Concurrent validity of standards-based assessments of teacher candidate readiness for licensure

Abstract

This study examined the concurrent validity of assessments based on a prescribed set of preparation standards of teacher candidate competency. Participants were 94 candidates from a small, comprehensive liberal arts university in the northwest. Teacher candidate performance measures included a Summary Student Teaching Evaluation, an evaluation of a Teacher Work Sample (TWS), learning gain scores from P-12 students during a unit of instruction completed as part of the TWS, and State licensure content area tests. Measures of student teaching showed strong correlations internally and moderate correlations with the TWS evaluation. Measures of the TWS showed moderate correlations internally. Learning gain scores and content area test scores were weakly correlated with all other measures of candidate performance. The absence of moderate or strong correlations among different assessments suggests they are measuring different constructs supporting the use of a comprehensive set of standards-based assessments to determine candidates’ readiness for licensure.