Online extras Video essay, part 1: Three new teachers discuss their classrooms, how their education prepared them and the effect of a school's location on student discipline. Click here » Video essay, part 2: They face special education with confidence, but three new teachers know there's a wide range of students with different needs. Click here » Video essay, part 3: How prepared are new instructors to meet teacher requirements and students' academic goals? Three new teachers tackle standards. Click here » Video essay, part 4: Perhaps the most challenging aspect of teaching isn't dealing with students; it's with their parents. Click here » Video essays, part 5: The three new teachers reflect on the past year and talk about their futures in education. Dani Broe » Stephanie Leija » Erin O'Grady » Why teaching? Three newcomers to the profession explain why they want to be in the classroom. Erin O'Grady » Stephanie Leija » Dani Broe » Photo essay: A look inside the classrooms. Click here » Reader forum: Does Colorado prepare its teachers well? Sound off on the state of education. Click here » Teacher standards: A look at what new teachers must know to earn licensure. Click here » Colorado Senate Bill 154: In 1999, Gov. Bill Owens signed into law a bill concerning performance-based teaching programs. Click here » 360° photography: Virtual reality photos show how classroom set-ups affect discipline. Click here » More stories Part 5: In their own words Main story: A learning experience Dani Broe: Student teaching was most valuable Stephanie Leija: A few words bring immeasurable joy Erin O'Grady: Personal, academic triumphs in first year Part 4: Parents and the community Main story: Working with parents Dani Broe: Parterning with parents Stephanie Leija: Immigrant students a unique challenge Erin O'Grady: Cultural gaps test teachers Part 3: Standards Main story: High-stakes standards Dani Broe: Work sample a large hurdle Stephanie Leija: New teacher's road not easy Erin O'Grady: No simple answers to teaching reading PLACE test: Testing teachers Statistics: How prepared are Colorado's teachers? Part 2: Special education Stephanie Leija: Special needs struggle Dani Broe: Hands-on training in special needs Erin O'Grady: 23 students, 23 'classes' Higher education: Special education requirements Statistics: A look at special education Part 1: Discipline Main story: Ready, set, teach! Erin O'Grady: Inner-city teacher struggles for control Stephanie Leija: Teacher puts respect first Dani Broe: Student teacher: managing kids learned on the job Higher education: Classroom management requirements Statistics: Colorado teachers grade readiness About this series This is the third part in a series examining teacher preparation in Colorado through the eyes of two young teachers and one college senior preparing for a teaching career. This report illustrates how well first-year teachers are equipped to meet teacher and student academic standards. The first installment details how prepared teachers are to deal with classroom discipline and management. First installment » The second installment examines the formidable challenge young teachers face from special education and first-time English learners. Second installment » The fourth installment deals with teachers' abilities to interact with parents and the community. Fourth installment » The fifth installment looks at the past year in the teachers' own words. Fifth installment »

Preparing teachers for the classroom

PLACE test pass rates 1999-2000

95% University of Colorado at Boulder

91% University of Northern Colorado

90% Metropolitan State College of Denver

91% Colorado State University

90% University of Denver

PLACE test results 1994-2001

Initial pass rate Cumulative pass rate

Elementary education 88% 96%

Math 71% 86%

Science 85% 94%

Social studies 72% 85%

English 80% 90%

Bilingual education 67% 78%

English as a Second Language 60% 72%

Examples of PLACE test questions in elementary education

1. A fourth grade teacher is discussing the ways in which organisms interact in an ecosystem. The most useful example of the concept of symbiosis would be the interaction between:

A.) An apple blossom and
a honeybee
B.) A box and a rabbit
C.) A human and a mosquito
D.) A robin and an oak tree

2. During a day, Jessie spent 20 minutes washing dishes, two hours 35 minutes mowing the lawn, and 1 3/4 hours fixing a faucet. How much total time did Jessie spend completing these tasks?

A.) 3 hours 5 minutes
B.) 3 hours 20 minutes
C.) 4 hours 40 minutes
D.) 4 hours 55 minutes

3. The events following Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955 best illustrate which of the following themes in American history?

A.) Change occurs only as a result of conflict between peoples
B.) Individual actions can be important in determining the course of history
C.) Events of historical importance require a great deal of time to unfold
D.) The most enduring changes come about when each side is willing to compromise

4. If a complex number z = 2-4i is represented in the plane as a vector, multiplying z by I will:

A.) Translate z2 units in the x-direction and 4 units in the y-direction
B.) Reflect z over the x-axis
C.) Reflect z over the y-axis
D.) Rotate z counterclockwise by 90 degrees

5. Which of the following statements best describes the nature of the postulates in a geometric system such as Euclidean geometry?

A.) They are derived from undefined terms through a process of deductive reasoning.
B.) They are statements that are assumed to be true without proof.
C.) They are the statements that are logically independent of the system's theorems.
D.) They are hypotheses that are logically equivalent to each other.

Sources: Colorado Department of Education; Colorado Commission on Higher Education