Teacher Candidate Success on State Mandated Professional Tests: One Predictive Measure

"There is no knowledge that is not power" (Emerson, 1898, Old Age [paragraph]. 8). Knowledge increases background information, deepens understanding of topics, and assists in making critical decisions. The weather is an excellent example. Robert Thomas created the Old Farmer's Almanac (1792) by using his documented observations and understanding of the complex natural cycles to create a weather forecasting formula that had an 80% accuracy rate! Farmers with this almanac knowledge were able to make smarter choices about which type of seeds to plant and when to take preventive measures against potential frost and drought conditions. Their increased knowledge resulted in smarter farming choices. Today we use daily weather forecasts to help us choose clothing and transportation methods; knowledge is most certainly power. We believe that Emerson and Thomas' premises are powerful when combined; more specifically, knowledge coupled with documented observations and data over time produce the ability to make smart predictions. Higher education is always searching for ways to predict student success in order to select the 'right' students into each academic school. The School of Law relies upon the Law School Admission Test (LSAT); the School of Medicine uses the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT); and the School of Education utilizes the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). But all of these predictive assessments are intended for an older, more seasoned learner-the graduate student. Our research deals with the undergraduate student; a younger, and often less focused, learner who is seeking teacher licensure. Specifically, we aim to portray one predictive model using teacher candidates' Grade Point Average (GPA) and its linear relationship to candidate success on two professional state mandated teaching exams, the Virginia Reading Assessment (VRA) and the Virginia Communication Literacy Assessment (VCLA). Theoretical Framework "A wise man has great power, and a man of knowledge increases strength" (Proverbs 24: 5). We propose to frame this study around the epistemological assumption that thinking something is 'good enough' is the enemy of wisdom. Moreover, teacher candidates who pursue excellence and gain knowledge in one area will continue this behavior in other areas of their life and experience increasing levels of success. Albert Bandura (1977, 1986, 1997) coined this behavior/thinking cycle 'self-efficacy' and explained that people who experience success are more likely to expect to do well and thereby work harder due to their expectation of achievement. In other words, success breeds success! Review of the Literature Thomas Jefferson did not trust local governments to bolster civilization; he believed whole-heartedly that the university, the heart of education and scientific progress, would destroy social injustice and create harmony (Randall, 1993). That kind of trust in higher education expired a long time ago, though. Teacher education clearly depicts this faltering belief system in the university. The U.S. Secretary of Education recently stated, "By almost any standard, many if not most of the nation's 1,450 schools, colleges, and departments of education are doing a mediocre job of preparing teachers for the realities of the 21st-century classroom" (Teacher education, p. 6). Critical statements, coupled with serious funding issues, create an environment in which teacher education programs are constantly striving to recruit and train the best possible teacher candidates. The following sections will delineate a brief history of early teacher programs, its current climate, and research pertaining to current predictors of success. A Brief History of Early Teacher Programs Early colonial education began in the home, similar to current home-schooling practices. Dame schools resulted from women converting some homes into schools. Qualified teachers were simply well respected women who were interested in education. …