Washington, DC, March 25, 2009 – The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is pleased to announce that through its Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), it is launching an initiative to update the INTASC Model Standards for Beginning Teacher Licensing, Assessment and Development: A Resource for State Dialogue (Model Core Standards), which were released in 1992 and are in use by 38 states. The goal is for states, the teaching profession, and the public to come to consensus around what a 21st century teacher should know and be able to do. Generous funding from the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, Educational Testing Service and the National Education Association is supporting this work.
“The teaching profession is evolving and we must upgrade and align our teacher standards with student expectations,” said CCSSO Executive Director Gene Wilhoit. “Ensuring our teachers are prepared to lead today’s—and tomorrow’s—students to succeed is absolutely key.”
The committee will meet four times over the next 12 months to update the standards and address the question: What have we learned from research about best practice, how children learn, and the learning context that should be included in this vision? At each meeting experts will present on key topics to inform deliberations of the Committee.
“CCSSO is actively engaging stakeholders in the standards development process,” said INTASC Director Kathleen Paliokas. “We are encouraging teacher leaders, state leaders, and anyone with vested interest in teacher standards to visit the Committee’s webpage and blog to keep up-to-date on the Committee’s work and to provide us with ongoing feedback.”
The INTASC Core Standards Update Committee site can be accessed at http://www.ccsso.org/csr.
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks members’ consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the world’s largest private educational testing and measurement organization and a leader in educational research. ETS is committed to partnering with institutions of higher education who prepare teacher candidates to enter the profession through a portfolio of products and services that help transform students into teachers.
The Evaluation Systems group of Pearson is the most experienced developer of standards-based teacher certification testing programs. Evaluation Systems works under contract with state education agencies, delivering and administering initial licensure tests for prospective teachers who are just entering the profession, as well as teachers who are seeking licensure in a new subject area or in a new state. Evaluation Systems is part of Pearson, the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way.
The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3.2 million members work at every level of education-from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.
