Sharon Castle is associate professor of elementary education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She has been heavily involved in research and development of Professional Development Schools and performance-based assessment of teacher candidates. She is a member of the NCATE Board of Examiners. Beverly D. Shaklee is a professor of curriculum & instruction and director of the Center for International Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She is well known for her work in performance assessment and gifted education, both in the United States and internationally.

Teacher education is a completely different world than it was a generation ago. Castle and Shaklee capture this transformation well, situate it with current examples, and raise important challenges for our consideration. Twenty-first century teachers must understand these critical issues in these critical times.

• Part 1 Part I: Overview of Performance AssessmentChapter 2 Performance Assessment in Perspective: History, Opportunities, and ChallengesChapter 3 A Performance Assessment SystemChapter 4 Developing Credible Performance AssessmentsPart 5 Part II: Performance Assessment of Preservice Teacher CandidatesChapter 6 Course-Based Performance AssessmentsChapter 7 Summative Performance AssessmentsPart 8 Part III: Performance of In-Service TeachersChapter 9 Course-Based Performance Assessments for Advanced-Degree WorkChapter 10 Summative Portfolio AssessmentPart 11 Part IV: DispositionsChapter 12 Assessing Candidate Dispositions: A Work in Progress