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It analyzes what problems the policy was meant to address—student performance, perceptions of teacher basic-skill competence, teaching’s professional status, and teacher-preparation quality—and assesses whether CBEST improved outcomes. Findings suggest no evidence of CBEST contributing to achievement gains, while it may reduce teaching-force diversity and operate as entrenched political 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\nKelemen,Matthew;Koski,William s.  \nPolitical Symbolism,Organizational Entrenchment and theShort History of the California Basic Educational SkillsTest.  \n1998-04-00  \n42p.;Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the AmericanEducational Research Association(San Diego,CA,April13-17,1998).  \nReports -Evaluative(142)--Speeches/Meeting Papers (150)MF01/PC02 Plus Postage.  \n*Educational Change;Educational History;ElementarySecondary Education;Higher Education;Licensing  \nExaminations(Professions);*Minimum Competency Testing;Organizational Objectives;*Political Influences;PreserviceTeachers;State Legislation;State Programs;Symbolism;*Teacher Certification;Teacher Education;TeacherQualifications;*Test Use;Testing ProgramsCalifornia;*California Basic Educational Skills Test  \nCalifornia,in response to pessimism about the efficacy ofpublic education,adopted the California Basic Educational Skills Test(CBEST),a three-part test of reading,writing,and mathematics required ofteacher applicants.This paper takes a critical look at the genesis,passage,implementation,and consequences of the CBEST legislation.In particular,itanalyzes the history of the CBEST to determine the problem or problems it wasdesigned to address,and whether it actually solves such problems.The CBESTwas intended to address four problems:(1)the poor performance ofCalifornia's students;(2)the perception that some teachers were notcompetent in the basic skills;(3)the relatively low status of the teachingprofession;and(4)the alleged poor quality of teacher preparation programs.The era of the CBEST opened officially in December 1982,when 4,952credential candidates sat for the exam.Since then about three-quarters ofcandidates pass on the first attempt,but passing rates for minority  \ncandidates are lower.While there has been real growth in student achievementin California,there is no evidence that the CBEST has contributed to thesegains.The CBEST tests basic skills,but whether these translate intoeffective teaching is another question that has not been studied.There aresuggestions that the CBEST helps enhance teacher professionalism,as itsacceptance by the California Teachers Association indicates.Whether theCBEST improves teacher training is also not clear,but it is evident that thetest serves to reduce the diversity of the teaching force.In large part,thestory of the CBEST is the story of political symbolism.How it became asymbol of the effort for educational improvement,and how that symbol becameentrenched in the educational organization in California is outlined.TheCBEST has become institutionalized by the state's universities and collegesas an aspect of teacher training and a structure bound to the operation ofteacher training institutions.Three appendixes present sample questions,thedescription of a borderline candidate,and selected CBEST results.(Contains55 references.)(SLD)  \nED 420714  \nTM028436  \n# Political Symbolism,Organizational Entrenchment and the Short Historyof the California Basic Educational Skills Test\n\nMatthew KelemenStanford UniversitySchool of Education,Room 303Stanford,California 94305-3096mkelemen@leland.stanford.edu  \nUS.DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION0C of Educationel Beserch and imProyemEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFOBMATION听CENTER(ERIC)This document has been reoroducedareceived trom the person or organizationoriginating it.  \n□ Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality.  \nWilliam S.KoskiStanford UniversitySchool of Education508 CERAS  \nPoints of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficialOERI position or policy.  \nStanford,California 94305-3084bkoski@leland.stanford.edu  \nTeachers occupy a special position of trust in our society.Theyare entrusted with the education of our children,the importance ofwhich one would be hard-pressed to exaggerate.A child'seducation is crucial not only to","cbCaio2PtQDiRqF4","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaio2PtQDiRqF4","pdf",558351,44,"English","# Abstract\n## CBEST purpose and target problems\n## Implementation and candidate outcomes\n## Effects on achievement, teacher professionalism, and teacher training\n## Institutional entrenchment and political symbolism\n## Appendixes","[{\"question\":\"What problems was the CBEST legislation intended to address?\",\"answer\":\"It was intended to address four issues: poor student performance, beliefs that some teachers lacked basic skills, the low status of the teaching profession, and concerns about teacher preparation quality.\"},{\"question\":\"Did CBEST demonstrate evidence of improving student achievement in California?\",\"answer\":\"The paper states there is no evidence that CBEST contributed to student achievement gains, even though overall student achievement grew.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper characterize the broader role of CBEST beyond basic-skills testing?\",\"answer\":\"It argues that the CBEST story is fundamentally one of political symbolism—how it became a symbol of educational improvement efforts and how that symbol became entrenched in California’s educational organizations.\"}]","Political Symbolism - Organizational Entrenchment and the Short History of the California Basic Educational Skills Test | PDF",111]