The Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) announced today that it is working with the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson to implement new contemporary teacher certification tests that are part of the company’s NES® (National Evaluation Series™). The NES teacher certification tests provide states with comprehensive exams aligned to professionally accepted national learning standards, covering areas such as essential academic skills, reading instruction and commonly taught elementary, middle and secondary grade-level subjects. Oregon is the first state to adopt Pearson’s NES tests, which will be required for Oregon teacher licensure or endorsement in selected areas effective Sept. 1, 2010.
“At the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, part of our mission is to provide our state with the highest quality teacher licensure testing program, designed to ensure that our state’s teachers are qualified to prepare students for success,” said Victoria Chamberlain, executive director. “By adopting the NES tests, we can now evaluate candidates based on the most current content in each subject or academic skill area, aligned to national subject and pedagogy standards, as well as move our program in a new direction with computer-based testing, which will allow us to tap into a larger pool of potential teachers for our state’s schools. In addition, computer-based testing allows us to offer candidates the convenience of taking a test on-demand and receiving a score immediately after the test is completed so they know where they stand.”
Oregon will use the NES tests to replace many existing tests for licenses and endorsements, integrating the new NES tests with the existing customized Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) program. Additional details for candidates and teacher preparation program faculty will be made available throughout 2010 on the TSPC Web site at http://www.Oregon.gov/TSPC and through other communications.
Beginning Sept. 1, 2010, candidates for Oregon teacher licensure will be able to take the NES tests at Pearson’s secure testing centers in the state and around the country. A series of free preparation guides for the NES is now available at http://www.NEStest.com and will also be available at http://www.orela.nesinc.com/ beginning in June 2010, when test registration opens. The preparation guides, called NES Profiles, include the information a candidate needs about the test, such as the format, content areas and competencies covered, as well as sample test questions and answers.
The Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, the most experienced provider of standards-based teacher certification testing programs, has developed the NES to help states ensure that the educators they certify are prepared to teach effectively in 21st century classrooms. The NES offers states a new choice in educator certification testing to meet the demand for knowledgeable teachers, using state-of-the-art methods in test development, delivery and support.
“Since we introduced the NES earlier this year, we have had a great deal of interest in its approach to teacher certification testing,” said William Gorth, Ph.D., president of the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson. “Oregon has a tradition of teacher excellence, and we look forward to working with the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission to implement our contemporary teacher certification testing program.”
More information about the NES is available at http://www.NEStest.com. For more information about the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, go to http://teacher.PearsonAssessments.com.
Les McCallum, a representative of Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, developer of this program, is scheduled to give a presentation on the new National Evaluation Series at the NACCTEP national conference in March. His presentation will be during session two, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., on Saturday, March 27, 2010, at the Marriott in the Stadium 2 room. |
