OTES and edTPA—How do they fit
together? What are schools looking
for in new teachers and how does
edTPA fit in? The importance of
teaching ALL learners
Russ Bennett
Superintendent
Aurora City Schools
What’s the End Game?
Facts:
• Teachers are the most influential person in the
classroom, therefore you must be an
outstanding teacher!
• So what do you need to do to become an
Accomplished teacher?
3 Big Ideas of a Professional Learning
Community
• 1. We accept learning as the fundamental purpose of our
school and therefore are willing to examine all practices in
light of their impact on learning.
• 2. We are committed to working together to achieve our
collective purpose. We cultivate a collaborative culture
through development of high performing teams.
• 3. We assess our effectiveness on the basis of results
rather than intentions. Individuals, teams and schools seek
relevant data and information and use that information to
promote continuous improvement.
OTES and edTPA-The Value?
• Cause you to be reflective on your practice.
It’s about learning!
• The OTES Framework ties student learning
with teaching standards for your final
evaluation. (Know the standards)
• Must be an expert in your field. (Elementary
focus on math and ELA)
• Data driving decisions (data tells a story and
you need to be reflective of it.)
OTES and edTPA- The Value?
• Personal commitment to the profession.
• Know Assessment and how to use it to diagnosis
learning (know formative vs. summative, different
types of diagnostic tests given…aimsweb, Maps, KRAL,
Fountas & Pinnell, etc.)
• Be open to coaching!
• Be relatable to students and open to parents
• Understand that to be “accomplished” is difficult.
• Know the rubric(s)
• Videotape yourself and be reflective
• Have high expectations of your students and yourself.
OTES and edTPA- The Value?
• Know your content! Common Core Standards
and the shifts associated with it.
• Always keep learning.
• No matter what the evaluation tool, it’s about
being a great teacher. Embrace the process!