The Teacher Performance Assessment ( edTPA ™)

1. 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

2. edTPA™ and You? • Content Areas? • Supervisors? • Method’s? • Other?

3. 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

4. Outline of the Presentation • Find out immediate concerns • Tips from the trenches • Interactive session • Focusing on one candidate’s edTPA • Planning • Instruction • Assessment

5. Immediate Concerns? • Faculty/Instructor/Supervisor Issues • Candidate Issues • Issues We Can’t Control • Other?

6. 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

7. Task 1: Context Elementary 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) Other resources Student information & chart the same 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) List other resources Student information & chart the same

8. Context Page

10. Task I Elementary – Literacy History/Social Studies 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 • 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

11. Lesson Plans Elementary 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 • Diverse student needs • Instructional resources • 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 • Diverse student needs • Instructional resources

12. Advice on Lesson PlanRequirements • 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

13. Lesson PlansPrompts • 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

14. 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

15. Five Planning PromptsPrompt 1 – Central Focus History/Social Studies Elementary • 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) • Central focus & purpose of content • 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)

16. Prompt 2 – Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching Special Education 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 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

17. 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

18. Supporting Children/StudentsPrompt 3 Elementary – Literacy Learning Use principles from research/devel. theory Early Childhood – Use principles from research/devel. theory Explain how your understanding of 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. 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.

19. Supporting Children/StudentsPrompt 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

20. Prompt 4 – Language Demands Elementary History/Social Studies 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. 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.

21. 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

22. Prompt 5 – Monitoring Student Learning Elementary Secondary English – Language Arts • 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. • 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.

23. 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

24. 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

25. Task 2: Instructing & Engaging Students in Learning History/Social Studies Elementary 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. • 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

26. Task 2: prompts • Identify lesson plan(s) by number used in video clips • Promoting a positive learning environment • Respect and rapport with students • Responsiveness to children with varied needs • 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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)

30. 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.

31. 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?

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. 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”

35. 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?

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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.

40. 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

41. Contact Information • 518 244 4617 • hortom2@sage.edu