Use of Assessments to Inform Teacher Education Policy and Practice

Policy emphasis on use of standards for assessments in K-12 education has also affected teacher education. Teacher educators are being asked to use standards for assessment and produce concrete evidence for the skills and knowledge their candidates possess prior to certification. This study examined the assessment data produced in one teacher education program with an aim to identify the purposes these assessments fulfilled for the program, and whether these assessments produced the evidence desired by policy makers. My findings concur with other studies which claim that the lack of research on use of standards in teacher education and inexperience of the field leads to inefficient systems of assessments. This study also highlights the potential that use of standards holds for teacher education programs such as: creating linkages between theory and practice, creating coherence within the programs, serving as tools for self-reflection for the student teachers, and facilitating the process of learning to teach.