Alexandra Miletta is a teacher educator at Mercy College in New York City. She sent me this essay written by one of her student teachers about her experiences with the Pearson-owned EdPTA.
For reasons unknown to most people, many states have adopted the Pearson EdTPA and made it a requirement for entry into the teaching profession. Some teacher educators like it, some hate it.
Those who hate it realize that Pearson has taken control of the decision about whether future teachers are truly prepared and has reduced teacher education to a Pearson-created rubric. In essence, teacher certification has been outsourced to Pearson. ETS wants in on the action, and it is now pilot-testing its competitor test called NOTE, with avatar students.
Miletta hopes that the essay by Melina Melanovic goes viral.
The point of the essay is that Pearson now owns the teacher education process, and its exam creates enormous anxiety.
The essay begins like this:
EDTPA! Where should I begin? How about the handbook? The handbook is a great place to begin because the handbook is where the anxiety starts. A teacher candidate might have heard about the edTPA in passing, I know I have. However, the reality of what is being asked of a teacher candidate only becomes real once the handbook is read, and though you feel like student teaching is the completion of this long journey, it is only the beginning. The first time I read the handbook I remember feeling overwhelmed. I thought how would I be able to complete this much work in a seven-week placement? Will my cooperating teachers understand? How will I get to know these kids in a short amount of time in order to plan, teach, and assess during this learning segment? To be honest, if you are dedicated enough it is possible. It is possible to finish the edTPA in about two months. I would say on average I spent three hours a day on edTPA for 60 days. That is only the amount of time I spent working on the edTPA, but not the amount of time I spent thinking about the edTPA. I even had people around me such as co-workers, and family members that are not teachers, being informed about edTPA because of my constant talking about it. They kept asking, “Why do you want to be a teacher again?” It is important to not let edTPA take that away from you, the reason why you are becoming a teacher! Always keep the end goal in mind.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Cross posted at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Pearson-s-Requirement-for-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Diane-Ravitch_Education_Fraud-170428-343.html
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Diane,
From The Guardian a couple months ago:
“Pearson has reported a pre-tax loss of £2.6bn for 2016, the biggest in its history, after a slump at its US education operation.
The world’s largest education publisher, which in January saw almost £2bn wiped from its stock market value after issuing its fifth profit warning in two years, reported the record loss after taking a £2.55bn non-cash charge for “impairment of goodwill reflecting trading pressures” in its North American businesses.”
Interesting, no? I like the carefully calculated corporospeak reason.
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Yossarian,
Two things happened simultaneously at Pearso.
Biggest pre-tax loss ever;
Bonus for its CEO
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Those last two lines are pretty funny. . . .
. . . if one likes sick jokes.
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It was all funny money. Accounting basically. Not a real hit to income or cash on hand. It works like this. Your house is worth $1,000,000.00. You have $200,000.00 in cash. You have an annual income of $100,000.00.
Home prices fall. You house is now worth only $800,000.00. You still have $200,000.00 in cash and still have your $100,000.00 annual income. But your balance sheet is now $200,000.00 poorer. You didn’t lose real cash, or income, only equity, if it ever even existed.
Pearson had assets they had bought in years past, and those assets lost value. So Pearson was forced to adjust their balance sheets to reflect current market valuations. Pearson is actually in pretty good shapely financially. They do fail to make Wall Street happy, but that’s an entirely different conversation. Their profits are nice, but not nice enough for Wall Street.
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I never thought I’d be defending Pearson but isn’t to blame for the edTPA. Stanford U created it through their organization called SCALE. Pearson manages the submission and grading processes, true, but SCALE controls the edTPA handbook, rubrics and requirements.
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I’ve often wondered this myself, as I never knew the true details of Pearson and edTPAs arrangement. I’ve also ask why the individual states do not do their own testing. I believe the answer was akin to Pearson’s lobbyist buy off all the state officials.
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Anyone know where I can get the EdTP*A handbook. I would really like a copy.
*TP as in toilet paper.
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Are you serious?
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Yes, I’m serious. Do you have one?
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Click to access edtpaelehandbook.pdf
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Muchas gracias, Alexandra. Are there different ones for middle and high school prospective teachers?
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https://education.ucsc.edu/academics/mac-info/Math%20handbook.pdf You can try searching for the others, and there have been minor modifications this past year.
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Thanks a bunch, again, Alexandra! 🙂
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Welcome to teacher to evaluations in the state of Delaware.
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So I already know that this will not received positively based on the comments here, but I want to offer a different perspective based on my experiences and research around edtpa.
As for the question of “why the individual states do not do their own testing” – interestingly that is where edTPA essentially came from – a coalition of universities came together to create an assessment that was different from the one described by the state (CA). Some states offer opportunities to create their own assessment, but I wonder how much different those assessment would really be from the format or structure of edTPA (which, is in the similar format of the assessment for National Board certification). I also wonder about the hours (and resources) that would be needed to create an exam that has reliability and validity (statistically – I know that some folks will still spout about Wilson, etc) but statistics do have some value.
As for the essay from the student – I wonder if the candidate were to be asked on year from now, or two years from now, if she would see any similarities to the work she did in edTPA and the work she is doing in the classroom. I ask that question as it is the basis of my dissertation research – asking candidates in the field if/how edTPA impacted their work (these are candidates that are 2-6 years in the classroom as there is plenty of research that notes that teachers in year 1 are overwhelmed with so many other things that they cannot consider making connections to things they learned in their teacher prep program)
Many note that the ideas and the pedagogy within edTPA were seen in their coursework and then summarized for the final assessment. No, they do not write lengthy commentary for every lesson, but many have noted that the thought process that happened within edTPA does happen on a regular basis. Some have even noted that they wish they could do more student centered lessons within edTPa as opposed to more test-prep that their school has them do.
No assessment is perfect. They all have flaws. Currently many students must take two multiple choice exams (praxis content and praxis pedagogy) to get certified for their teaching license. At least this assessment looks at actual student teaching and the practices that a teacher does on a regular basis.
I also say that implementation makes a huge impact. Nearly all folks associated with eDTPA view the way that NY implemented the assessment as one that was too rushed and had many flaws. The state has a work group examining the implementation and from what I have read considering different steps such as if a candidate falls just below a passing score he or she can still be certified with other evidence. I think that one must look at all factors involved whenever someone writes a piece like this as opposed to taking one person’s opinion and thinking that it represents everyone’s experience, as that has not been my case.
Finally, since someone has posted a copy of a handbook here, I wonder what those who are looking at it think in terms of pedagogical practices that are asked of in the edTPA planning, instruction and assessment – the focus on who your students are, inlcuding personal/cultural assets, engaging and asking deeper questions in instruction, examining student work and then reflecting on what changes should be made in instruction based on the findings. Is there anyone that wouldn’t agree that these are all good practices?
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Why should there be another “layer of hoops to jump through”? The ed student already has to satisfy his/her cooperating teacher and the university instructor. What, their evaluation isn’t good enough?
Yes, jlsteach, I have serious concerns with your undying support of the EdTPA.
By the way, have you read Wilson’s work? (I don’t remember what you have answered if and when I asked before). If so please give us your rebuttal/refutation to his concerns on validity and reliability.
Also, if you have them I would love to read the validity and reliability studies of the EdTPA. Do you have the test manual that contains all that information? If so, can you please post them if available in that format. If not, how may I go about getting one of the test manuals?
TIA,
Duane
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How do we know that assessment isn’t biased – the the supervisor didn’t just pass them along. Oh, and why do we have the bar exam and medical boards – if we are expecting such things for doctors and lawyers, why not teachers?
As for the material on edTPA, you may find it at http://edtpa.aacte.org – I believe SCALE publishes a yearly overview that shares some of the reliability and validity study.
As for wilson’s work = I have read some of it – and my question to him (and to you) is if no assessment is truly valid or reliable, then how do we assess? I mean you were a teacher and you assessed your students using material that I am sure that Wilson would claim wasn’t reliable and valid – and yet you still did it, right?
Do I think edTPA is perfect – as I said earlier – no. Do I think it’s a step in the right direction, yes.
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First question: All assessment is biased, even the EdTPA and no it’s not less biased than actual human assessing day in and day out like a supervising teacher does.
Second: Because the process for becoming a teacher is quite different than becoming a doc or lawyer. Even then the boards are no guarantee whatsoever of a quality doc or lawyer, just a guarantee of someone who can pass a test. Real job situations are completely different than taking a test.
Thanks for the link, will look into it.
Third question: Continue reading Wilson to find the answer to your question.
4th question: Wilson does not claim that all tests and assessments are unreliable/invalid. He proposes four frames of reference in how we approach assessment of student work. In his “Responsive” frame wherein the assessing process is an intimate part of the learning experience. Think of apprenticeships and residencies where the part of the object of the teacher is to help the learner increase their own awareness and capabilities to self evaluate-again continue to read Wilson’s work to more fully understand.
You and I have different takes on “standardized”education-including assessment. So be it, difference is what makes the world go round,eh!
But, please, as I suggest, please read all of Wilson’s seminal work to better understand the fundamental nature of educational assessment and the inherent problems/errors associated with standards and standardized testing.
For a shorter expose on validity please read his “A Little Less than Valid: An Essay Review” (only about 17 pages or so) at: edrev.asu.edu/index.php/ER/article/download/1372/43
You may need to cut and paste it.
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As to your second part – just wondering – would you be more comfortable with a board certified doc or one that wasn’t board certified? Also, a difference beteeen you and I is that I don’t see EdTPA as a “test” – rather it’s a performance assessment. I actually wish doctors could earn their boards not on a multiple choice test but rather based on their clinical work
Oh btw i realize you never answers my final point in my response. Folks sent out links to a handbook and I’m guessing you looked at it. What pedagogy do you disagree with in the rubrics?
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I had thought I answered your last question in #4 response, but I see that I didn’t say anything about what I did as a teacher,so. . .
At the beginning of the year I discussed with the students the invalidities involved with the grading of students. I let them know that if they did all that I asked them to do that they were guaranteed an A or B as I had never seen anyone get any less when they did all the work the way I suggested. And actually I don’t remember anyone getting less than an A. Remember, that we had already discussed the invalidities involved and that to keep my job I had to assign a grade. About 80% of the grade were assignment completion points. You did the work you got the credit. Now we went over every assignment outloud and on the board as needed for the students to review and correct their understanding and knowledge of Spanish.
The test grades counted around 20% of the grade and students reviewed their own papers after I graded them and made the corrections in a different colored pen/pencil. They got half of the missing points for correcting their own papers with the correct answers, hopefully learning where they made the mistakes and correcting their own thinking in learning Spanish. I also offered various chances for extra credit as when we would play various games or when they would try different foods and drinks from the Spanish speaking world.
The students appreciated my approach to “grading” and to helping them learn to learn. At least that’s what they told me. (and that very few other teachers approached grades in such a fashion)
As far as the handbooks I haven’t have had a chance to look at them yet as I’m trying to put the final touches on my book so I can get it to the printer. It’s on the agenda (my oh so busy one-ha ha) for sometime soon.
But as a quick little comment:
Grading using rubrics is notoriously unreliable as that grading is quite subjective (while purporting to be objective, which then, for me makes it suspect and unethical-the declaring of objectivity when it is not. Common folk would call that a lie.) Again, Wilson addresses this issue in his dissertation.
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