Learning through Action: Teacher Candidates and Performance Assessments

Abstract

Performance assessments such as the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) are used by state departments of education as one measure of competency to grant teaching certification. Although the edTPA is used as a summative assessment, research studies in other forms of performance assessments, such as the Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) and the National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards (NBCPT) have shown that they can be used as learning tools for both preservice and experienced teachers and as a form of feedback for teacher education programs. The present study investigated the ways in which the edTPA functioned as an opportunity to learn in one elementary teacher education program. Data were collected through seven teacher candidate case studies, two focus groups, and one cohort survey. The findings indicated that there are opportunities for candidates to develop their practice through the edTPA experience. There are variations in the extent to which candidates take up these opportunities to learn. Finally, the learning opportunities are likely affected by the personal characteristics of the candidates and by the nature of interactions and collaborations they have with others in the context of their participation in the edTPA process.