David DeMatthews and Christopher P. Brown
The Texas Condition Board for Educator Certification lately adopted a new teacher certification examination, known as edTPA.
On the surface area, this is one thing the condition ought to be applauded for – rising the high quality of the trainer workforce is a noble thought. But there is a significant difficulty. The timing and negative opportunity influence of this new examination on the trainer workforce is out of stage with the realities of Texas public universities, significantly in the midst of the pandemic.
The aim of any trainer certification examination is to make sure the condition has quality academics in each and every classroom, but our state has struggled to assure an adequate offer of top quality lecturers even before the pandemic. This has disproportionality affected urban and rural educational institutions with higher percentages of low-profits pupils and pupils of shade.
Including a new test will not improve this longstanding dilemma. In point, a person could argue it is effective towards the state’s objectives.
Any certification policy adjustment should think about the state’s need for a provide of good quality teachers. A commonsense plan throughout a pandemic and surge of teacher resignations would be to lessen the price of teacher certification, which could be a barrier for experienced applicants. However, the adoption of edTPA would increase financial burdens on aspiring instructors simply because the test expenses $311, which is on leading of other charges or choice instructor planning plans.
In truth, an aspiring teacher finishing a bachelor’s degree can now anticipate to pay extra than $700 in costs to address the certification test and other needed things these kinds of as fingerprinting.
The new exam also could reduce the offer and variety of the teacher workforce in another problematic way. A recent examine of edTPA in Washington condition concluded that Hispanic academics were being a few times as most likely as their friends to are unsuccessful the exam, which would indicate these candidates would possibly get the exam multiple times at an additional expense or would be unable to acquire a certification.
At the quite minimum, this should really raise concern about probable tests biases, especially in a point out in which just about 30% of academics determine as Hispanic.
In addition, the new exam is not delicate to the pandemic realities of Texas classrooms. Candidates taking the edTPA are needed to post online video recordings of their instruction in school rooms with pupils. To document students, candidates should acquire parental consent, which provides to the stress of moms and dads and mentor lecturers in an currently demanding time. No trainer or administrator wants more work correct now. And absenteeism thanks to COVID-19 infections, which has resulted in important disruption to teaching and studying, provides a lot more difficulties.
The edTPA was designed by a team of highly skilled Stanford College professors and specialists. We think about they far too would issue the efficacy of a substantial-stakes examination relying on this kind of an unpredictable and disrupted classroom surroundings.
Only 18 states have adopted this examination, and some currently have carried out away with it owing to implementation problems. Texas should take into account this. Moreover, researchers have been careful to draw any wide conclusions about the predictive validity of the exam – the extent to which the certification will end result in improved college student accomplishment results for college students. So, why would Texas make a decision to put into action this amid a pandemic and devoid of very clear analysis to counsel it will positively have an effect on the trainer workforce?
As training researchers, we are not confident. At a minimum amount, the state should really delay any selections on edTPA for a couple years till after the pandemic subsides. Instead, policymakers really should take into account other interventions for bettering the instructor workforce this kind of as waiving the expense of teacher certification tests, increasing trainer salaries, and supporting districts with substitute teacher protection so teachers do not require to be overcome with masking a number of lessons when a colleague is sick with COVID. This is the style of guidance lecturers want.
There was no need to have to shift ahead with edTPA beneath these situations, and the state should really rethink the choice. In its place, Texas requirements commonsense procedures to fill instructor vacancies, support the present workforce, and retain teachers who are ever more looking to exit the job.
David DeMatthews is an affiliate professor in the Office of Educational Leadership and Plan and Christopher P. Brown is a professor in the Department of Academic Management and Policy, both at The University of Texas at Austin.