The edTPA, a nationally available performance assessment for teacher candidates, has recently been developed and implemented in teacher education programs across the United States. Advocates make arguments for the need for such an assessment while critics of standardized performance assessments point out the dangers of standardization. This article takes a step back from the arguments in support of or in opposition to the assessment and asks fundamentally what the underlying conception of teaching of the edTPA is. After examining conceptions of teaching articulated by scholars such as Nathanial Gage, Larry Cuban, Lee Shulman, Paulo Freire, and bell hooks, this article argues that the underlying conception of teaching of the edTPA is one of professional practice, not only at the individual level but also at the level of teaching as a collective enterprise. The conception of teaching argument is also connected to discussions of the validity arguments for the edTPA with specific attention to face validity, content validity, and construct validity.
This study examines how mathematics and science teachers’ classroom assessment
practices were affected by the National Board Certification process. Using a 3-year,
longitudinal, comparison group design, evidence of changes in teachers’ classroom
practice were measured on six dimensions of formative assessment. The National Board
candidates began the study with lower mean scores than the comparison group on all
six assessment dimensions; had higher mean scores on all dimensions by the second
year, with statistically significant gains on four of the dimensions; and continued
to demonstrate substantially higher scores in the third year. Pronounced changes were
in the variety of assessments used and the way assessment information was used to
support student learning. National Board candidates attributed changes in practice to
the National Board standards and assessment tasks. Comparison group teachers who
showed noticeable changes in practice described professional development experiences
similar to those supported by the National Board Certification process.
The Classroom Assessment Project to Improve Teaching and Learning (CAPITAL) set out to understand how teachers attempt to modify their classroom practices as they grapple with new ideas about using assessment in their own classrooms to improve learning. CAPITAL documented the classroom activities and discussions among groups of middle school science teachers over four years. Through the stories of two of the teachers in the project, this article describes some of the variations in how the teachers in the project integrated, adapted and incorporated assessment for learning into their everyday teaching practice. We see Louise draw upon her background as a scientist to use student work as data that drive her teaching decisions, and we see Anthony approach his assessment work within a curricular framework with the ultimate goal of influencing his colleagues in the school district. The variations between the two teachers are significant, emphasizing the highly contextualized and personal nature of change for teachers.
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