New York State Teacher Certification Examinations™ (NYSTCE®)
New York State Teacher Certification Examinations™ (NYSTCE®)
New York State Teacher Certification Examinations™ (NYSTCE®)

Development

The New York State Education Department and Evaluation Systems group of Pearson are seeking educators to participate on test development committees for the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations™ (NYSTCE®). These committees will support the Regents' reform agenda to transform teaching and learning in the State in order to ensure that all students are college and career ready when they graduate from high school. To that end, we are looking for practicing teachers who can help implement the Regents' initiatives which include increasing the rigor of certification exams, implementing the New York State Learning Standards, and promoting achievement and growth for all students.

Generally, each Content Advisory Committee (CAC) will include both eligible public school educators and educator preparation faculty, with a majority being public school educators. The following individuals are eligible to participate on the CAC for a certification field:

On a case-by-case basis, NYSED may approve additional individuals to join a committee if they have particular expertise that would be valuable for the committee's work.

For tests that will be taken by candidates seeking certification in multiple fields, individuals are eligible to participate if they are certified and practicing in any of the fields for which the test will be required.

The test development process may include the following activities:

Framework Development

Test frameworks that define the content of each test are prepared for fields under development. The frameworks define the knowledge and skills that are important for performing the job of an educator in New York schools, and include competencies, performance expectations, and performance indicators. The draft frameworks are based on sources including New York and national standards for each field. The draft frameworks are reviewed and approved by committees of New York public school educators and educator preparation faculty. The Framework Review Conference is typically a one-day meeting.

Content Validation Survey

The purpose of the content validation survey is to ensure that the knowledge or skills described by the competencies are important for performing the job of an educator in New York State public schools. Classroom teachers throughout New York and faculty in educator preparation programs are asked to participate in the survey.

Item Development and Review

Test items are prepared based on the validated competencies and other relevant materials obtained from the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Draft test items are reviewed and approved by the committees of New York classroom educators and educator preparation faculty. The Item Review Conference can be a one- to-two-day meeting.

Field Testing

Test items are field tested to gather information about their quality and technical characteristics.

Marker Response Establishment

Content Advisory Committee members convene to establish responses to written and video performance assignments. These responses will serve as "score-point markers" for training scorers to accurately score test takers' responses. The Marker Response Establishment Meeting is typically a one-day meeting.

Test Administration

The schedule and other information for the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations™ (NYSTCE®) test administrations can be found on the NYSTCE Web site Link opens in a new window..

Standard Setting

Educators participate in a process of making judgments and recommendations regarding a passing score for the test. The Standard Setting Conference is typically a one-day meeting.

Bias Review

Educators convene to review draft test materials, including test frameworks and test items, for bias prevention and the inclusion of diversity in test materials. These are typically one- or two-day meetings.

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