California Teaching Performance Assessment Background

Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Teacher Preparation Programs Coursework Fieldwork Supervised Teaching Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) (embedded in program) Other program requirements Preliminary Credential Induction Clear Credential

Teacher Preparation — SB 2042 Became law in 1998 Multiple Teacher Preparation Routes •Intern •Blended •5th Year Post Bac Standards-based credentialing system Aligned with state-adopted K-12 academic content standards Two-tiered credential structure •Teacher Prep •Induction Introduced TPEs as extension of CSTP Included TPA

SB 2042 TPA Requirements Performance Assessment (mandated by SB 1209) Aligned with CSTP and TPEs Embedded within teacher prep program Provides information for formative feedback and as a summative measure Passing the TPA is required for recommendation for a Preliminary Credential The TPA is one of many requirements a candidate must meet in order to recommended for a credential

Performance Assessment Is a form of testing that requires an individual to demonstrate the ability to perform specific tasks. Individuals develop their approaches to the task under specified conditions, knowing that their work will be evaluated according to defined standards.

Teaching Performance Assessment Is an assessment that requires candidates to demonstrate through their performance with K-12 students that they have mastered the knowledge, skills and abilities required of a beginning teacher, as exemplified in the Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs).

Teaching Performance Expectations A TPE is a statement describing an integrated set of knowledge, skills, and abilities that is significantly related to the job of a teacher, and that Preliminary Teaching Credential candidates in California should know and be able to do.

Teaching Performance Expectations

Relationship Review TPEs TPA Statements describing an integrated set of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are significantly related to the job of a teacher, and that CA beginning teachers should know and be able to do. TPA An assessment that requires candidates to demonstrate through their performance with K-12 students that they have mastered the knowledge, skills and abilities required of a beginning teacher, as exemplified in the TPEs.

The CalTPA Measures salient features of the Teaching Performance Expectations Provides formative feedback as well as summative measurement of teaching performance Embedded in teacher preparation experience

Who Takes the TPA? All candidates who start a Commission-approved multiple and single subject teacher preparation program as of July 1, 2008 must meet the teaching performance assessment requirement.

California Teaching Performance Assessment The Tasks: An Overview

CalTPA Task Characteristics Distinct tasks measure the TPEs in multiple ways Tasks develop in complexity Explicit task prompts Within a task, prompts are organized into steps to scaffold responses from a candidate that are connected and build upon each other Specifications for focus students

The Four CalTPA Tasks Subject-Specific Pedagogy Designing Instruction Assessing Learning Culminating Teaching Experience

Designing Instruction This task requires the candidate to make appropriate connections between what the teacher knows about the students in his/her class and instructional planning for those students–whole class and two focus students. This written task contains a five-step set of prompts that focuses the candidate on first identifying and then applying the connections between their students' characteristics and learning needs and the teacher’s instructional planning, with adaptations for the focus students (EL and student with a different learning challenge).

Designing Instruction Connecting Instructional Planning to Student Characteristics for Academic Learning The candidate response provides evidence that demonstrates the teacher candidate’s ability to select a developmentally appropriate lesson based on state-adopted academic content standards for students, learn about students, plan for instruction, make adaptations to the plan to meet student needs, and reflect on the instructional planning. Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs) measured A: Making Subject Matter Comprehensible to Students (TPE 1) C: Engaging and Supporting Students in Learning (TPE 4, 6, 7) D: Planning Instruction and Designing Learning Experiences for Students (TPE 8, 9) F: Developing as a Professional Educator (TPE 13) The candidate is given A five-step set of prompts to guide the collection of important information about two students and instructional planning that is shaped by the characteristics of the students. The candidate submits Information about a selected class, content area, subject matter, state-adopted academic content standards for students and a unit of study A description of methods that can be used to learn about student information about two focus students A plan for academic instruction, including standards to be addressed, goals, and strategies. Adaptations to the plan for the two focus students A reflection on connecting student characteristics to instructional planning

CalTPA Passing Score Teacher candidates must achieve a minimum score of 3 or 4 across each of the four tasks of the CalTPA.

TPA Remediation Tasks receiving a score level 1 or 2 must be remediated and resubmitted. The remediation process consists of meeting with designated instructors to develop a written remediation plan, making the appropriate revisions to the task, and resubmitting the task with the appropriate rescoring fee. It is recommended that this process take place as soon s possible after the initial submission.

CalTPA Assessor The role of an assessor for the CalTPA is to conduct a fair and equitable assessment of each teacher candidate’s performance. To eliminate bias, assessors use professional judgment in conjunction with a standardized scoring protocol on which they have been calibrated annually.