The Association Between Elementary Teacher Mathematics Licensure Test Scores and Student Growth in Massachusetts

• In Event: 70.045 - Perspective on Teacher Knowledge, Licensure, and Evaluation: Mapping the "Strange Land" of Teacher Quality

Abstract

This quasi-experimental value-added study provided evidence for the predictive validity of the Massachusetts MTEL General Curriculum Mathematics Subtest by finding an association between the licensure test results of 130 teachers and the growth of their 2640 grade 4 and 5 students. OLS regression analyses including student background variables, classroom variables, and teacher characteristic variables showed that teacher results on the MTEL math test were positively associated with student math Student Growth Percentile scores. The strength of the association found in this cross-sectional study was substantial relative to the research literature. The predictive power of the MTEL math test was strongest at the lower range of test scores, suggesting that policymakers should consider lowering the cut score.

Author

• Life LeGeros, Milton Public Schools