Teacher Certification in New York: Scramble Toward Readiness, Protest Changes, or Ignore It for Now?

• In Event: Context Matters: Unpacking National Teacher Assessments and the edTPA in Four States

Abstract

Objectives
This paper examines the changing nature of teacher certification in New York through the theoretical framework of political psychology. Teacher candidates applying for initial certification after May 1, 2014 are required to pass edTPA, as well as three other revised assessments. The paper considers the experiences of faculty at institutions of higher education (IHE), school administrators, supervisory teachers, and teacher candidates.

Perspectives/Theoretical Framework
Political psychology “examines relationships between individual internal processes such as thoughts, feelings, or motivations, and external actions such as political behavior, mechanisms, or norms” (Perry, 2011, p. 22). It attempts to bridge a theories-of-action framework, which explores the viability of policies based on contextual premises with an exploration of the behavioral assumptions of policy tools (e.g., Patton, 2008; Malen et al., 2002; Schneider and Ingram, 1990). Rather than focus on the accuracy of policy assumptions or the adherence of policy targets, political psychology explores the ways in which policy targets or implementers might subjectively interpret or implement a policy based upon perceptions and motivations which have been previously formed.

Data Sources & Methods
The theoretical paper is based on the work of an edTPA coordinator at an IHE, who interacts with fellow faculty, adminstrators and faculty members from other local IHEs, student candidates, local K-12 school officials, local K-12 teachers, New York State Education Department officials, and the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE). The paper explores the educational policy context of New York and theoretically considers how relevant actors might respond to edTPA based upon prior involvement in this environment.

Results
While professional development resources from NYSED, SCALE, and local consortiums can offer much needed support, IHEs must contend with individual prior faculty conceptualizations of how courses should be taught and assessed. Some faculty might tinker with course content; others will likely balk at the suggestion. Teacher candidate placement and supervision is concerning due to school legislation regarding of videotaping and privacy and New York’s educational accountability context. Local school districts might already be overwhelmed by the Annual Professional Performance Review and the transition the Common Core State Standards. Another obstacle to candidate placement is that vacancies in many districts receive 25 applications from already-certified teachers. School districts might not feel the pressure to supervise candidates, let alone learn about edTPA. In summary, relevant actors might scramble to fit edTPA with what is already known, protest the change and wait for the next reform, or ignore it due to being overwhelmed with other policies.

Significance
As Wildavsky (1979) noted almost 35 years ago, school communities are continually coping with the consequences of past policies. They are forced to work through layers of reform and negotiate the continued implementation of policies already adopted against their ability to respond in the present to new demands. In this already precarious mix of reforms added over time, introducing a new element such as edTPA without consideration of prior policies can be overwhelming.

Author

• S. Marshall Perry, Dowling College