Ensuring Quality Teacher Candidates: Does the edTPA Answer the Call?

Abstract

As in many states, Illinois reforms related to teacher preparation accountability (Rich. Obama Administration Plans New Rules to Grade Teacher Training Programs. The New York Times, April 25, 2014. Accessed April 14, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/26/us/obama-administration-plan-seeks-to-rate-teacher-training-programs.html?_r=0, 2014; Dunham and Nawaguna. U.S. Government Pursues New Rules for Teacher-Training Programs. The Huffington Post. April 25, 2014. Accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/25/education-department-teacher-training-rules_n_5215233.html, 2014; Duncan. A New Approach to Teacher Education Reform and Improvement. U.S. Department of Education: Archived Information. October 3, 2011. Accessed April 18, 2015, http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/new-approach-teacher-education-reform-and-improvement, 2011) have targeted quality assurance of teacher preparation programs through mandating of a relatively untested pre-service teacher performance assessment, the edTPA, as a teacher licensure requirement. This research, conducted by two professors of education and an undergraduate student researcher, focuses on the Illinois elementary literacy edTPA to determine if adoption of the edTPA state licensure requirement has resulted in more effective teachers. Its impact at a local institutional level on candidate preparatory programming, candidate perceptions of preparedness, and teacher efficacy is explored.