Educator preparation reform: an investigation of the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (EDTPA®) as a measure of readiness to teach

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship existed between early-career teachers’ performance on the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) as a measure for improving readiness to teach and their Level of Effectiveness (LOE) score once they begin teaching, and to investigate perceptions of early-career teachers regarding how well the edTPA prepared them to teach. The study addressed three Research Questions: Does a relationship exist between early-career teachers’ performance on the edTPA assessment and their LOE score; Is there a difference in the performance on edTPA outcomes of early-career teachers based on education level, area of certification, or grade point average (GPA); and Is there a difference in the perception of the value of edTPA in early-career teachers since completing the edTPA during their preparation program and entering the teaching workforce. This study employed a correlational non-experimental quantitative research design to explore the relationship between variables. A survey was conducted to gather the early-career teachers’ perceptions of the value of the edTPA during preparation and beginning to teach. The participants in the study consisted of 134 early-career teachers who completed their educator preparation program from the same university and were employed in the same school district. Data analysis indicated no significant association between first-year teachers’ edTPA and LOE scores and no significant interaction between education level and grade level certification on edTPA performance, nor in the interaction between grade level certification and GPA. However, GPA revealed a significant difference for 6-12 grade level certified candidates. The survey had a response rate of 52%. Survey results revealed that 94% of respondents perceived the edTPA as stressful and time consuming and not an accurate assessment of their teaching. However, 54% agreed their participation in the edTPA had better prepared them to be a more effective teacher. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research were identified based on data results and survey responses. There are many factors to consider when determining the value of the edTPA as an assessment of teacher candidates’ preparation and readiness to teach. Further investigation is warranted due to the limited scope of this study.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Lussier, Barbara

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rutledge, Valerie C.; Rausch, David W.
• Miller, Ted L.; Seivers, Lana C.
• College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

• Teachers, Training of
• Teachers--United States--Examinations

Licence

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/722

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1891