Abstract
Use of appropriate measurement methods and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Principles to assess teacher dispositions provides a safety net against legal and political challenges while also providing useful information for outcomes assessment. NCATE (2002) requires the measurement of dispositions as part of its accreditation requirements for teacher education programs. The first standard, entitled, "Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions," requires that: "Candidates preparing to work in schools as teachers or other professional school personnel know and demonstrate the content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards." Guidance is provided to the community by the common set of national standards developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and promulgated by the INTASC in the form of ten principles. Each of the principles includes indicators written at the knowledge, skill, and dispositional levels, forming constructs that colleges are required to measure.