Praxis II and edTPA Effect Sizes of Teacher Preparation Program Design: A Path Analysis Study

• In Event: Accountability and Testing Policies in Teacher Education

Abstract

Teacher preparation programs have endured the insertion of high stakes assessments (e.g. Praxis II, edTPA) while professional organizations have made recommendations for programmatic standards, coursework minimums, and clinical field experiences. These recommendations are based on many years of standards work, yet long-term studies on high-stakes license exams are absent. We conducted a six-year, five-cohort path analysis of our secondary mathematics teacher education program design and theoretical model to understand the effect sizes of specific coursework, sequencing, and assignments to understand effect sizes on external exams. Our path analysis models explain 69% of Praxis II scores and 42% of edTPA total scores. Effect sizes were medium to large for capstone advanced mathematics courses and methods courses.

Authors

• Jeremy Zelkowski, The University of Alabama

• Tye Campbell, The University of Alabama