250 Division Street NE
Salem OR 97301 / March 5-7, 2014
Program Approval
ITEM: / ADOPTION OF EdTPAPERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR NEW CANDIDATES
ACTION: / ACTION ITEM
RESOLVED that, the Commission has been discussing the implementation of a statewide performance assessment since July, 2011 and has discussed the topic of a statewide teacher performance assessment over the course of nine Commission meetings;
RESOLVED FURTHER that, the Commission encouraged Oregon institutions to participate in the early pilot and field tests for the edTPA starting in 2011. Along with the encouragement, resources and trainers from Stanford university were provided to assist units in participating in the pilot and field tests;
RESOLVED FURTHER that, the feasibility of developing a reliable and valid performance assessment for the Oregon Teacher Work Sample would take significant resources and several years;
RESOLVED FURTHER that, the Commission believes the new performance assessment will confirm that Oregon programs are strong and provide evidence that new Oregon teachers are among the best prepared teachers in the nation;
RESOLVED FURTHER that, the Commission adopts the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) ed/TPA, as the required performance assessment for all initial teacher preparation programs as a program completion requirement; \
RESOLVED FURTHER that, the Commission will obtain and evaluate the performance of candidates in order to assess whether the tool limits candidate populations (evaluated by subgroup), content areas or teaching skill sets.
RESOLVD FURTHER that, the Commission adopts a four yeartimeline with the freedom to review the results throughout the implementation:
2014-2015 –
- All programs are provided training to implement the edTPA;
- Communication will begin in the field with school districts, teachers and parents regarding the implementation of the edTPa;its are encouraged to have candidates take the edTPA to assess their progress in adding the assessment to completion requirements.
- Training will continue with institutions and candidates;
- Communication will continue with districts, teachers, and parents regarding the edTPA;
- “30%” of candidates must take the edTPA for program completion in spring 2016;
- Results of edTPA will be evaluated regarding each institution’s progress toward implementation;
- The passage of the edTPA is required for all new candidates for program completion. (Non-consequential.)
- The passage of edTPA is required for all new candidates for program completion (consequential)
INFORMATION: / In July 2011, the Commission heard information about Oregon participating as a pilot and field test state for the edTPA. Since that meeting, several conversations have been held with the Commission regarding the feasibility of creating a reliable and valid statewide assessment method to continue the use of the Oregon Teacher Work Sample.
In August 2013, the Secretary of State’s office published an audit of Oregon teacher preparation. The title of the audit is: “Education: Additional Resources Need to Improve Teacher Preparation and Professional Development.” The audit findings indicate that there is a lack of support in the K-12 field for teacher preparation and the state does not have any definitive evidence to “prove” that new teacher candidates meet rigorous standards for preparation.
The report states:
Stronger licensing requirements could provide greater assurances
of teacher preparedness
Oregon's teacher licensure requirements do not include an independent
performance assessment to ensure that teacher candidates are adequately
prepared. The Teaching Standards and Practices Commission
(Commission), which is responsible for licensing Oregon's teachers, relies
on recommendations from the teaching colleges to determine whether
candidates are ready to teach. In contrast, Washington, Wisconsin, and New
York are working to obtain independent performance assessments of
candidate quality by requiring candidates to pass the Teacher Preparation
Assessment tool developed by Stanford University and administered by a
private contractor. We recommend the Commission consider requiring
independent performance assessments of teacher candidates’ performance
prior to licensure to determine whether candidates are adequately
prepared. See page 20 for audit results. [page ii of Audit Executive Summary]
In November 2013, Commission staff learned that the resources needed to create a valid and reliable Oregon Teacher Work Sample summative assessment for statewide use was not moving forward given the resources available and in light of the field test report for the edTPA.
The edTPA field test report provided strong evidence that the edTPA performance assessment is reliable and valid.
edTPA:
Stanford University is the author and exclusive owner of edTPA. SCALE is responsible for the ongoing development of the assessmentas well as the implementation support resources for participating states and institutions of higher education. Stanford University is also responsible for the design and development of the online scoring training, including selecting and coding subject-specific benchmarks and other training materials. Stanford University is the exclusive author and owner of edTPA.
Demand for the edTPA grew so rapidly that support was needed to deliver it to campuses and states that have asked for it. Through a procurement procedure, Stanford chose Evaluation Systems Group of Pearson because Evaluation Systems has the capacity, experience, and infrastructure to offer edTPA at scale quickly. Using the Evaluations Systems testing platform and assessment support ensures that students do not have to wait to see the benefits in the classroom. As an operational partner, Evaluation Systems will deliver the assessment materials, online technology, program resources, and other support to teacher candidates that's required for multi-state use of the edTPA assessment tool.
The rigor of the edTPA - or that of any assessment - cannot be determined by pass rates alone. For example, a high pass rate might be the result of effective screening and rigorous preparation - while a low pass rate may reflect a lack of candidate preparedness rather than the difficulty of an assessment.
Like other professional licensing examinations in fields such as medicine and nursing, edTPA's goal is two-fold: 1) ensure that candidates who pass have met the standards of knowledge and skill required of effective practitioners, and 2) encourage preparation programs to emphasize these elements in their training.
The results of the field test indicate that edTPA is a rigorous assessment that is aligned to state and national teaching standards (InTASC). It is the final step at the end of a long process of rigorous preparation and evaluation, in which most candidates have already passed a basic skills test and a subject-matter test and will have been evaluated by their professors and classroom teacher mentors in real school settings.
Following additional analysis of the field test, a recommended passing standard that uses a professionally acceptable and credible standard-setting approach will be provided as a guide for states. As is the case with current licensing exams, each state adopting edTPA can elect to set its own passing score to determine who is permitted to practice in that state. This state-level process will determine the ultimate percentages of teacher candidates who pass the assessment.
Commission Meetings Discussed / Agenda ItemJuly 2011 / 6.3
November 2011 / 4.7
February 2012 / 3.7
July 2012 / 3.4
November 2012 / 4.9
February 2013 / 4.7
April 2013 / 4.12
July 2013 / 2.1
November 2013 / 2.3
November 2013 / 3.9
Source for most information:
2.1a Oregon Standards BoardedTPA Presentation from Pearson July 2013
Policy Issues for future meetings:
1. Resolve the number of work samples and placements required for program completion;
2. Discuss total number of candidate assessments.
Number of tests
Costs of the test
4.1a edTPA Proposed Implementation Plan
1
4.1
Data Classification: Level 1 – Published
DO: Menk
(Updated)