friday, dee. 9, 1988
cabrini college, radnor, pa 19087
Teacher's exam to be altered
vol. XXXV, no. 11
a y avs ma1nta1n undefeatedrecord
by Denise Civa
After years of complaints from students and teachers alike, the Education Testing Service has finally conceded defeat and realized that their National Teachers Examinations (NTE), which certifies new teachers, must be replaced by tests which are more fair for education students. The test as it stands now is called ''simplistic and bias'' by
National Teacher's Examination
cnttcs. Not only can it not accurately describe the vast knowledge a person has of the teaching profession, but it is also bias against minority groups who score considerably lower than whites do. The Education Testing Service predicts that by 1992 the format_.ofthe NTEs will be severely altered to keep up with the trend of school improvement. The test, as it is set up now, is basically mutiple-choice which does not allow critical thinking on the part of the education student. It would be replaced by new sections, which are yet to be developed, but which would possibly include the following: * A test of general knowledge taken in sophomore year * A test of teaching knowledge and skills taken at the end of the students teacher training period using video, and computers * Classroom observation when the student becomes a full-fledged teacher Sue Stuhl, junior, special education and elementary education major, believes the format change of the tests are a good idea. "The tests now are very unfair," Stuhl said. "We sit for four hours straight without a break. It's not good test taking procedure and half of the stuff on the test you 'II never use." Carmela Cantone, senior, early childhood and elementary education major, also believes the tests needed changing. "I don't think it accurately judges teacher competency in the classroom because they're looking at the scores and they can't see you in a classroom situation,'• Cantone said. "You may be a person who can't take standardized tests." Right now the NTEs are used by 30 states including
The Lady Cavs are off to a fantastic start. At a 6-0 record, the Lady Cavs are heading toward an ESAC title. Shown above, Christi Courseault, junior, sets her eyes on the basket as she makes a righthanded layup during the Ursinus game on Dec.3. Story on page 11.
Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. William Kuhns, assistant professor of education and director of student teaching, explained that the NTEs are not required in Pennsylvania though, unless the student plans to teach out of state or the specialty area the student is studying is not in the Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Testing Program (PTCfP). Some specialized areas not covered in the PTCTP which are covered in the NTEs include: early childhood education, education in the elementary school, and general science. Dr. Dawn Middleton, chairperson of the education department, said that whether the tests are changed or not, Cabrini students have an advantage over other students because they have a liberal arts background. Middleton also explained that Cabrini has recommendations on when students should take all the tests needed to be certified. She said in sophomore year the basic competency portion of the tests should be taken. In junior year the general knowledge portion, and in senioryear professional knowledge and the specialty area section. Any part can be repeated as many times as wanted to achieve a particular score. Stephanie Cole, junior, special education and elemen-
tary education major, said that even though the department recommends this information about the tests now, they didn't when she was a freshman or sophomore. Stuhl agreed with this statement. "They didn't tell us anything about the test. We should have been told about them last year." Both Cole and Stu~I said that there is no way to really study for thesetestsexceptbypossibly buying the Barron's NTE study guide or by getting sample NTE questions from the Educational Testing Service. One suggestion that was brought up though was to have a study group or class set up on campus to go over sample questions and explain exactly what will be on the test. "I think it would be a good idea," Stuhl said. "I got myself all worked up." Kuhns said that two years ago there was a program on campus for just this purpose, but that the program was increasing anxiety about the tests instead of decreasing the fears. They would go over 200 sample questions and have pep talks about test taking as a whole. Kuhns said that he does not know if this program would ever be implemented again because of the problems it caused students.
inside perspectives ........ 2, 3
Cabrini's
Tips for staying in
news ................ 4, 8, 9
Missionary Sisters
shape
features ............ 5, 6, 7
(series starts on
(page 10)
sports ........ 10, 11, 12
pages 6 &7)