Communicating Effectiveness: A Critical Examination of the edTPA Process and Feedback

• In Event: 63.052 - Reclaiming Teacher Performance Assessment: Findings From the New York edTPA Alternative Scoring Consortium

Abstract

In 2010, changes to New York's teacher-certification process were included as part of the state's application to the federal Race to the Top grant program. At present, thirty-five states predominantly use edTPA as a training tool however, two states, New York and Washington, require that edTPA to be used for professional licensing. The edTPA implementation by New York State Education Department is not without issue. Given this, a research consortium was created, comprised of teacher educators from eleven higher education institutions for the purpose of conducting a participatory action research project to design and implement an alternative scoring tool and process.
Objectives or purposes of paper
This paper will relate aspects of communicating evaluation results to candidates, contrasting the effectiveness of the Pearson edTPA model with our consortium tool and process which employed the use of audio recorded comments. This data supports existing research on the importance of effective oral feedback, which ironically is expected of teachers working with K-12 students, but missing yet from the Pearson edTPA process of evaluating teacher candidates.
Also included, a critical look at the evaluation process conducted by Pearson scorers, opposed to teacher educators. The impact of Pearson scorer qualifications, arbitrary scores, one solo Pearson scorer instead of a team evaluation process with inter-rater reliability will be examined.
Additionally, data on how our consortium’s tool and process “communicated” aspects of teaching that are not included in the edTPA, such as dispositions and frameworks inclusive of social justice, will be presented. The paper aims to encourage multiple dialogues and critical narratives of diverse truths as related to edtPA.
Perspectives or theoretical framework
Using critical analysis drawing from the work of Freire and Bourdieu, an examination of edTPA processes and communication means will be analyzed. Moving beyond a positivistic approach, this research has a particular focus on Paulo Freire’s notion of praxis; engaging readers/participants in critical reflection and action.

Methods
Methods and techniques employed in this participatory action research project include narrative inquiry, analysis of activities through critical theoretical framework, design of collaborative space for consistent communication and interaction among research consortium participants, and collaborative design strategies for creating and implementing the use of the new scoring tool.
Data include teacher candidate portfolios as well as research consortium participants’ review of the literature, archived discussions and critical reflections.
Results
The results of this study do not only relate the deficiencies in the current edTPA communication processes and feedback but also relate how edTPA communicates effectiveness and the impact on candidates who narrowly model their student teaching experience to pass edTPA. Alternatives are presented, with examples of how our tool broadens the scope of teaching by our inclusion of elements related to dispositions/social justice.

Significance
Regarding scholarly significance, this paper not only conveys tenets of this year’s annual theme “Toward Justice: Culture, Language, and Heritage in Education Research and Praxis” but offers a contribution in multiple fields and scholarly interest areas including curriculum studies, teacher education, cultural studies, social justice, policy studies and democratic education.

Author

• Kate E. O'Hara, New York Institute of Technology