CHAPTER 11: The Teacher work sample and 21st Century Learning

The reauthorization of Elementary and Secondary Education Act into what became known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002) has created a focused lens on the entire education landscape in the United States. Some aspects of the legislation involved student accountability as measured by high stakes tests with additional high quality teacher accountability measures defined by states. At times, this scrutiny positioned teachers as political footballs kicked in blame for all things bad educationally. Following this lead, Colleges of Education became the scapegoats (Ravitch, 2011) for all that is wrong with the teaching force. For teacher preparation programs, state reauthorization requirements resembled the strict, linear standards for content that schools were held to, but the measures of accountability within preservice programs stayed below the radar in many ways.