Common Core Assessments (Board of Teaching)

PASS/FAIL COUNTS AND PERCENTS BY INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITYPraxis II:Principles of Learning and TeachingPLT Grades K-6 - TEST CODE 522... INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & E

Report to the Legislature

June 2009

As required by Minnesota Statutes 122A.18, Subdivision 2(b)

Minnesota Board of Teaching

ESTIMATED COST OF PREPARING THIS REPORT

This report provides information that is maintained and published as Minnesota Rules by the Office of Revisor of Statutes as a part of its normal business functions Therefore, the cost information reported below does not include the cost of gathering the data but rather is limited to the estimated cost of actually analyzing the data, determining recommendations and preparing this report document

Special funding was not appropriated for the costs of preparing this report

The estimated cost incurred by the Minnesota Board of Teaching in preparing this report is

$5760.00

ON THE COMMON CORE ASSESSMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

As required by Minnesota Statutes 122A.18, Subdivision 2 (e)

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

LEGISLATION

As required by Minnesota Statutes 122A.18, Subdivision 2 (e)

All colleges and universities approved by the board of teaching to prepare persons for teacher licensure must include in their teacher preparation programs a common core of teaching knowledge and skills to be acquired by all persons recommended for teacher licensure This common core shall meet the standards developed by the interstate new teacher assessment and support consortium in its 1992 model standards for beginning teacher licensing and development Amendments to standards adopted under this paragraph are covered by chapter 14 The board

of teaching shall report annually to the education committees of the legislature on the performance of teacher candidates on common core assessments of knowledge and skills under this paragraph during the most recent school year

For each test the following data is provided:

Gender and Ethnicity Counts

Scores: Median, Mean, Range

Pass Rates and Failure Rates

Scores for All State Users

Pass/Fail Counts by Institutions/Gender/Race and Ethnicity

• Communication Arts and Literature: Content Knowledge

i

• Elementary Education: Content Knowledge 46

APPENDIX B: Description of Minnesota Licensure Standards 141

BACKGROUND

REQUIRED TEACHER LICENSURE TESTS

The Minnesota Board of Teaching is committed to establishing and maintaining quality standards for the licensing of teachers who teach in Minnesota public schools As part of these standards, specific and selected examinations serve as important instruments in the licensing process The purpose of the examinations of professional knowledge and subject matter is to measure examinees’ pedagogical and subject matter knowledge of the subject(s) in which they are seeking licensure

Minnesota Statute 122A.09 Subd 4 (e) The board must adopt rules requiring

successful completion of an examination of general pedagogical knowledge

and examinations of licensure-specific teaching skills The rules shall be

effective on the dates determined by the board but not later than September

1, 2001

In compliance with this statute, the Board of Teaching requires licensure

candidates to pass two types of tests:

• Professional Knowledge Assessments

Principles of Learning and Teaching Tests use a case study approach to measure the examinees’ general pedagogical knowledge at these levels: Birth -age 8, and grades K-6, 5-

9, and 7-12 The tests feature short answer essays and multiple-choice items

• Subject Assessments

Subject tests measure the examinees’ content knowledge of the subject(s) in which they are seeking teacher licensure

1

Following the requests for a proposal process to provide Minnesota with a testing program that would align licensing standards to tests specifications, and offer a testing program to meet all validation, reliability and administration requirements, the Board of Teaching selected

Educational Testing Service (ETS) as the licensure test administrator in June 2000 (Minn R

8710.0500: Examinations for Teachers) http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/arule/8710/

ETS currently provides and administers required tests of 1) general pedagogical knowledge, and 2) subject-content knowledge for all candidates applying for an initial Minnesota teaching license The professional knowledge and subject-content knowledge licensure tests must

be passed before granting an individual a professional license in the field Tests in the Praxis Series are developed in accordance with recommended technical guidelines, Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (American Education Research Association, American Psychological Association, and the National Council on Measurements in Education)

Minnesota Rule 8710.0500, Subpart 2 Selection and adoption

The Board of Teaching shall solicit proposals for the development, validation, and implementation of teacher examinations under subpart 1 The Board of Teaching shall select the proposal of a party whose understanding of the project, statement of work to be performed, management plan, staffing, and related experience demonstrate the ability to develop, validate, and implement statewide examination system and to conduct subsequent administrations of the adopted examinations The Board of Teaching shall adopt examinations that have been validated by another state or reputable national testing organization and field tested in Minnesota

General Pedagogical Knowledge: The Board adopted four tests to measure the general

pedagogical knowledge of licensure applicants:

1 Principles of Learning and Teaching Grades K-6

2 Principles of Learning and Teaching Grades 5-9

3 Principles of Learning and Teaching Grades 7-12

4 Principles of Learning and Teaching: Early Childhood, ages Birth - 8

NOTE: In May 2006, the Board adopted Principles of Learning and Teaching Early Childhood test, which became effective October 1, 2006 Performance data on the

new test is included in the 2008 report, but only available for two years

Each of the tests of general pedagogical knowledge focus on standards adopted by the Minnesota Board of Teaching and is identified in Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers

(Minn R Part 8710.2000, Adopted Permanent Rules Regarding Teacher Licensure)

http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/arule/8710/

Subject Content Knowledge: All candidates applying for the first Minnesota teaching license

must demonstrate knowledge and skills in the respective field for which they are seeking licensure Content tests focus on the subject matter competencies identified in standards adopted

by the Minnesota Board of Teaching identified in Minn R Parts 8710.3000 to 8710.5800,

Adopted Permanent Rules Regarding Teacher Licensure

http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/arule/8710/ Content examinations were adopted for 21 different licensure fields with requirement date of September 2001 Subsequently, eight additional subject-content tests were adopted and required beginning October 1, 2004, and two more were adopted and required beginning October 1, 2006 While there are multiple years of data for most tests, only one year of data is available for the most recently adopted tests

Minnesota Rule 8710.0500, Subpart 1 B Examination requirements On or

after September 1, 2001, an applicant for a first professional teaching license in

any field shall provide evidence of having successfully completed an examination

of general teaching knowledge and the examination required for the teaching

field for which licensure is applied under this chapter Teachers applying to add

teaching fields to existing licenses must successfully complete the examination

required for each teaching field to be added, but are not required to complete an

examination of general teaching knowledge

Test Validation and Standard Setting Process

For each test adopted, a panel of Minnesota experts was convened to review, validate and recommend a passing score to the Board of Teaching Educational Testing Service has convened meetings of more than 400 professional educators from across Minnesota to serve as panelists to

3

twenty panelists Selection of panelists was based on criteria designed to help ensure that panelists: (1) were familiar with the job requirements in the relevant licensure area and the capabilities of the beginning teacher, (2) were representative of Minnesota public school educators in terms of gender, ethnicity, and geographic region within the state, and (3) consisted primarily of Minnesota licensed teachers Validation panels were later selected for the additional tests adopted in 2004 and 2006

The recommended passing score represented what the professional experts determined as the level of knowledge and/or skill believed to be sufficient for an entry-level teacher to demonstrate in order to be considered ready to engage in professional practice in Minnesota The standard setting study and the recommended score (study value) provide critical data need in setting a state qualifying score on a test for licensing teachers

SETTING MINNESOTA QUALIFYING SCORES

To set the performance standards for initial teacher licensure, the Minnesota Board of Teaching used documentation from the field-testing study (three statewide administrations of the tests conducted between November 2000 – January 2001), national performance data, and recommendations from the Minnesota validity studies conducted in 2001, to determine the appropriateness of each test The same score setting procedures were followed for the tests adopted

in 2004 and 2006

After the systematic review of data from the validity study which represented the professional judgments of Minnesota educators from representative educational organizations at elementary through college/university levels, a decision was made by the Minnesota Board of Teaching to set qualifying scores and effective dates for each test

All Minnesota scores were set by the Board of Teaching and were derived from the panelists’ judgments (a study value) The study value, or recommended passing score, represents the combined judgments of one group of experienced educators regarding the level of knowledge

and/or skill believed to be just sufficient for an entry level teacher State scores were not enforced until September 1, 2002 This report is based on the performance of applicants who took the tests from September 2001 through August 2008

Minnesota Rule 8710.0500, Subpart 3 A Requirement An applicant must achieve a

minimum passing score on each examination required under subpart 1 The Board of Teaching shall establish a minimum passing score for each examination based on

validation for use in Minnesota

The Board of Teaching also considered the performance of various reference groups when setting the qualifying scores, including Minnesota graduates, gender, race/ethnicity and supply and demand conditions The following is extracted from the validity study and might help with this question:

What advantages and disadvantages should be considered in setting higher qualifying scores? Setting a higher passing score has certain potential advantages as well as disadvantages

that should be considered By setting a higher score, one would hope to improve professional standards Higher professional standards may also have strong public appeal in terms of addressing current nationwide concerns about the need for excellence in education However, in setting a higher score, student enrollment in teacher preparation programs as well as the supply of future teachers might be diminished Also, research suggests that some minority groups are adversely affected by the setting of high passing scores

What advantages and disadvantages should be considered in setting lower qualifying scores?

In general, the lower the qualifying score is set, the less the risk of rejecting qualified candidates who happen to score below the study values At the same time, however, the greater is the risk that unqualified candidates will exceed the adjusted qualifying score Advantages in setting a lower passing score would be to increase the number of students entering teacher preparation programs Thus, the supply of applicants for teaching positions would not be drastically affected and efforts at affirmative action might be more successfully pursued

5

Test Development

All adopted Praxis II tests:

1 Provide a complete list of objectives for each examination and the specifications to be used in item development

2 Show a relationship between the recommended objectives for each examination and the

domains of knowledge and skills identified in Minnesota’s Standards of Effective Practice for

Teachers; and between the recommended objectives for each field-specific content

knowledge and skills examination(s) and Minnesota subject-matter standards in 8710.3000 to 8710.5800

3 Provide sufficient depth in the item pool and multiple forms of each examination

4 Were validated by Minnesota teachers and teacher educators

5 Were field-tested in Minnesota

Administration Procedures

The Praxis II licensure tests:

1 Provide a system that allows maximum opportunities for examinee registration and payment, including paper, telephone and Internet registration, credit card payment, and scores available

on line Administered 6 times annually

2 Provide accommodations at all sites for examinees with disabilities and those whose religion precludes them from taking tests on a Saturday; and granting of special testing accommodations in compliance with Americans With Disabilities Act, proposing alternative assessment accommodations for individuals with learning and physical disabilities and examinees whose first language is other than English (Primary Language is not English)

3 Are systematically reviewed by test item and procedures to ensure a lack of systematic bias due to gender, race, ethnicity, or any other factor not related to the test content

4 Are reviewed to ensure that they are given under fair, uniform, and secure conditions

5 Provide documented procedures for protecting the security of the form(s) of the tests

6 Provide information about both individual and aggregated data, including significant subgroups, of all test results to Minnesota teacher preparation institutions and the Minnesota Board of Teaching

7 Provide tabulation and reporting of the results of each test to the candidate within a specific time period following the examination date and make provisions to report evidence of the successful completion of the test to the preparing institution designated by the candidate and

to the Minnesota Department of Education, Division of Educator Licensing and Teacher Quality

Board Rules 8710.0500 Subpart 6 Administration, scoring, and reporting

Administration, scoring, and reporting of examinations shall be conducted by the party whose examinations have been adopted by the Board of Teaching Applicants may take the examinations on any of the dates that are established by the party for national

administration or on dates established by the Board of Teaching for special

administration Examinations shall be administered at least four times a year in

Minnesota It is the responsibility of the applicant to be informed about the dates and locations of the examinations and to apply for the appropriate examinations

Registration procedures are governed by the party whose examinations have been

adopted Examinees shall authorize the forwarding of their scores to the institutions they attend and to the Board of Teaching The scores as forwarded are the official evidence required in this part

7

In May 2004, the Board of Teaching adjusted passing scores on the following teacher licensure examinations effective September 1, 2005 Notice was published in the State Register and all colleges/universities were notified Data on the performance of candidates at the new adjusted score will be available for the 2007 report

Test Name

Passing Score 2004-05

Adjusted Passing Score Effective 9/1/05 Principles of Learning and Teaching k-6

ADJUSTED SCORES EFFECTIVE 2006

In May 2005, the Board of Teaching adjusted passing scores on the following teacher licensure examinations effective September 1, 2006 Notice was published in the State Register and all colleges/universities were notified Data on the performance of candidates at the new adjusted score will be available for the 2008 report

ADJUSTED SCORES EFFECTIVE 2007

The Board of Teaching adjusted passing scores on the following teacher licensure examinations

effective October 1, 2007 Notice was published in the State Register and all colleges/universities were notified Data on the performance of candidates at the new adjusted score will be available for the 2009 report

Test Name

Passing Score 2005-06

Adjusted Passing Score Effective 9/1/06

Adjusted Passing Score Effective 10/1/07

Teachers of Reading (test performance was

reviewed in May 2006 and adjusted for 9/1/06)

9

Percentage Passing on Adopted Tests PROJECTED % COMPARED WITH ACTUAL PERFORMANCE %

2001-08 Below Anticipated Percentage

Arts (visual) Percentage: (90/) Productive Language Spanish

Percentage: (64/)

Business Education Percentage: (83/) Communication Arts & Literature Percentage: (93/)

Early Childhood Education Percentage: (92/)

Percentage: (76/) English As A Second Language Percentage: (91/)

Family and Consumer Sciences Percentage: (na/)

Principles of Learning & Teaching 5-9 Percentage: (96/)

Principles of Learning & Teaching 7-12 Percentage: (95/)

Percentage: (89/)

No Comparison Data on Special Education (98 percent passed)

Percentage Passing on Adopted Tests PROJECTED % COMPARED WITH ACTUAL PERFORMANCE %

2004-08 Below Anticipated Percentage

Data is inclusive of years 2001-2008, except where otherwise noted:

The Praxis II: Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Birth - 8 was first required in 2007 The Content Knowledge test for Early Childhood was first required in 2007

The Content Knowledge test for Middle School Language Arts was first required in 2004 The Content Knowledge test for Middle School Mathematics was first required in 2004 The Content Knowledge test for Middle School Science was first required in 2004

The Content Knowledge test for Middle School Social Studies was first required in 2004 The Content Knowledge test for the Reading Specialist was first required in 2005

TEST INFORMATION

165 139 182 176 148 184 157 127 182 0 0 0 195 193 196 182 136 200 192 190 199 127 200 182 180 False 521

2007-2008 ALL MINNESOTA EXAMINEES GENDER COUNT

(n=318)

ETHNICITY COUNT (n=318)

American

American

WhiteNot

Coded

X-MissingOther

Mean Median

SCORE

Number Passing

Failing

0 20 40 60 80 100

0 20 40 60 80 100

African American Asian Hispanic AmericanNative Other

White

Percent Projected to Pass Percent Passing

Projected Pass Compare with Actual Pass

PASS SCORE

ALL STATE USERS

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Birth-Age 8 - TEST CODE 521

PASS/FAIL COUNTS AND PERCENTS BY INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Birth-Age 8 - TEST CODE 521

TEST INFORMATION

164 119 193 170 118 200 168 115 197 169 122 196 177 108 200 176 117 200 178 129 200 108 200 176 175 False 522

2001-2008 ALL MINNESOTA EXAMINEES GENDER COUNT

(n=16,003)

ETHNICITY COUNT (n=16,003)

American

American

WhiteNot

Coded

X-MissingOther

Mean Median

SCORE

Number Passing

Failing

0 20 40 60 80 100

0 20 40 60 80 100

African American Asian Hispanic AmericanNative Other

White

Percent Projected to Pass Percent Passing

Projected Pass Compare with Actual Pass

PASS SCORE

ALL STATE USERS

PASS/FAIL COUNTS AND PERCENTS BY INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades K-6 - TEST CODE 522

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades K-6 - TEST CODE 522

PASS/FAIL COUNTS AND PERCENTS BY INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades K-6 - TEST CODE 522

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades K-6 - TEST CODE 522

TEST INFORMATION

155 120 185 170 134 197 166 144 184 163 137 180 168 130 192 172 115 200 173 148 192 115 200 171 170 False 523

2001-2008 ALL MINNESOTA EXAMINEES GENDER COUNT

(n=2,007)

ETHNICITY COUNT (n=2,007)

American

American

WhiteNot

Coded

X-MissingOther

Mean Median

SCORE

Number Passing

Failing

0 20 40 60 80 100

0 20 40 60 80 100

African American Asian Hispanic AmericanNative Other

White

Percent Projected to Pass Percent Passing

Projected Pass Compare with Actual Pass

PASS SCORE

ALL STATE USERS

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades 5-9 - TEST CODE 523

PASS/FAIL COUNTS AND PERCENTS BY INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades 5-9 - TEST CODE 523

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades 5-9 - TEST CODE 523

TEST INFORMATION

162 104 199 170 115 195 164 123 193 167 113 200 174 136 200 175 105 200 178 138 200 104 200 175 174 False 524

2001-2008 ALL MINNESOTA EXAMINEES GENDER COUNT

(n=9,273)

ETHNICITY COUNT (n=9,273)

American

American

WhiteNot

Coded

X-MissingOther

Mean Median

SCORE

Number Passing

Failing

0 20 40 60 80 100

0 20 40 60 80 100

African American Asian Hispanic AmericanNative Other

White

Percent Projected to Pass Percent Passing

Projected Pass Compare with Actual Pass

PASS SCORE

ALL STATE USERS

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades 7-12 - TEST CODE 524

PASS/FAIL COUNTS AND PERCENTS BY INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades 7-12 - TEST CODE 524

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Praxis II:Principles of Learning and Teaching(PLT) Grades 7-12 - TEST CODE 524

TEST INFORMATION

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 580 410 730 610 540 700 410 730 580 579 False 700

2001-2008 ALL MINNESOTA EXAMINEES GENDER COUNT

(n=100)

ETHNICITY COUNT (n=100)

American

American

WhiteNot

Coded

X-MissingOther

Mean Median

SCORE

Number Passing

Failing

0 20 40 60 80 100

0 20 40 60 80 100

African American Asian Hispanic AmericanNative Other

White

Percent Projected to Pass Percent Passing

Projected Pass Compare with Actual Pass

PASS SCORE

ALL STATE USERS

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Agriculture - TEST CODE 700

TEST INFORMATION

179 171 187 170 141 187 172 157 200 169 154 185 179 149 195 170 130 200 176 158 193 130 200 171 170 False 133

2001-2008 ALL MINNESOTA EXAMINEES GENDER COUNT

(n=801)

ETHNICITY COUNT (n=801)

American

American

WhiteNot

Coded

X-MissingOther

Mean Median

SCORE

Number Passing

Failing

0 20 40 60 80 100

0 20 40 60 80 100

African American Asian Hispanic AmericanNative Other

White

Percent Projected to Pass Percent Passing

Projected Pass Compare with Actual Pass

PASS SCORE

ALL STATE USERS

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Art: Content Knowledge - TEST CODE 133

PASS/FAIL COUNTS AND PERCENTS BY INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Art: Content Knowledge - TEST CODE 133

INSTITUTION BY GENDER BY RACE & ETHNICITY

Art: Content Knowledge - TEST CODE 133