What Does It Mean to Be Student-Centered? An Institutional Case Study of edTPA Implementation

• In Event: Implementing the edTPA—a National Performance-Based Assessment: Research on Concerns, Implications, and Impact

Abstract

Objectives
This case study is designed to investigate how one School of Education (SOE) responded to the New York State mandate to require the edTPA for initial teacher certification. Based on survey and focus group data, the authors draw conclusions about how “Implementation Bridge” (Hall & Hord, 2011) activities aligned with principles of community of practice (Wenger, 2008) affected the nature of faculty's concerns.
Perspectives and Theoretical Framework
The New York State Board of Regents Reform Agenda (2012-2015) includes a complete overhaul of teacher certification testing. Implicit in the new testing regime was that teacher education needed a “dislodging event” (Zemsky, 2013, p. 16) that would improve the quality of programs and candidates.
Hall and Hord (2011) use a bridge metaphor to illustrate what organizations must do to help individuals move from where they are to where they need to be. Attitudinal factors play a significant role in how faculty members are likely to respond to externally mandated change. Grounded in Fuller’s theory of teacher development (1969), the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (Hall & Loucks, 1978; Hall & Hord, 2011) presumes that an individual’s reaction to change can be charted on a trajectory and categorized according to a series of stages.
Methods and Data Sources
A mixed method design was used to tap shifts in participants’ concerns across three years (2012-2015). The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ, George, Hall, & Stiegelbauer, 2006) was administered at faculty retreats in January 2013 and 2014. Faculty participated in focus groups in May 2014 (after one semester of full implementation) and again in May 2015 (after three semesters of full implementation). SoCQ questionnaires were analyzed as recommended by George et al. (2006). The researchers calculated descriptive statistics and ran a MANOVA with the seven stages as outcome measures and year (2013, 2014) as the independent variable. The authors categorized focus group data using the open statement-coding scheme that parallels the SoCQ (Newlove & Hall, 1976). Responses were aggregated by year (2014, 2015).
Results
Findings indicate that “Implementation Bridge” actions allowed the SOE to capitalize on the power and potential of informal communities of practice by providing 1) face-to-face and virtual support structures; 2) places and occasions to share ideas; 3) financial compensation for redesign work; and 4) “room” for initiative. Engagement in collective responsibility and collaborative efforts increased over time. Mirroring the overarching goal of the edTPA, there was a shift from teacher-centered to candidate-centered concerns.
Significance
The Concern-Based Adoption Model has largely been applied in P-12 settings during the introductory phase of a new curriculum or technology initiative. This case study lends support to the notion that CBAM can help to explain and to facilitate teacher education reform.

Authors

• Harriet R. Fayne, Lehman College - CUNY

• Gaoyin Qian, Lehman College - CUNY