Germaine L. Taggart, Ed.D., is the Chair of the Department of Teacher Education at Fort Hays
State University.
Dr. Taggart's specialty areas are curriculum and assessment, instructional
strategies, and mathematics and science instruction. She is currently pursuing research
interests in the area of assessment, best practices, and undergraduate and
chair research agendas.
The work sample
process provides evidence of the accountability for the impact of teachers on
student achievement and gives beginning teachers the opportunity to provide
credible evidence that they possess the knowledge and skills to facilitate
learning for all students. Fort
Hays State
University has structured
a continuum of practice for initial candidates in preparing, teaching, writing,
and assessing a work sample document. Beginning in the sophomore year and
extending through directed teaching, candidates are provided with a sequence of
techniques for developing and writing the work sample. Candidates and faculty
members have noticed an increase in candidates’ abilities to prepare and
validate their teaching. Dispositions on the part of candidates regarding the
teaching and assessing of candidate learning have become more positive.
