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Confirmation Survey of the Importance of the Revised Test Content Specifications for the Praxis I: Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST) PPST

Author(s):
Tannenbaum, Richard J.; Robustelli, Stacy L.
Publication Year:
2010
Report Number:
RM-10-02
Source:
ETS Research Memorandum
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
82
Subject/Key Words:
Teacher Certification, Occupational Credentialing, Praxis, Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST), Teacher Licensure, Test Revision, Job Analysis

Abstract

A survey was conducted to confirm the importance of the knowledge and skills represented by the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST®) revised test content specifications for entry-level teachers. A national advisory committee (NAC) of reading, writing, and mathematics teachers and teacher-educators had reviewed and revised the existing test content specifications to reflect what they considered to be knowledge and skills important for entering teachers. The revised specifications consisted of 72 statements clustered within three sections: reading (15 items), writing (20 items), and mathematics (37 items). A survey of teachers and college faculty was conducted to obtain independent confirmation of the importance of these 72 statements. A total of 818 educators completed the survey, rating each statement on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all important) to 5 (extremely important). A criterion of a mean importance rating of 3.50 was used to differentiate more important from less important statements. Analyses were conducted at the total (aggregate) group and subgroup levels. All of the 72 knowledge/skill statements exceeded the 3.50 criterion at the aggregate level. One statement was below the criterion for two subgroups. The implications for test development are discussed.

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