Scheduled for Poster Session: Research on Teaching and Instruction in Schools and Higher Education, Thursday, April 10, 2008, 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, Reseach Consortium Poster Sessions


Identifying Predictors for Teacher Candidate Success on the TExES

Allyn Byars, Susan E. Keith and Steve Snowden, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX

The Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) was used from 1986 to 2004 for certification of teacher candidates (TC). In 2004, the Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) replaced the ExCET with a very different format. Both exams have a multiple choice question format. However, the TExES emphasizes basic knowledge and application questions, whereas the ExCET contained numerous analysis, synthesis, and evaluation type questions. Because of the change in exam formats and the accountability of teacher educator programs to have specific pass rates, it is important to monitor the effectiveness of teacher educator programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to: (1) create a database that contains extensive information on each TC who completes the Physical Education (PE) EC-12 TExES, (2) examine predictor variables for TC success on the PE EC -12 TExES, and (3) identify variables that may indicate TC difficulty in successfully passing the PE EC -12 TExES. In this preliminary investigation, student records and TExES pass/fail reports from 2004 to 2006 were reviewed for 48 males and 30 females TCs (n=78) ages 21 to 44 (25.04 ± 4.13). The following variables were compiled: demographic information, scores from SAT/ACT and placement exams, overall grade point average (GPA), major GPA, minor GPA, TExES overall and domain scores, and number of transfer hours. Multiple regression analysis indicated three significant predictors of overall TExES scores that included major GPA (p<.001), number of transfer hours (p=.015), and ethnicity (p=.029). Significant mean differences (p=.025) were found between Caucasians (264.57 ± 11.90) and other ethnic groups (257.30 ± 13.14) on overall TExES score, however, no significant associations (p>.05) were found between ethnicity and pass rate. Mean differences in the overall TExES score were also found between TCs with 30 or more transfer hours (256.08 ± 14.51) and those with less than 30 transfer hours (265.65 ± 10.44). TCs who had transferred in 30 or more hours also had a significantly higher proportion of failure than those with less than 30 transfer hours (p=.027). Non-traditional (³ 30 yr. age) TCs also had a significantly higher proportion of failure than younger TCs (p=.026). In conclusion, the results of this preliminary investigation suggest that TC success on the TExES may be influenced by: (a) number of TC transfer hours, (b) age of TC, and (c) GPA in the TC's major field.
Keyword(s): college level issues, curriculum, pre-service/student

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