The problem of the study was to examine the effects of Texas legislated basic skills testing as the effects relate to teachers, administrators, and local school districts. Questionnaires consisting of thirty questions were mailed to a stratified random sample of 120 educators from all twenty Regional Service Centers in Texas. Both teachers and administrators were included in the sample. Factual information and personal opinions were solicited to determine how educators and local school districts have been responding to the testing reform directives. Responses of educational groups and demographic types were compared using the chi-square test and presented in descriptive and tabular form.. Nine findings, nine conclusions, and six recommendations resulted from the study.

This study assessed the most valid predictors of success of students entering into an undergraduate teacher preparation program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Using existing institutional data from a small, private, urban university in Philadelphia, analyses of the data identified variables with the greatest predictive ability. The variables were then used to develop a prediction model that predicts performance on the Basic Skills Math Test and Basic Skills Reading Test. The results of this study provide the university with an instrument to identify students most likely to pass the basic skills test and gain entry into the teacher preparation program. The results of this study also provide the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania support for using SAT scores as a measure of proficiency of basic skills in gaining entry into an undergraduate teacher preparation program. Implications of the research on admissions practices, teacher preparation program development, and education reform are discussed in the recommendations. / Educational Leadership

Until 2014, admission requirements for the educator preparation program at a university in the north central United States included a minimum competency level on the Praxis I basic skills writing test and completion of one general education writing course. However, evidence from the university's ETS reports showed that less than 60% of students as first-time test-takers met the required score. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the required writing course in assisting students to meet the Praxis I writing competencies. In 2014, the ETS Core Academic Skills for Educators test replaced the Praxis I. Because only 3 years of accumulated data on 88 examinees were available for the new test, the Praxis I writing test was used for this study. The learning theories of Albert Bandura, Jerome Bruner, John Dewey, and Lev Vygotsky guided the study. Utilization-focused program evaluation was used to investigate the problem. Data collected in this study were 5 faculty interviews, 2 student focus groups, and archival institutional data and national student engagement survey data. Data analysis was completed using curricular mapping and Atlas.ti 7 software. Findings indicated that the general education writing course did not provide students with the skills needed to meet minimum competency on Praxis I writing test. The study project, a curriculum plan for an education course, was developed to address test preparation and students' writing competency. The positive social change implications of this project are to increase the number of successful first-time test-takers on the writing test and to initiate collaborative discussions that would drive partnerships regarding the development of smooth transitions of writing expectations across K-16 institutions.