Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Teacher Licensing Assessments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board reviews replacement teacher-practice tests; staff recommends adopting national cut scores and adding three world-language practice tests
Summary
The department told the board three current practice tests are expiring and recommended adopting replacement tests and national cut scores; staff also proposed adding Chinese, Russian and Japanese practice tests to cover alternate-program candidates. The transcript records discussion but no formal vote.
State education staff told the Alabama State Board of Education that three practice assessments used as preconditions for initial certification are expiring and must be replaced, and recommended that the board adopt the replacement tests along with the national cut scores produced by Education Testing Service (ETS).
A department presenter explained the routine nature of the work: "A score from test A, the current test, and the score from test B really have nothing to do with one another. ... It's an apple and an orange," the presenter said, urging the board not to interpret a different numerical cut score as a change in rigor. The board was told Alabama has historically adopted the national cut scores recommended after ETS-led standard-setting studies.
The staff said three specific content-area tests are expiring this year: the social studies content knowledge test, the technology education test, and the family and consumer sciences (common and consumer science) test that supports career and technical education. In addition, staff recommended adding three world-language practice tests — Chinese, Russian and Japanese — to support alternate preparation providers that enroll candidates in language fields for which Alabama currently lacks an approved Praxis test.
Board members asked about how long the replacement tests would remain in effect; staff replied that ETS determines test release schedules and some tests change every few years while others remain longer. The department said its practice is generally to adopt a test in the state's second year after ETS releases it so initial release "bugs" are resolved before statewide adoption.
A staff member identified Malik from an ATS company and acknowledged the department’s close partnership with ETS and vendors to prepare for a September rollout. The record shows discussion and routine questions; the transcript does not record a formal motion or vote on the resolution during the provided excerpts.
Board members confirmed understanding of the process and clarified the department’s schedule for communicating changes to universities and preparation programs.
