REL Midwest Ask A REL Response

Teacher Preparation

January 2021

Angrist, J. D., & Guryan, J. (2008). Does teacher testing raise teacher quality? Evidence from state certification requirements. Economics of Education Review, 27(5), 483–503. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ804971

From the ERIC abstract: “The education reform movement includes efforts to raise teacher quality through stricter certification and licensing provisions. Most US states now require public school teachers to pass a standardized test such as the Praxis. Although any barrier to entry is likely to raise wages in the affected occupation, the theoretical effects of such requirements on teacher quality are ambiguous. Teacher testing places a floor on whatever skills are measured by the required test, but testing is also costly for applicants. These costs shift teacher supply to the left and may be especially likely to deter high-quality applicants from teaching in public schools. Moreover, test requirements may disqualify some applicants that schools would otherwise want to hire. We use the Schools and Staffing Survey to estimate the effect of state teacher testing requirements on teacher wages and teacher quality as measured by educational background. The results suggest that state-mandated teacher testing is associated with increases in teacher wages, though we find no evidence of a corresponding increase in quality. Consistent with the fact that Hispanics have marked lower licensure scores than non-Hispanic Whites or Blacks, testing appears to reduce the fraction of new teachers who are Hispanic.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Bardach, L., & Klassen, R. M. (2020). Smart teachers, successful students? A systematic review of the literature on teachers’ cognitive abilities and teacher effectiveness. Educational Research Review, 30, 100312. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1747938X19302714

From the abstract: “This study provides a systematic review of the literature on teachers’ cognitive abilities (intelligence test scores and proxies of cognitive abilities such as college entrance exam scores and basic skills test scores) and teacher effectiveness. Twenty-seven studies conducted between 2000 and 2019 constitute the sample for this review. Studies using intelligence test scores were rare, with the results indicating no or negative associations with teacher effectiveness. Studies on proxies of cognitive abilities yielded, at most, small positive relations with teacher effectiveness. However, behind these overall results regarding proxies of cognitive abilities lie interesting heterogeneities, as several studies analyzing different test domains uncover a differentiated pattern of findings. We also identify key limitations related to construct measurement, sampling approaches, statistical analyses and the interpretation and reporting of the included studies, and outline a path for future research on teachers’ cognitive abilities and teacher effectiveness.”

Bennett, C. I., McWhorter, L. M., & Kuykendall, J. A. (2006). Will I ever teach? Latino and African American students’ perspectives on PRAXIS I. American Educational Research Journal, 43(3), 531–575. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ746826

From the ERIC abstract: “This longitudinal study examined the PRAXIS I experiences of African American and Latino undergraduates seeking admission into teacher education at a Big Ten university. Participants were 44 students selected from a larger sample enrolled in a recruitment and support program aimed at members of underrepresented minority groups. The theoretical framework included ethnic identity development, stereotype threat, cultural continuity/discontinuity, and bias in standardized testing. Findings showed differences between Latino and African American students who took PRAXIS I and gender and socioeconomic differences within each ethnic group. Three ‘composite portraits’ revealed similarities and differences across race, class, and gender and evidence that PRAXIS I is an inequitable admissions tool.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Buddin, R., & Zamarro, G. (2009). Teacher qualifications and student achievement in urban elementary schools. Journal of Urban Economics, 66(2), 103–115. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094119009000291

From the ERIC abstract: “Teacher quality is a key element of student academic success, but few specific teacher characteristics influence classroom outcomes. This research examines whether teacher licensure test scores and other teacher attributes affect elementary student achievement. The results are based on longitudinal student-level data from Los Angeles. California requires three types of teacher licensure tests as part of the teacher certification process; a general knowledge test, a subject area test (single subject for secondary teachers and multiple subject for elementary teachers), and a reading pedagogy test for elementary school teachers. The student achievement analysis uses a value-added approach that adjusts for both student and teacher fixed effects. The results show large differences in teacher quality across the school district, but measured teacher characteristics explain little of the difference. Teacher licensure test scores are unrelated to teacher success in the classroom. Similarly, student achievement is unaffected by whether classroom teachers have advanced degrees. Student achievement increases with teacher experience, but the linkage is weak and largely reflects poor outcomes for teachers during their first year or two in the classroom.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Chen, B., Cowan, J., Goldhaber, D., & Theobald, R. (2019). From the clinical experience to the classroom: Assessing the predictive validity of the Massachusetts Candidate Assessment of Performance (Working Paper No. 223-1019). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED600818

From the ERIC abstract: “We evaluate the predictive validity of the Massachusetts Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP), a practice-based assessment of teaching skills that is typically taken during a candidate’s student teaching placement and is a requirement for teacher preparation program completion in Massachusetts. We find that candidates’ performance on the CAP predicts their in-service summative performance evaluations the following year and provides a signal of future teacher effectiveness beyond what is already captured by the state’s traditional licensure tests. Our findings add to a growing literature demonstrating that it is possible to collect information about the skills of ‘prospective’ teachers during their teacher preparation experience that are predictive of the ‘in-service’ outcomes of teachers.”

Clotfelter, C. T., Ladd, H. F., & Vigdor, J. L. (2006). Teacher-student matching and the assessment of teacher effectiveness (NBER Working Paper No. 11936). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED490861. Full text available from https://www.nber.org/papers/w11936

From the ERIC abstract: “We use administrative data on North Carolina public schools to document the tendency for more highly qualified teachers to be matched with more advantaged students, and we measure the bias this pattern generates in estimates of the impacts of various teacher qualifications on student achievement. One of the strategies we use to minimize this bias is to restrict the analysis to schools that assign students to classrooms in a manner statistically indistinguishable from random assignment. Using data for 5th grade, we consistently find significant returns to teacher experience in both math and reading and to licensure test scores in math achievement. We also find that the returns in math are greater for socioeconomically advantaged students, a finding that may help explain why the observed form of teacher-student matching persists in equilibrium.”

Cowan, J., Goldhaber, D., Jin, Z., & Theobald, R. (2020). Teacher licensure tests: Barrier or predictive tool? (CALDER Working Paper No. 245-1020). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research. https://caldercenter.org/publications/teacher-licensure-tests-barrier-or-predictive-tool

From the ERIC abstract: “We use teacher candidate test scores on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL), linked to student and teacher outcomes in the state, to investigate the predictive validity of these teacher licensure tests. We find that MTEL scores are positive and statistically significant predictors of teachers’ in-service performance ratings and contributions to student test scores (i.e., value added) once they enter the workforce. We then explore whether these relationships vary for candidates and teachers of color. We find that teacher candidates of color have lower first-time pass rates and are also less likely to retake licensure tests if they fail than are White teacher candidates, but we do not find consistent evidence that MTEL scores are less predictive of value added for teachers of color. Finally, we find that MTEL scores are more predictive of teacher performance ratings for teachers of color than for White teachers.”

Goldhaber, D., Gratz, T., & Theobald, R. (2017). What’s in a teacher test? Assessing the relationship between teacher licensure test scores and student STEM achievement and course-taking (Working Paper 158). National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED573245

From the ERIC abstract: “We investigate the relationship between teacher licensure test scores and student test achievement and high school course-taking. We focus on three subject/grade combinations—middle school math, ninth-grade algebra and geometry, and ninth-grade biology—and find evidence that a teacher’s basic skills test scores are modestly predictive of student achievement in middle and high school math and highly predictive of student achievement in high school biology. A teacher’s subject-specific licensure test scores are a consistent and statistically significant predictor of student achievement only in high school biology. Finally, we find little evidence that students assigned to middle school teachers with higher basic-skills test scores are more likely to take advanced math and science courses in high school.”

Goldhaber, D., & Hansen, M. (2010). Race, gender, and teacher testing: How informative a tool is teacher licensure testing? American Educational Research Journal, 47(1), 218–251. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ883788

From the ERIC abstract: “Virtually all states require teachers to undergo licensure testing before participation in the public school labor market. This article analyzes the information these tests provide about teacher effectiveness. The authors find that licensure tests have different predicative validity for student achievement by teacher race. They also find that student achievement is impacted by the race/ethnicity match between teachers and their students, with Black students significantly benefitting from being matched with a Black teacher. As a consequence of these matching effects, the uniform application of licensure standards is likely to have differential impacts on the achievement of White and minority students.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Hill, H. C., Rowan, B., & Ball, D. L. (2005). Effects of teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching on student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 42(2), 371–406. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ737126

From the ERIC abstract: “This study explored whether and how teachers’ mathematical knowledge for teaching contributes to gains in students’ mathematics achievement. The authors used a linear mixed-model methodology in which first and third graders’ mathematical achievement gains over a year were nested within teachers, who in turn were nested within schools. They found that teachers’ mathematical knowledge was significantly related to student achievement gains in both first and third grades after controlling for key student- and teacher-level covariates. This result, while consonant with findings from the educational production function literature, was obtained via a measure focusing on the specialized mathematical knowledge and skills used in teaching mathematics. This finding provides support for policy initiatives designed to improve students’ mathematics achievement by improving teachers’ mathematical knowledge.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Madkins, T. C. (2011). The Black teacher shortage: A literature review of historical and contemporary trends. Journal of Negro Education, 80(3), 417–427. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ942403.

From the ERIC abstract: “Desegregation marked the beginning of a long period of loss of Black teachers within the profession. First, Black teachers were not hired in desegregated schools, and then as other professional opportunities opened up in society, fewer Blacks entered the teacher pipeline. The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize research relevant to understanding factors influencing the current number of Black teachers in the workforce and how to increase this number using alternative certification routes. Nontraditional programs that have been successful in recruiting and retaining Black teachers are highlighted.”

Memory, D. M., Coleman, C. L., & Watkins, S. D. (2003). Possible tradeoffs in raising basic skills cutoff scores for teacher licensure: A study with implications for participation of African Americans in teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 54(3), 217–227. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ675642

From the ERIC abstract: “[This article] traces developments following warnings that tests used for teacher education admission or licensure may prevent capable African Americans from entering teaching, using elementary student teachers’ evaluations and test scores to examine the possible impact on newly licensed teachers’ effectiveness if passing cutoff scores were raised by one point. The paper discusses possible tradeoffs in raising basic skills cutoffs for teacher certification, particularly negative tradeoffs related to African Americans’ participation.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Petchauer, E. (2012). Teacher licensure exams and Black teacher candidates: Toward new theory and promising practice. Journal of Negro Education, 81(3), 252–267. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ998549

From the ERIC abstract: “‘Basic skills’ teacher licensure exams such as Praxis are the first gatekeepers to the teaching profession. Fewer than half of the aspiring Black teachers who take these exams pass on their first attempt. While critiques of these exams are warranted, critiques alone will do little to help certify more Black teachers. This solution-oriented article makes both a theoretical and practical contribution to this area. First, it provides a selected overview of two theoretical areas that have relevance to understanding teacher licensure testing. These theoretical areas are self-efficacy and sociocultural theory. The article then draws from the author’s 6 years of preparing Black preservice teachers for licensure exams to illustrate how these theories can shape practice at both programmatic and classroom levels.”

Rockoff, J. E., Jacob, B. A., Kane, T. J., & Staiger, D. O. (2008). Can you recognize an effective teacher when you recruit one? (NBER Working Paper No. 14485). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED503324

From the ERIC abstract: “Research on the relationship between teachers’ characteristics and teacher effectiveness has been underway for over a century, yet little progress has been made in linking teacher quality with factors observable at the time of hire. However, most research has examined a relatively small set of characteristics that are collected by school administrators in order to satisfy legal requirements and set salaries. To extend this literature, we administered an in-depth survey to new math teachers in New York City and collected information on a number of non-traditional predictors of effectiveness including teaching specific content knowledge, cognitive ability, personality traits, feelings of self-efficacy, and scores on a commercially available teacher selection instrument. Individually, we find that only a few of these predictors have statistically significant relationships with student and teacher outcomes. However, when all of these variables are combined into two primary factors summarizing cognitive and non-cognitive teacher skills, we find that both factors have a modest and statistically significant relationship with student and teacher outcomes, particularly with student test scores. These results suggest that, while there may be no single factor that can predict success in teaching, using a broad set of measures can help schools improve the quality of their teachers.”

Shuls, J. V. (2018). Raising the bar on teacher quality: Assessing the impact of increasing licensure exam cut-scores. Educational Policy, 32(7), 969–992. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1192701

From the ERIC abstract: “State policy makers are constantly looking for ways to improve teacher quality. An oft tried method is to increase the rigor of licensure exams. This study utilizes state administrative data from Arkansas to determine whether raising the cut-scores on licensure exams would improve the quality of the teacher workforce. In addition, the study explores the trade-offs of such a policy decision. It is concluded that raising the required passing score on the Praxis II would increase the quality of the teacher workforce, as measured by value-added student achievement. This change, however, would be accompanied with an important trade-off as it would reduce the number of minority teachers and potentially lead to negative outcomes in disadvantaged schools.”

Note: REL Midwest was unable to locate a link to the full-text version of this resource. Although REL Midwest tries to provide publicly available resources whenever possible, it was determined that this resource may be of interest to you. It may be found through university or public library systems.

Stewart, J., Rhoads, C., Serdiouk, M., Van Dine, D., Cherasaro, T., & Klute, M. (2019). Associations between the qualifications of middle school Algebra I teachers and student math achievement (REL 2020-005). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Central. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED598960

From the ERIC abstract: “Historically, students took Algebra I in high school, but there has been a recent trend toward taking it in middle school (Domina, 2014). In the past two decades the proportion of middle school students taking Algebra I or more-advanced math courses has doubled (Domina, 2014). Success in Algebra I is important because it is a gateway course for advanced math (Star et al., 2015). Students who take and pass Algebra I are more likely to take and pass more-advanced math courses in high school (Snipes & Finkelstein, 2015). This trend has created a need for middle school teachers with more-advanced knowledge of math content, because prior research has suggested that teachers’ knowledge of math content plays an important role in student achievement (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). The current study examines associations between the qualifications of middle school Algebra I teachers and their students’ math achievement. Specifically, the study focuses on teacher certifications to teach math, education background, and performance on certification exams, particularly those associated with math content knowledge. Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education staff might use the findings from this study when determining certification rules for middle school Algebra I teachers. The findings might also be useful to education leaders in other states as they consider which teacher qualifications are important for student achievement in Algebra I. Key findings include: (1) Teacher performance on math certification exams and years of experience teaching math were the qualifications most strongly associated with middle school students’ Algebra I achievement; and (2) Teacher performance on math certification exams and years of experience teaching math were also strongly associated with Algebra I achievement for students in under-represented subgroups (Black students and Hispanic students) and disadvantaged subgroups (students receiving special education services and students eligible for the national school lunch program).”