State-Mandated Performance THEME Evaluation of Beginning Teachers: Implications for Teacher Educators Roberta M. Woolever

Generalizing from efforts in a number of states to mandate teacher excellence, Woolever creates a scenario describing what could happen as part of the efforts to "assure" quality teachers. Based on the scenario, three fundamental prob lems confronting teacher preparation program planners are outlined: (a) Can the elements of quality teaching be iden tified and reliably measured? (b) Can teacher educators minimize the hazards of a narrow definition of quality teach ing? and (c) Can the results of reflective inquiry and experimentation be incor porated into an assessment of student teaching? The author suggests some tentative answers and proposes possible preventative courses of action.