ludlow, Boston College, Lynch School of Education

Larry Ludlow is Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. He teaches courses in research methods, statistics, and psychometrics. His research interests include teacher testing, faculty evaluations, applied psychometrics, and the history of statistics.

Dennis Shirley, Boston College, Lynch School of Education

Dennis Shirley is Chair and Professor in the Department of Teacher Education, Special Education, and Curriculum and Instruction at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. His research interests are in the areas of community organizing and school reform, and his most recent book is "Valley Interfaith and School Reform: Organizing for Power in South Texas" (University of Texas Press, 1992). He teaches classes in the Social Contexts of Education and the History and Politics of Curriculum. He is the Director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Teacher Quality and Student Achievement.

Camelia Rosca, Boston College, Lynch School of Education

Camelia Rosca is a doctoral candidate in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Her interests include teaching, program evaluation, and large-scale assessment.

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Published

2002-12-12

How to Cite

Ludlow, L. H., Shirley, D., & Rosca, C. (2002). Besieged Institutions and the Massachusetts Teacher Tests. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 10, 50. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v10n50.2002

Issue

Vol. 10 (2002)

Section

Articles

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