Numeracy and Teacher Training

The Department for Education and Employment’s Green Paper ‘Teachers meeting the challenge of change’ proposed the introduction of new national tests for all trainee teachers to guarantee high level skills in numeracy literacy and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) set in a professional context. The tests were announced by the DfEE in June 1999 and the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) was given the task to develop the tests. In June 2000 22 900 final year trainees sat the first national numeracy tests in paper format. The computerised skills tests in numeracy and literacy were introduced in February 2001 for all trainee teachers who expected to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from 1 May 2001.