Policy Inventory, Page 1

Recommendation Area I:
Get serious about standards for both students and teachers

A. Are there high standards for students?

1. Have student performance standards been adopted? In all core academic areas?
2. Are the standards as challenging as NAEP or international standards? Are the standards embedded in state curriculum, assessment, and teacher policies? How closely do state tests align with the state standards? How well do students perform on the current state tests? What are the trends in student performance? Can student performance data be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender?
3. What are the trends in dropout rates and other available outcome indicators?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• Policy documents/ Yes/no on questions about presence or absence of policies
• Reviews of state standards
• State assessment data/ Disaggregated results
• NAEP assessment data
  
  
  

B. What is the relationship between student performance and teacher quality?

1. What do we know about teacher qualifications and teaching practices in the state; e.g., teacher education, qualifications in subject matter fields, teaching out of field, teaching practices from NAEP, or other sources?
2. To what extent are there relationships between inadequate teacher qualifications and practices and poor student performance?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• State policy documents
• State data on qualifications compared to national
• Out of field - SASS
• Teaching practices - NAEP
  
  
  

C.   Have high standards for teachers based on national standards and related to the standards for student learning and performance been developed and adopted?

• Have performance-based licensing standards been adopted for teachers? Are they coherent?
• Do the licensing standards reflect student standards and the professional knowledge needed to teach diverse learners?
• Is there a continuum of standards for teacher development running from teacher education, through licensing, relicensing, and advanced certification?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• Rationale for teacher standards documents
• Interview data
• Studies of the licensing system
• NASDTEC Book
• SASS data
• NCATE sources
  
  
  

D. Does the profession have a strong voice and role in setting and enforcing standards or teachers?

1. How is the teaching profession governed in the state? How are the functions of awarding, renewing, or removing licenses carried out?
2. What body or bodies set and enforce professional standards? What is their composition? Who selects the members? What role does the profession play?
3. What authority do boards representing the profession have regarding teacher education accreditation, licensing, and professional development? Where does authority lie?
4. Who sets and controls the budgets of these bodies? Who controls staff? Do these bodies have adequate authority and resources to carry out their responsibilities?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• Identify powers of various bodies involved in licensing and advanced certification
• Composition of licensing boards or standards boards
• Describe position of these bodies in policy hierarchy
• Number of bodies that can reverse decisions of boards controlled by the profession
  
  
  

E. Are the licensing requirements rigorous and do they predict good performance in the classroom?

1. What are the requirements for obtaining an initial teaching license?
• What are the requirements for subject-matter knowledge? Is a degree in the field required?
• What are the requirements for pedagogical knowledge? What must teachers know about child development, learning theory, teaching strategies, curriculum, assessment, and the needs of diverse learners?
• What are the clinical preparation requirements?
2. What are the certification categories? Is there a sound rationale for them? How do they compare to emerging national categories?
3. What licensing examinations are currently in use?
• Is subject matter examined? Knowledge of teaching and learning? Teaching performance?
• Are these measures tied to national standards? Is there evidence they predict good teaching?
• How are cut-off scores set? By whom? How high are they?
4. Are INTASC standards and assessments or their equivalents being considered or piloted?
5. How often are teachers hired who do not meet state licensing requirements?
• Under what circumstances?
• What standards are employed?
• How many teachers are hired under temporary, emergency, or other substandard licenses? In what fields? Where do they teach?
6. Is relicensing required? How often is it required?
7. What are the relicensing standards? Are the requirements linked to teaching assignments?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• Document review
• Index of license quality: subject-matter requirements; teaching knowledge requirements; weeks of clinical experience; formal assessments used to assess knowledge and performance
• Test types and standards used on them
• Use of INTASC standards and procedures (Yes/no)
• # of substandard licenses granted annually
• # unlicensed teachers
• # out-of-field teachers
• % of secondary teachers with a major or minor in subject field
• % of secondary teachers with a major or minor in subject field and full state license
• % of unlicensed and out-of-field teachers in poorest districts
• % of unlicensed and out-of-field teachers in districts with highest minority enrollments
• % of relicensing activity related to subject-matter knowledge and to knowledge of teaching

F. Are accreditation and program approval for all schools of education and component programs based on national standards or on equivalent standards? ("Program" may refer to schools of education or separate programs within them)

1. How does the state approve teacher education programs?
2. Does the state require NCATE accreditation?
3. Does the state have an NCATE partnership? What does it provide?
4. How many schools use NCATE standards? How many are NCATE accredited?
5. How does the state review and approve schools that are not NCATE accredited? Does the state review and approval process use standards equivalent to national standards? Who does the reviews? How often?
6. Are there schools or programs which do not meet national standards? What standards do they meet?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• State documents
• Studies of accreditation and/or quality of teacher education programs
• % of schools and programs approved using standards equivalent to NCATE
• % of schools and programs accredited by NCATE
• % of graduates who are from approved programs, from NCATE accredited programs
  
  
  

G. Are there effective procedures for intervention to improve teacher education programs that do not meet standards?

1. What is the state's history in enforcing standards in teacher education? Are weak schools and programs being closed?
2. What is the intervention process? Are weak programs improved? If not, are they closed?
3. How long does the process take? How difficult is it to use?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• Number of programs making changes as result of the process
• Number of programs closed
• % of schools or programs closed or put on probation

H. Are NBPTS standards used as the benchmark for accomplished teaching?

1. Is there an advanced license for accomplished teaching? How is it acquired? What are the standards?
2. Is advanced certification respected by state and local policy makers?
3. Is Board Certification accepted for recertification, advanced certification, or licensing upon entry from another state?
4. Are there supports and incentives for seeking Board Certification?
5. Do state and/or local teacher evaluation processes reflect NBPTS standards?
6. Are NBPTS standards used to frame professional development activities?

     Indicators/ Data Sources

• Document and policy review
• Incorporation of NBPTS standards into teacher policies
• Number of teachers seeking Board Certification
• Number certified
• Use of the incentives
• Uses of Board Certified teachers

Policy Inventory, Page 2
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Policy Inventory, Page 4
Policy Inventory, Page 5