edTPA

What is edTPA?

edTPA is the first and only nationally available, educator-designed, subject-specific performance assessment for beginning teachers. Developed by SCALE and AACTE, it is aligned with national Common Core State Standards (CCSS), Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards (MCCRS), InTASC Standards, and CAEP accreditation standards.

The intent of edTPA is to define and assess candidates’ ability to demonstrate proficiency with respect to the core of effective beginning teaching skills.

Maryland adopted in July 2019.

If you are considering leaving Maryland once you graduate, investigate the policies in place for your state by visiting http://edtpa.aacte.org/state-policy or go to the State Department of Education website for the state you may wish to work in.

Benefits to Candidates

edTPA provides an educative experience for candidates. Many have reported that completing the tasks led them to be more reflective and to more carefully consider their teaching practices. In that way, the process is a valuable addition to their preparation.

The benefits also extend beyond the preparation phase into the induction years. The edTPA experience and performance can guide the development of individualized professional development plans that target a candidate’s particular needs.

Finally, because edTPA aligns with commonly used teacher evaluation systems (like Danielson’s framework), candidates will find it easier to complete such assessments AND MORE REFLECTIVE after completing edTPA. They will also be poised to pursue National Board Certification, one of the profession’s highest honors, since edTPA is modeled on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the processes are quite similar. These final two items can also benefit school districts; new hires who have completed edTPA will be better prepared for teacher assessments and will contribute to an effective teaching force that places student learning at the center of their work.

Shifting the Focus of Teaching

The edTPA encourages student-centered thinking and instruction. The whole focus of teaching is moved from the traditional understanding of “delivering content” to the learner-centered focus of “impacting student learning. edTPA tasks require candidates to demonstrate and reflect on how their planning, teaching, and assessment practices draw upon and affect the learning of the students in their classroom.

The definition also calls attention to the fact that this assessment is composed of multiple measures. edTPA tasks require candidates to submit a variety of artifacts and evidence that, taken together, create a well-rounded representation of their teaching.

edTPA examines a candidate’s readiness to teach by focusing on components of successful teaching. These components include:

Using content knowledge, along with knowledge of standards and pedagogy, to design and deliver lessons
Building a deep knowledge of students’ strengths and needs, educational backgrounds, interests, and developmental levels, and using this information to shape instruction
Using best practices based on research and theory about student learning
Engaging in analysis and reflection of instructional choices with a focus on impacts to student learning.

The authentic evidence collected through the edTPA tasks provides a measure of candidates’ mastery of these teaching components, and thereby, of their readiness to teach.

edTPA assesses candidates’ planning, instruction, and assessment practices to ascertain whether they align with the criteria of effective teaching. The three integrated tasks of edTPA focus on the components of the effective teaching cycle represented in this graphic.

The planning task documents intended teaching and attends to how candidates use their knowledge of students and knowledge of content to design appropriate lessons. Candidates must consider and describe what their students bring to the classroom-- including prior academic learning; lived experiences; and personal, cultural, and community assets– and explain how they use that knowledge to plan effective lessons.

The instruction task documents enacted teaching and examines elements such as the learning environment, student engagement, and pedagogical choices.

The assessment task documents the impact of teaching on student learning by requiring an analysis of student learning and examination of feedback provided by the candidates for his/her students.

edTPA also assesses how candidates plan for, guide, and assess students’ development of academic language– a thread that runs throughout all three tasks.

Rubrics

The rubric levels are additive and correspond to an expanding repertoire of skills and strategies and a deepening level of reflection and analysis. They move from teacher focus to student focus, from whole-class teaching to teaching individuals and groups. They also reflect a progression in the level of justification and analysis of teaching, from fragmented and indiscriminate to intentional and carefully executed.

It should be noted that the teacher and whole class focus is not exclusive to Level 1, but extend up to even a level three.

So, the teacher/whole class focus is characteristic of the lower end to middle of the rubrics, and the student/flexible groups focus is characteristic of the mid to upper levels.

edTPA at Notre Dame of Maryland University

Completion of the edTPA portfolio and submission for national scoring is required for graduation. MSDE now requires a nationally scored portfolio for certification (phase in program over the next 5 years). This means that all aspects of the portfolio have to be scoreable and complete.

Access to Materials

Everyone will create a portfolio in Chalk and Wire and use Joule to complete online modules that walk you through the edTPA process.

These online modules will also have information on:

•Lesson planning

•Providing effective feedback

•Assessment practices

•Videotaping guidelines

Timeline

There is a detailed timeline posted in Brightspace. Candidates must begin online modules immediately and the entire portfolio submitted by specified due dates.

Narrated Intern Orientation_11_26_19.pptx

Template and Rubric

SOE Lesson Plan Template aligned to edTPA (version 1.6.2023) (.docx)

SOE Lesson Plan Rubric (.docx)

edTPA Module Quiz

After you have completed reading and reviewing the edTPA content, please complete the quiz using the link below.

https://forms.gle/ErtexbJEnE3QMAr97

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