FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, February 26, 2008
UA Students Help to Hone New Test for Prospective Foreign Language Teachers
Freddie Bowles
University of Arkansas students studying to be foreign language teachers participated in January in a pilot program to revise the Praxis II test, one of several requirements established by the Arkansas Department of Education to obtain a teaching license for the state of Arkansas.
Educational Testing Service, a nonprofit organization that develops and administers achievement and admissions tests, asked universities and foreign language associations all over the country to assist in revising the current Praxis II test used for foreign language licensure. Participating in the pilot was one of several collaborative efforts under way by the Curriculum and Instruction Department in the College of Education and Health Professions and the Foreign Language Department in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.
Freddie Bowles, Assistant Professor of Foreign Language Education, explained that, before teacher candidates receive a license to teach a foreign language in Arkansas, they are required to take the Praxis II standardized tests measuring their knowledge of the language content they plan to teach as well as their knowledge of pedagogy. The tests are in addition to the coursework and teaching internship required for a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree.
The current exam is divided into three parts: content knowledge, productive language skills, and pedagogy. Officials at Educational Testing Service are considering collapsing the content and language productive skills sections into one test.
In January, 11 UA students studying to become foreign language teachers took part in the Praxis II pilot test. Bowles, Amanda Tomlinson, and Amalie Holland, Assistant Director of the Center for World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, proctored the exam in the new center in the J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Center for Academic Excellence near Kimpel Hall.
The students were asked to evaluate each section of the proposed new test. The proctors also filled out an evaluation of the testing environment. Bowles said she wanted to take part in the pilot because it fit into her overall goals as a faculty member.
"One focus of my position is to creatively collaborate with the Foreign Language Department," said Bowles, who was appointed to the Curriculum and Instruction faculty last August. "Teacher education in foreign languages often depends on two departments: foreign languages for the content and a unit such as curriculum and instruction for pedagogy."
The two departments are working together to ensure that coursework is aligned with national standards for foreign language education as prescribed by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Dr. Joan Turner chairs the Foreign Language Department.
"Dr. Turner and I are pursuing a collaborative goal: to better prepare our students to become highly qualified foreign language teachers," Bowles said.