THE TEACHER PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT (EDTPA™)
June 18, 2013 – Mid-Hudson Regional Meeting
Dr. Mel L. Horton
edTPA Coordinator/NCATE Coordinator
The Sage Colleges – Esteves School of Education
EDTPA™ AND YOU?
 Content Areas?
 Supervisors?
 Method’s?
 Other?
THE ESTEVES SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
EXPERIENCE
 Fall 2012 & Spring 2013
 Suggestions and tips based on my experience
 Things that I learned
 What I will do differently this fall
OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION
 Find out immediate concerns
 Tips from the trenches
 Interactive session
 Focusing on one candidate’s edTPA
 Planning
 Instruction
 Assessment
IMMEDIATE CONCERNS?
 Faculty/Instructor/Supervisor Issues
 Candidate Issues
 Issues We Can’t Control
 Other?
TASK 1: CONTEXT
 Candidates provide information on the context in which they are teaching
 Level
 Special features
 Facilities
 Any specific mentor, school
or district requirements
There are minor variations
across disciplines about
the class
TASK 1: CONTEXT
Elementary
 Time devoted each day to language
& literacy instruction
 Ability grouping or tracking in
literacy – describe affect on class
 Identify any textbook or
instructional program(full citing)
Secondary History/Social Studies
 Name & length of course
 Class schedule (minutes/days per
wk)
 Ability grouping/tracking specific to
history/social studies
 Identify textbook (full citing)
 List other resources
 Other resources
 Student information & chart the
 Student information & chart the
same
same
CONTEXT PAGE
TASK I
Elementary – Literacy
 Submit a lesson plan for each
lesson in the learning segment
 Submit key instructional materials
(artifacts)
 Response to commentary prompts
prior to teaching
 Choose one language function –
identify a learning task where
students use the language function.
 Submit copies or directions for all
planned assessments for learning
segment
History/Social Studies
 One class
 Learning segment
 3 to 5 lessons or 3-5 hours of
connected instruction
 Central focus
 Learn & use fact, concepts, &
interpretations or analyses to build
arguments
 Submit lessons plans for each
lesson
 Submit key instructional materials
LESSON PLANS
Elementary
 State-adopted student academic
content and/or Common Core
 Must include the number and text of
the content standard
 Learning objectives for content
standards
 Formal & informal assessments
(includes types of assessment &
what is being assessed)
 Instructional strategies & learning
tasks
History/Social Studies
 State-adopted student academic
content and/or Common Core
 Must include the number and text of
the content standard
 Learning objectives for content
standards
 Formal & informal assessments
(includes types of assessment &
what is being assessed)
 Instructional strategies & learning
tasks
 What you & students will be doing
 What you & students will be doing
 Diverse student needs
 Diverse student needs
 Instructional resources
 Instructional resources
ADVICE ON LESSON PLAN
REQUIREMENTS
 On your lesson plan format/template , consider space for the key
requirements for lesson plans
 Content Standards and/or Common Core
 Learning objectives
 Academic language objectives
 Instructional Strategies & Learning Task
 Structured Practice & Application
 Closure
 Differentiation/Planned Support
 Assessments
 Resources
 Rubrics 1 & 2 are linked to lesson plans
LESSON PLANS
PROMPTS
 Consider including on lesson plan templates information requested in prompts that
candidates must respond to in commentary section
 Prompts vary slightly from subject area to subject area
 5 major prompts in commentary section under Planning with sub-questions listed
under each prompt
 Differentiation/Planned Supports
 (Whole class, group of students with similar needs, individual students, students with IEPs or 504
Plans, etc.)
 Academic Language
 No more than 9 single-spaced pages including prompts
TASK 1
 Along with lesson plans submit –
 All assessments
(pre/post assessments, checklist, rubrics, etc.)
 All artifacts or support materials used as part of instruction (peer assessments, exit
slips, task cards, homework, etc.)
 All learning tasks, assessments, and artifacts must be aligned with lesson
objectives
 Begin to think triangulation between Tasks, 1, 2, and 3
FIVE PLANNING PROMPTS
PROMPT 1 – CENTRAL FOCUS
History/Social Studies
Elementary
 Central focus & purpose of content  Central focus & purpose of content
 Standards & learning objectives address
 Essential literacy strategy
 Requisite skills
 Reading/writing connections
 How do plans build on each other to
make connections or compose text (p.
14)
 Standards & objectives
 Facts & concepts
 Interpretation & analysis skills
 Building & supporting arguments
 How plans build on each other to make
connections between facts, concepts
and interpretations or analyses to
support arguments, etc. (p. 10)
PROMPT 2 – KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS TO
INFORM TEACHING
Elementary/PE/History
 Describe what you know about your
students in your class
 Prior academic learning, experiences,
& prerequisite skills related to central
focus
 Personal/cultural/community assets
related to central focus
Special Education
 For each focus learner, identify 2




learning targets
Describe each focus learner’s
exceptionality
List goals/benchmarks in IEP for
each focus learner
List any special accommodations or
modifications in learning
environment, instruction, or
assessments based on IEP
Describe behavior management
plan
STRATEGIES FOR PROMPT 2A & B
 Strategies Related to Prompt 2
 Where is the information located?
 What can candidates cite to support their answers?
 How can they gather information and use it to answer the prompts?
 Must teach candidates to answer prompts
 If it has an “and,” all components must be addressed in prompt
 Prior learning and prerequisite skills are key
 Rubric 3 is used for Prompt 2
SUPPORTING CHILDREN/STUDENTS
PROMPT 3
Elementary – Literacy Learning
Use principles from research/devel. theory
Early Childhood – Use principles from
research/devel. theory
 Explain how your understanding of
 Explain how your understanding of
students’ prior learning &
community assets guided your
choice or adaptation of learning
tasks & materials
 Describe & justify why your
instructional strategies & planned
supports are appropriate for whole
class and students with similar
needs.
 Describe common developmental
approximations or common
misconceptions in literacy and how
you will address them.
children’s development, prior
learning, & community assets guide
your choice or adaptations of
learning tasks & materials
 Describe and justify why your
instructional strategies & planned
supports are appropriate for whole
class and students with similar
needs.
 Describe common developmental
approximations or
misunderstandings and how you
plan to address them.
SUPPORTING CHILDREN/STUDENTS
PROMPT 3
Elementary – Literacy Learning - Use principles from research/devel. theory
 Explain how your understanding of students’ prior learning & community assets guided your
choice or adaptation of learning tasks & materials

How would your information from Prompt 2 determine teaching strategies used in the unit of instruction? How does
your understanding of prior learning, experiences, and community/cultural assets guide your choice or adaptation of
learning tasks and materials/ equipment?
 Describe & justify why your instructional strategies & planned supports are appropriate for the
whole class and students with similar needs.

Good place for research and
theory to be applied
Must match what is found on lesson plans
Differentiation of instruction or accommodations from lesson plans
 Describe common developmental approximations or common misconceptions in literacy and
how you will address them.

This is specific to their central focus

Could be based on pre-assessment(s)

Knowledge of age group
PROMPT 4 – LANGUAGE DEMANDS
Elementary
 Supporting Literacy Development through
Language
 Identify one language function essential for
students to learn the literacy strategy within
the central focus.
 key words related to function – analyze,
argue, categorize, compare/contrast,
describe, explain, interpret, predict,
question, retell, summarize
 Identify key learning tasks that provide
students opportunities to practice using the
language.
 Additional language demands
 vocabulary or key phrases
 Plus one of the following: Syntax or
Discourse
 Language Supports
 Describe instructional supports (from
lesson plans) that help students
understand and use the language
function and the additional language
support.
History/Social Studies
 Language Demand
 Identify one language function essential for
students to learn content (analyze,
compare/contrast, construct, describe,
evaluate, examine, identify, interpret, justify,
locate, etc.)
 Identify key learning tasks (lesson
day/number) that provide students with
the opportunity to use the language
function.
 Additional Language Demand (written
or oral)
 Vocabulary or key phrases
 Syntax or discourse (at least one of the
two)
 Language Supports – Describe the
instructional supports (from lesson
plans) help students understand and
use the language function and
additional language demands.
LANGUAGE DEMANDS
 Both form and function must be included in lesson plans with learning
experiences tied to language demands
 Use the chart provided in handbook to define objectives with learning
experiences – if summarize is in the objective – learning task and
assessment should require students to summarize
 Rubric 4
PROMPT 5 – MONITORING STUDENT
LEARNING
Elementary
 Reference assessments in this
section
 Describe how your planned
formal and informal
assessments will provide direct
evidence that students can use
the literacy strategy and
requisite skills to comprehend
or compose text.
 Explain how the design or
adaptation of your planned
assessments allows students
with specific needs to
demonstrate their learning.
Secondary English – Language Arts
 Describe how your planned formal
and informal assessments will provide
direct evidence of how students’
abilities to comprehend, construct
meaning from, interpret, and/or
respond to complex text throughout
the learning segment.
• Explain how the design or
adaptation of your planned
assessments allows students
with specific needs to
demonstrate their learning.
ASSESSMENTS
 All assessments should be attached to lesson plans
 Informal, formal, formative, pre/post assessments
 Should generate data that can support conclusions reached in Task 3
 Provide documentation of students knowledge and use of academic
language specific to content area
 Include any assessment adaptations that need to be made based on the
chart completed under context
 Rubric 5 is specific to Prompt 5
TASK 1 – COMPLETED!
 Candidates have 9 pages including the prompts for Task 1
 This is the most essential part of the process
 Provides the groundwork for completion of Tasks 2 and 3
 Provides evidence for Task 2 and 3
 Takes the longest to complete, candidates need the most guidance on this task, and
these are the tasks that must be backward mapped into the program
TASK 2: INSTRUCTING & ENGAGING
STUDENTS IN LEARNING
History/Social Studies
 Challenging learning tasks which





candidates and learners are actively
engaged.
Two video clips (no more than 10
minutes) each
Clip 1 = illustrate what candidate did
to help students critically evaluate,
interpretations, defend arguments,
etc.
Clip 2 = how the candidate
supported as they form
interpretations or analyzes and used
evidence.
Can be whole class or targeted group
within class
Option – evidence for language use
can be provided by clip.
Elementary
 Evidence for these prompts are on
the video clips or in commentary
that is supported by video clips
 Candidate submits one or two clips
(total not to exceed 15 minutes)
 Video clip(s)cannot be edited once
begun
 Can feature whole class or targeted
group of students
 Optional – language use can be either
video clips or student work sample
TASK 2: PROMPTS
Identify lesson plan(s) by number used in video clips
Promoting a positive learning environment
1.
2.
3.
a.
Respect and rapport with students
b.
Responsiveness to children with varied needs
c.
Easiest to score Rubric 6
Prompt 3 – Engaging students in learning
 Refer to specific examples from the clips
 Explain how your instruction engaged students in literacy strategy and requisite skills
 Describe how your instruction linked prior academic learning & community assets.
 Rubrics 7 & 8

Prompt 4 – Deepening Learning
 How you elicited responses to promote thinking & applying literacy strategies using
requisite skills to comprehend or compose text
 How you supported students to apply the literacy strategy in a meaning-based context.
 Rubrics 7 & 8
CLIPS OF ELEMENTARY LITERACY
 Take out Rubrics 7, 8, & 9 for Elementary Literacy
 Watch the clip and score the clip based on the criteria on the rubrics
TASK 2: INSTRUCTING & ENGAGING
STUDENTS
 Prompt 5 – Analyzing Teaching
 How did your instruction support learning for whole class and students who need
greater support?
 What changes would you make to your instruction?
 Why do you think these changes would improve student learning?
 Rubrics 9 & 10
TASK 3
ASSESSMENT 3 – WHAT I NEED TO DO?
ELEMENTARY
 Assessment(s) submitted during planning task
 Used with entire class
 Must provide evidence for individual students
 Essential literacy strategy
 Requisite skills
 Define & Submit evaluation criteria
 Analyze work (quantitative & qualitative)
 Select 3 work samples that represent a pattern of learning
( at least
one with an IEP, ELL, etc.)
 Document feedback on three focus students (clips or work sample)
 Submit selected assessment with directions/prompts (attach with 2 page
limit)
 Evidence of students’ understanding of academic language (video clips
or here)
TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY
 1. Analyzing Student Learning
 a. Identify specific language/literacy standards/objectives (EC – varies across subject
area)
 b. Provide directions/prompts for assessment and evaluative criteria you are using to
analyze student learning
 c. Provide graphic or narrative summary of student learning based on evaluation
criteria and documented student data
 EC – Use summary above and 3 sources of evidence for the 2 focus students relative
to language and literacy development
 d. Analyze patterns of learning for whole class or differences for groups or individual
learners
 e. Use documented student data for 3 focus student work samples.
TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY
 2. Feedback to Guide Further Learning
 a. In what form did you submit your feedback for the focus students
 Rubrics with written feedback
 Text of verbal feedback given
 Samples of written feedback to parents
 Other forms
 b. Explain how feedback provided to focus students addresses their individual
strengths and needs relative to standards/objectives
 c. How will you support students to apply feedback to guide improvement?
TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY
 3. Evidence of Language Understanding: You may provide evidence
through video clip(s) or work samples
 Explain to the extent to which students were able to use language
(selected function, vocabulary, and additional identified demands) to
develop content understanding.
TASK 3: ASSESSMENT COMMENTARY
 4. Using Assessment to Inform Instruction
 a. Based on your analysis of student learning presented in prompts 1c-e, describe
next steps for instruction
 Whole class
 Focus students
 b. Explain how next steps follow your analysis of students’ learning. Support your
explanation with principles from research and/or theory.
 9 pages single space with prompts for assessment section.
ISSUES/CONCERNS: “IF I ONLY KNEW
THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW.”
 Where to infuse edTPA™ tasks in course work prior to student
teaching?
 Backward Mapping
 Complete parts and ALL of edTPA prior to student teaching semester
 Teach key tasks early on in the program and re-visit through out the program
 Familiarize candidates with edTPA™ and handbooks ASAP in program
 Student teaching semester is too late!
 Lesson planning was weak
 Consider adopting a common lesson plan format with edTPA components
embedded as needed.
 Faculty, Adjuncts, Supervisors, etc. need to know the contents of their
respective handbook
 Avoid “learning it” as the candidates are “experiencing it”
ISSUES/CONCERNS: “IF I ONLY KNEW
THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW.”
 During student teaching, will the edTPA™ assessment factor into
grading for the student teaching experience? Or is it Pass/Fail?
 What happens if a candidate does not pass all or part of edTPA, yet he
or she has completed the program?
VIDEO TAPING ISSUES
 Video taping was not an issue in terms of hardware
 Quality of sound was an issue (provide written narrative)
 Compressing files
 Tripod
 Parental Permission
 Candidate filming issues
 Quality of clips
 Quality of sound
 How to capture the evidence needed for Task 2
ISSUES/CONCERNS: “IF I ONLY
KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW.”
 edTPA™ coordinator
 Time commitment
 Train candidates
 Train faculty – methods, supervisors, etc.
 Provide training for academic language (candidates and faculty)
 Provide training on using rubrics
 Technology issues
 Collection site
 Where to house resources & handbooks?
 Faculty, Adjuncts, Supervisors and Candidates
OTHER LESSONS LEARNED
 Train supervisors before the candidates
 Train supervisors to score edTPA™ BEFORE candidates submit final
copy
 Caution them against 4’s & 5’s, and let the candidates know this as well.
 Allow time for quality assessing
 Takes time to assess one edTPA™
 Consider inter-rater reliability if using as a Unit Assessment
WORKING WITH P-12 SCHOOL PARTNERS
 Aware of the concerns regarding the video
 Candidates are responsible for collecting permissions and ensuring confidentiality
 Consider formal measures of consequence regarding inappropriate use (i.e., anything other
than edTPA portfolio)
 Legal Counsel might insist to see documentation assuring FERPA compliance
 “I do understand that violating any of the above conditions may result in disciplinary action up to
and including a recommendation to suspend my license.”
 Coaching teacher needs to help with filming – provide guidance for candidate on where to
place camera for best evidence.
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VISIT THE ONLINE COMMUNITY
 TPAC Online
 More information
 http://edtpa.aacte.org/
 Questions
 TPA-support@aacte.org
 Join TPAC Online
 http://tpaconline.ning.com/
 Requires invitation: TPA-support@aacte.org
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CONTACT INFORMATION
 518 244 4617
 hortom2@sage.edu