Aligning Policy to Performance: The edTPA policy and program improvement in Washington State’s Teacher Preparation Programs

Abstract

One stated purpose for the use of the edTPA is to guide teacher preparation program improvement (Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity, 2013). The Washington State Legislature included teacher preparation program reform on its agenda, and requested that the Professional Educator Standards Board identify ways in which the edTPA “will be included in state reported data on preparation program quality” (RCW 28A.410.270, 2013). While teacher preparation programs in Washington could state what actions were taken to reform their practices, it is difficult to identify which components of the policy have been effective (Peck, Singer-Gabella, Sloan, & Lin, 2014). This study seeks to identify the status of teacher preparation program reform in the colleges of education in Washington State that piloted the edTPA for four years. Specifically, this study seeks to identify the extent of change to integrate the core concepts measured by the edTPA (planning, instruction, and assessment) at the program and instructional levels, and the extent to which faculty and field personnel attribute the edTPA’s core concepts as aligned to their college’s mission.