It is still too early to tell whether performance
assessments can predict teacher effectiveness, but
preliminary results are encouraging.
Scholars suggest that performance assessments are more directly correlated
with classroom practice than typical multiple-choice tests.27 One performance
assessment receiving significant attention is the edTPA. First developed at Stanford University and validated in 2013, edTPA has not been in use for very long;
thus, few empirical studies have confirmed the test’s ability to identify effectiveness.28 Research on the Performance Assessment for California Teachers
(PACT)—the state’s performance assessment upon which edTPA was based—
has shown that it is an effective predictor of teaching effectiveness in
preliminary work.29
A 2013 study, for example, revealed some predictive qualities of PACT, with
those teachers who scored highest on PACT achieving greater gains on math
and English language arts state tests than teachers with lower PACT scores.30
A 2016 study analyzed the ability of edTPA to predict later teaching
effectiveness and found some positive results. However, the authors also
stressed that work analyzing edTPA is still in very early stages and needs
to be developed more thoroughly to drive policy.31 Additionally, a recent
analysis of edTPA test-takers revealed a disproportionate representation of
white candidates taking the test. For example, in 2014, the large majority of
candidates submitting edTPA portfolios were white (79.9 percent), followed
by Hispanic (5.3 percent), Asian (4.1 percent) and African American (2.8
percent), making it difficult to establish differences in test performance across
demographics.32 The overrepresentation of white candidates taking the edTPA
makes it difficult to predict whether the assessment will disproportionately
impact candidates of color.
7
In 2014, the Louisiana Department of Education
launched the Believe and Prepare program, which awarded grants to school districts and preparation program
providers that were developing and offering next-generation teacher preparation programs. Several of these pilots
implemented year-long teaching residencies, while others
reshaped the role of the mentor teacher.