edTPA is a Rock in My Shoe: Alleviating the Pain of edTPA with the edPASR Strategy

Teacher performance assessments such as edTPA are increasing in use during teacher preparation programs as a means of evaluating teacher candidates’ instructional effectiveness and readiness for their own classrooms. This study was conducted in one of a growing number of states in the United States requiring successful completion of edTPA for initial teacher certification. Given edTPA’s recent implementation and high stakes nature, along with uncertainty about expectations for completion and success, careful scrutiny of the effects of the assessment on teacher candidates is warranted. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of elementary teacher candidates completing Elementary Education edTPA: Assessing Students’ Mathematics Learning (i.e., Math Task 4) during their student teaching semester. The study took place at a large, urban university in the southeastern United States in an Elementary Education teacher preparation program. Six teacher candidates were selected to participate in the study. Data were collected across the student teaching semester via a series of individual, phenomenological interviews during specific phases of the completion of Math Task 4 (during planning, implementation, and submission; and after receiving the score). The findings of this phenomenological study suggest teacher candidates found themselves in a state of elusiveness as they prepared for and completed Math Task 4. Whole-Part-Whole analysis was used to illuminate three themes as the structure for elusiveness: (a)struggling to stabilize Math Task 4, (b) trying to find their fit in a dismantled hierarchy, and (c) teaching on demand. Each of these themes yielded associated characteristics contributing to the teacher candidates’ experiences of elusiveness during Math Task 4. The findings provide insights into ways of supporting teacher candidates as they navigate edTPA completion. INDEX WORDS: Elementary Teacher Preparation, Teacher Performance Assessments, Math Task 4, High-Stakes Assessment, Phenomenology ELEMENTARY TEACHER CANDIDATES’ LIVED EXPERIENCES OF EDTPA MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENT TASK by TIFFANY JACOBS

Elementary teacher candidates’ lived experiences of edtpa mathematics assessment task

Pre-service teacher candidates have been assessed for their knowledge of teaching theory and specific content knowledge, such as Social Science, Elementary, Special Education, etc. by passing written exams. When successful, they are recommended for a teaching certificate allowing them to practice their craft as classroom instructors.

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Carolyn D. Corliss

Papers

Building for Success through edTPA Portfolios: A Top 10 List for Pre-Service Teacher Candidates