Big Data | News

New Analysis Tool Attempts to Predict Teacher Success in Urban Areas

• By Stephen Noonoo
• 05/05/14

Aspex Solutions has released a new assessment tool for evaluating the potential success of teacher applicants in urban settings.

TeacherFit Urban is an online assessment that uses predictive analytics to provide administrators with real-time data that shows each applicant’s proficiency in areas like planning and organization, initiative, and focus on students. In addition to the predictive data, the tool also provides an individualized interview questionnaire with sample responses designed to be used during interviews to "probe areas of weakness identified during the assessment," according to information released by the company.

The tool is part of AppliTrack Selection, which also includes assessments for certified teachers, special education teachers, classified staff, and administrators. According to the company, the assessments meets the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission’s 80% Rule, a somewhat outdated measure for determining if hiring practices are fair to protected classes.

"In building TeacherFit Urban, we were able  to capitalize on an exceptionally solid opportunity for high-quality research," said John Arnold, the company's research director, in a statement. "We started with an extensive literature review and input from over a thousand urban teachers and administrators. We then verified the effectiveness (psychometric soundness and validity) of the test in a statistical study that included over 1,200 committed urban school teachers and their principals."