Journal Article

The control, content, and consequences of edTPA: World language teacher educators’ perceptions

Hildebrandt, Susan A., Swanson, Pete

2019

Overview

Implemented in almost 900 teacher education programs across 41 states and the District of Columbia, edTPA is marketed as a content‐specific, standardized portfolio assessment of beginning teacher performance. However, concerns about edTPA and its content specificity are pervasive. To that end, the researchers surveyed teacher educators with World Language (WL) edTPA experience (N = 88) to ascertain their perceptions of the assessment, including its impact on teacher candidates, teacher education programs, and clinical placements as well as the resources required, support experienced, and consequences perceived as a result of its implementation. Using a framework of teacher education accountability, the researchers explored issues of control, content, and consequences related to power relationships and the WL edTPA, centering on the assessment's intended content specificity, while recounting an ACTFL task force's efforts in 2016 to influence the assessment's content. The Challenge Accountability mandates from federal and state governments prompt teacher education programs to prepare teacher candidates for standardized assessments of teacher knowledge and skills, including teacher performance assessments like edTPA. With a critical language teacher shortage across the country, who controls the World Language edTPA, its content, and the resulting consequences?

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell,American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
• Subject: Accountability / Advisory Committees / Beginning Teachers / Candidates / Clinical assessment / Clinical placements / Education / Educational Change / Educational Policy / Educational programs / Evaluation / foreign/second language teacher preparation / Language Teachers / Music Education / Perceptions / Performance Based Assessment / Placement / Portfolio Assessment / Portfolios / Power / Power Structure / Preservice Teacher Education / preservice teacher preparation / Preservice Teachers / Professional Associations / Second Language Instruction / Second Language Learning / Standardized Tests / Student teachers / Teacher Attitudes / Teacher education / Teacher Education Programs / Teacher Educators / Teacher Effectiveness / Teachers / Test Content / university supervisor