Examining The Validity Evidence For California Teacher Licensure Exams

This paper is part of a larger research project "Teacher Licensure Tests and Student Achievement" that is sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences in the United States Department of Education. The ultimate goal of the project is to assess how the performance of teachers on state licensure tests affects the classroom effectiveness of individual teachers as measured by the student achievement gains of their students. This paper reviews the literature on teacher licensure exams and assesses evidence for the validity of the subject matter, reading pedagogy, and general knowledge tests that are administered to California teacher candidates as part of state licensure procedures.