In groups of two or three discuss the following points and report back to the class on your major conclusions.

1. What are the general guidelines for teacher certification testing?

2. What are the general requirements that the certificate’s holder should meet?

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

Vocabulary enrichment

Make sure you can explain what the following words and word-combinations mean.

academic learning

classroom climate

classroom management

communication modes

community characteristics

cooperative learning

critical-thinking

developmental delays

exceptional abilities

feedback

instructional resources

interdisciplinary curricula

peer assessment

peer tutoring

pedagogical knowledge

performance assessment

professional environment

student-teacher interactions

teacher roles

to accomplish

to affect

to authorize

to collaborate

to enhance

to pursue

to reflect

READING ACTIVITIES

Answer these questions with a partner before you read the text below. If you can’t answer the questions now, try to answer them after reading the text.

1. What are the ATS-W and the CST about?

2. What is a format of the ATS-W and the CST?

3. What is a “passing” score on these tests?

4. How can you register for the teacher certification exams?

ASSESSMENT OF TEACHING SKILLS - WRITTEN. CONTENT SPECIALTY TEST

The ATS-W is a test about the education courses you took in college and about your experience in schools. The purpose of the Elementary and Secondary versions of the ATS-W is to assess pedagogical knowledge in the following four broad education-related subareas:

• knowledge of the learner;

• instructional planning and assessment;

• instructional delivery;

• the professional environment. (For a complete list of test objectives, see APPENDIX A)

The ATS-W consists of approximately 80 multiple-choice questions and one written assignment/extended response. You have four hours to complete the ATS-W. You decide how much time to spend on the multiple-choice items and how much time to spend on the written assignment. The test yields a score for each subarea, a score for the written assignment, and a score for the entire test. The multiple-choice items contribute 80 percent to the final score, while the written assignment contributes 20 percent to the final score.

You get one raw score for each correct answer. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. Your raw score is the number of items you answer correctly, or the number of points you actually earn.

The ATS-W also includes a written assignment. This written assignment may not be an essay. For example, past written assignments have asked for the outline of a curriculum and a lesson plan. You may be asked to respond to a classroom situation, or some other education related situation. The written assignment must be written clearly enough to be understood, but the readers do not evaluate your writing ability. However, a well-written assignment always makes the best impression.

The written assignment is rated 0—3 by two readers based on the appropriateness of your response. Your final written assignment score is the sum of these two scores. The final written assignment score of 0-6 is the sum of these two scores.

Your scale score shows your raw score on a single scale compared to everyone else who has taken the ATS-W. It works this way. ATS-W test items and different forms of the test have different difficulty levels. For example, an item on one form of the ATS-W might be harder than an item on another form. To make up for this difference in difficulty, the harder item might earn 0.9 scale points, while the easier item might earn 0.8 scale points.

This is the fair way to do it. To maintain this fairness, ATS-W passing scores are given as scale scores. The scale scores for the ATS-W, as well as for each area on the test and for the written assignment, range from 100 to 300. Passing these tests is about your ability to use, apply, and integrate information. Just s memorizing the information isn't good enough. You pass the ATS-W if your overall scale score is 220 or better.

The table below shows the raw scores likely to earn minimum scale scores. These are estimated and some what higher or some what lower raw scores may be passing for the test you take. You can make up for a lower score on the multiple-choice items or the written assignment with a higher score on the other part of the test.

ATS-W	ESTIMATED RAW SCORES NEEDED FOR PASSING SCALE SCORES
multiple-choice items	55—58
written assignment points	3-4 out of 6

There is a CST for each certification area. It covers content in the subject or subjects that the corresponding certificate authorizes the holder to teach. Each CST consists of multiple-choice questions and a constructed response item. You pass the CTS if your overall scale score is 220 or better.

Tests in languages other than English also involve audio taped listening and speaking sections. The New York State Teacher Certification Registration Bulletin contains registration forms for the New York Certification Tests. When you get the bulletin, complete the registration form and send it with the correct fee. Pay close attention to the registration deadlines.

POST-READING ACTIVITIES

Say what you’ve learned from the texts about:

1) the purpose and content of the ATS-W and the CST;

2) the format of the ATS-W and the CST;

3) the passing scores of the ATS-W and the CST.