The Predictive Validity of a Standardized Reading Test: Policy Issues for Teacher Education

Overview & Synopsis

The federal mandate for "highly qualified" teachers, along with heightened scrutiny of public education, has resulted in the development of state-mandated teacher certification examinations across the nation. Since teacher education programs in Texas are held accountable for the success rates of program completers on the Texas Examination of Educator Standards Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam, most schools of education use the Texas Higher Education Assessment as a part of their admission requirements. In fact, many Texas colleges and universities require significantly higher Texas Higher Education Assessment scores for admission into teacher education than are required for general university admission. This study explores the relationship between performance scores on the reading portion of the Texas Higher Education Assessment and scores on the Texas Examination of Educator Standards Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam. The findings have important implications for policymakers in teacher education. (Contains 3 tables.)