The call for reform in education has taken several different directions. One such reform effort addresses the issue of student teaching performance. Performance of these future teachers could be enhanced by the increased use of actual observation of selected competencies during specific evaluation periods throughout the student teaching term. Several institutions around the country are developing programs which emphasize a total developmental and evaluative process which involves the use of observation systems;One such program, Project PRO*FILE at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, shows evidence of a total program aimed at continuous progress of the developing teacher. Specific features of this program include the improvement of student assessment through the demonstration of competency in specific skills in course goals, field-based experiences, and student self-perceptions;Based on the need for continued research into the use of observation as a tool in evaluation of student teachers and expressed statements regarding teaching competencies, the present study states that student teachers who view and analyze Teacher Assessment Module Tapes (TAMs) developed for use in the Project will receive higher ratings on an observation instrument by their cooperating and university supervising teachers than students who do not view the tapes;Subjects in the study included 80 elementary and secondary student teachers, 80 cooperating teachers, and 15 university supervising teachers. Half of the students viewed and analyzed TAMs of their choosing during the term. Students were then observed and evaluated on an observation instrument at specified intervals by self-evaluation, their cooperating teachers, and the university supervisors;Results indicated that students in the experimental group received higher overall ratings by all three rating groups. Significant differences in ratings between experimental and control groups were found by the time of the last observation period in the ratings by both groups of cooperating and supervising teachers;Although no significant differences were found to exist between male and female student teachers, significant differences were found in the higher ratings of elementary as compared with secondary student teachers.