A rightward shift in the political climate in Florida and Pennsylvania, however, prompted officials from those states to stop participating. A Quantum Leap' Connecticut is the only state currently administering performance assessments for licensure, although other states plan to follow suit. In the late 1980s, Connecticut was considered a pioneer because it required new teachers to have mentors and to be observed periodically in their classrooms. But the observations were focused only on teachers' general pedagogical techniques. In the past decade, research has shown that teaching isn't a generic activity.
Successful teachers possess specialized knowledge about how to teach their particular subjects.
Now, Connecticut is tapping that knowledge by requiring new teachers to go through a two-step process to keep their licenses. In their first year in the classroom, teachers work with mentors to prepare a videotape of their best practice, which is evaluated. In the second year, they put together portfolios of their work with students. The portfolios enable the state to examine two to three weeks of a teacher's lessons, including her planning, materials, evaluation of students' work, and subsequent directions to students. Candidates also are asked to analyze their own performance.