Teacher Performance
Assessment
Update
OCTEO Pre-Conference
October 13, 2010
Setting the Context
• Traditional
vs.
Alternative
• House Bill 1
• PIII
Transition
to Resident
Educator
Climate of Education Reform
Linda Darling-Hammond (2010)
“For teacher education, this is perhaps the best of times and the worst of times.”

It may be the best of times because so much hard work has been
done by many teacher educators over the past two decades to
develop more successful program models . . .

It may be the worst of times because there are so many forces in the
environment that conspire to undermine these efforts.
National Context for Teacher
Education
Non-regulated, alternative pathways to
teaching:

The American Board for Certification of
Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) . . . to
complete the program, the participant must hold
at least a bachelor's degree and then pass a
background check, and a professional teaching
exam . . .
National Context for Teacher Education
Successful transformation of universitybased teacher education:
Strengthening coursework around:

◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Student learning and development
Assessment
Subject matter pedagogy
Teaching English language learners and
special needs students
Connecting coursework to practice
National Context for Teacher Education

On April 30, 2010, the National
Research Council released findings
from a study of teacher preparation in
the United States commissioned by the
U.S. Department of Education.

One of the major goals of this study
was to determine if there were
differences among candidates who
pursue different routes to teaching.
National Context for Teacher Education

Researchers found so many differences among
and between programs, that
“. . . the distinctions among pathways and
programs are not clear-cut, and there is more
variation within categories such as ‘traditional’
and ‘alternative’ – and even within the category
of masters degree programs -- than there is
between categories” (National Academies Press, 2010, p. 174).
National Context for Teacher Education
At the heart of the reform
. . . connect theory to practice with welldesigned clinical experiences.
NCATE Blue Ribbon Panel
...clinical preparation must be well
integrated with content and pedagogy,
and woven together throughout the
program.
State: Career Ladder
Preservice
Undergraduate and
Graduate Pathways
to Teaching
Ongoing Support
Four-Year
Residency
Continued
Professional
Development
Continuum of Support and Assessment for Teachers
Career Ladder
Preservice
Preparation
Resident
Teacher
License
Professional
License
Senior
Professional
License
Teacher Performance Assessment Model
Lead
Professional
License
TPA Background

Three-year grant to create a National Teacher Performance
Assessment

Based upon the Performance Assessment for Teacher
Candidates (PACT) from California (http://www.pacttpa.org)

Co-PIs ~ Linda Darling-Hammond & Ray Pecheone
National Progress to Date

Commitments from 20 participating pilot states,
including SEAs and IHEs

Field-based state and IHE review of the PACT
assessment methodology, upon which this initiative is
based

Conducted an alignment study with INTASC teaching
standards, as well as state developed teaching standards

Developed initial policy context analyses for
participating states

Convened design team of leading measurement experts
and researchers to inform the development of the TPA.
The 20 Partner States
California
New Jersey
Colorado
New York
Illinois
North Carolina
Iowa
Ohio
Kentucky
South Carolina
Maryland
Tennessee
Massachusetts
Virginia
Michigan
Washington
Minnesota
West Virginia
Missouri
Wisconsin
Project Partners

AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education)

CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers)

Stanford University

Lead IHE in Each State (Wright State, for Ohio)

IHEs in Each State (University of Dayton, University of
Cincinnati & The Ohio State University)

SEAs (ODE & OBR)
A MULTIPLE MEASUREMENT ASSESSMENT
Embedded Signature Assessments
— examples —
Child
Case
Studies
Analyses of
Student
Learning
Curriculum
/Teaching
Analyses
The Capstone
Teaching Event
Teaching Event
Demonstrates :
‣Planning
‣Instruction
‣Assessing
‣Reflecting
‣Academic Language
Observation/Supervisory Evaluation & Feedback
RP
15
Design Principles

Discipline Specific

Student Centered: Examines teaching practice in
relationship to student learning

Analytic feedback and support

Maintains the complexity of teaching

Adaptable & Generalizable
16
A NA
THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT TIMELINE
 First
Year – Tryouts of tasks (2009-10)
 Second
 Third
Year – Pilot test of the prototypes (2010-11)
Year – Field test, with collection of data to
document validity, reliability, and fairness of
assessment (2011-12)
Local Context:
Spring Pilot Summary
55 candidates from 3 universities completed one of the suggested
tasks:

Planning Instruction and Assessment

Assessment on Student Learning
Content Areas: Literacy, Math, English, Science
Grade Levels – elementary, middle, and secondary
Local “Smoke Test”
Insights…

Candidates noted the suggested writing amounts were a bit lofty (5-8
pgs).

Insights gained from the candidates were positive and extensive from
the tasks.

Rubric improvements noted by some faculty.
Insights…

Suggestion – include Gifted as well as ELL as special learners to target with
assessment task.

MCE candidates used elementary tasks for grades 4-6 and secondary tasks
for 7-9.

Programs will need content methods faculty engaged in the preparation
process for this assessment (vs. Praxis III not content specific).
TPA Design Framework

Who are the students and what learning supports
do they need?

What are the students learning in the content area?

How is academic language supported?
TPA TASK # 1: Planning Instruction
and Assessment

Describe school and classroom context.

Describe students’ academic development, language abilities, social and
emotional development, and family and community assets.

Describe modifications planned for students with specific learning needs.

Identify what will be taught in the content area.

Describe plans to teach content in ways to support student learning.

Describe how student learning will be monitored while teaching.

Identify the language needed to process and express the content.
Evidence provided:

Context for Learning form

Context for Learning commentary

Lesson plans

Copies of handouts, assessments, and other materials
needed to understand the learning and assessment tasks

Planning commentary
Task #3: Assessing Student Learning

Describe the variation in student learning based on whole class and individual
student performance.

Describe how your feedback specifically addressed your students’ learning
needs.

Analyze what students learned based on an assessment that is aligned with the
content learning goals.
Assessment Task Evidence

Context for Learning form

Context for Learning commentary

3 student work samples from the assessment

Assessment commentary
National Plan:
2010-2011 Academic Year

Pilot complete full assessment process

Planning Instruction & Assessment

Instructing Students & Supporting their Learning (video clip)

Assessment on Student Learning
New Content to be added: Early Childhood, Special Education/EC Special
Education, and History/Social Sciences
State Pilot: Initiate Task 2 ~
Instruction
Engaging Students and Supporting Learning
* New task for 4 pilot IHEs this year
* Involves a 20 minute unedited video clip
* Audio priority for candidate reflection
State: 2010-2011 Plan

Engaging Other IHEs
 Piloting Planning or Assessing tasks (smoke test)
 November 10 state TPAC conference

Videotape Preparations (policy/implementation)

TPA website development (ORC)

Assessor Training (second semester)
Possible TPA Implications .
..

Ability to have a common expectations of preservice teacher performance
assessments

Ability to compare proficiencies among Ohio’s Teacher Preparation
Institutions through the use of metrics (House Bill 1)

Possible follow up TPA assessment during the second/third year of the
Teacher Residency Program
Pilot IHE Contact Faculty
Sandy Stroot (OSU) – stroot.1@osu.edu
Katie Kinnucan-Welsch (UD) - katie.kinnucan-welsch@notes.udayton.edu
Chet Laine (UC) - Chet.Laine@uc.edu
Donna Hanby (WSU) - donna.hanby@wright.edu