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Arkansas Teacher Licensure Cut Scores, Do They Indicate Highly Qualified Teachers?, Karen K. Morton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The highly qualified provision of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act promoted licensure exams on a national level. The present study is an effort to explore the most commonly used Praxis licensure exams and their passing scores. Hypothesized was that passing scores are set at such a minimal level that they are ineffectual in identifying highly qualified teachers. More specifically, Arkansas's low passing scores are examined by comparing the distribution of University of Arkansas Praxis scores to national trends. Based on low passing scores, the question was posed - At what point in teachers' careers are expectations lessened? Academic …