21 Jul2014
By Valerie Fry
The National edTPA Implementation Conference organized by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) and AACTE will be held October 24–25 at the University of California, Los Angeles. This annual 2-day gathering is open to higher education administrators, faculty, supervisors, and state education agency personnel who are seeking to deepen their understanding of edTPA and network within a learning community of edTPA users.
10 Jun2014
By Valerie Fry
edTPA has been nationally available for nearly a year, and some 520 educator preparation programs in 34 states are already using it. Unfortunately, there are many misunderstandings and misperceptions about this assessment that threaten to compromise its utility. In response, the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) and AACTE have created a new Myths and Facts document to promote accurate and informed conversations on edTPA.
This clarifying document is publicly available and gives faculty, policy makers, PK-12 educators, and others a fuller understanding of edTPA and why support for performance assessment of beginning teachers continues to grow. The educators who have collaborated to develop, use, and share edTPA encourage thoughtful discussion about how edTPA is being implemented to support teacher candidates and preparation programs.
Visit edtpa.aacte.org to learn more about edTPA.
24 Mar2014
By Valerie Fry
AACTE and the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) are pleased to announce the availability of new video interviews about edTPA, a nationally available teacher performance assessment created to ensure new teachers are effective from Day 1.
The first set of video interviews comes from New York State. As of May 1, 2014, New York State will require teacher candidates to pass edTPA as a requirement for initial certification, and many institutions in that state have been piloting edTPA. For the videos, we set up a roundtable discussion with teacher candidates from some of these institutions to talk about their experiences using the assessment. The video series Candidate to Candidate: Reflections on Taking edTPA shows teacher candidates discussing the challenges of edTPA, sharing advice and major takeaways they learned from the program, and offering many other valuable insights on teaching and teacher preparation. Click here to see for yourself!
14 Nov2013
By Sarah Pinsky and Valerie Fry
AACTE President Sharon P. Robinson speaks at the briefing
On November 8, AACTE marked the national launch of edTPA with a briefing in front of a standing-room-only audience at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. A report released at the briefing presents results of 2 years of field testing and recommends a passing score for edTPA, the first preservice performance-based assessment available to every educator preparation program across the country.
The briefing’s panelists—including a classroom teacher who completed edTPA in her preparation program, a teacher educator, state policy leaders, and edTPA partners—celebrated the new measure of teaching readiness as evidence that the teacher preparation profession is taking control of its future. Panelists said using edTPA as part of a multi-measure assessment system encourages continuous improvement by both candidates and programs, and it strengthens partnerships between the PK-12 community and teacher preparation programs. They also agreed that implementing the assessment with integrity will take time and the engagement of all stakeholders.
08 Nov2013
By Valerie Fry and Omar Davis
The annual edTPA Implementation Conference convened November 1-2 at the University of San Diego (CA) with the theme “Evidence of Learning and Practice: Teacher Performance Assessment by the Profession, for the Profession.” More than 400 higher education administrators, faculty, supervisors, and state education agency representatives were able to deepen their understanding of edTPA, ask important questions, and discuss strategies and best practices with their colleagues from across the country.
With edTPA now nationally available and being used by teacher preparation programs in 32 states plus the District of Columbia, this conference allowed teacher preparation professionals to share their trials and triumphs with edTPA implementation and plan for the future of their programs, institutions, and the teacher preparation field as a whole. The conference was cosponsored by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) and AACTE and came just a week before a National Press Club briefing, to be held today in Washington, DC, to discuss the edTPA field test results and nationwide launch.
