Alabama ATE
Spring 2016 Newsletter
The Wind in Your Sails: Nurturing a Positive Attitude toward EdTPA
Tammy C. Cook, Ph.D.
Too often the anticipation of change is worse than the actual change itself. Our teacher education program is preparing the transition to EdTPA over the next school year, and my initial trepidation was somewhat relieved after attending a recent workshop hosted by a professor whose school has been in the trenches for a while. Learning about the actual assessment as well as scrutinizing the rubrics used for scoring was not an easy task; however, the information was extremely helpful as we consider how we can help prepare our students for the new assessment. While I am a neophyte about the details of how other schools have transitioned to this program, I have discovered a great deal of material that provides helpful suggestions for making it a seamless integration. My goal is to compile an overview of the salient facts that may help us to absorb the overall implications of moving toward the goal of EdTPA for our students.
A significant part of what I have read posits that the teacher educators’ overall positive attitude about the changes will have the most beneficial impact for the student teachers who will be affected by the change. The initial scanning of the necessary documents for submitting the tasks to be assessed can be overwhelming not only for teacher educators but also for cooperating teachers and students. Therefore, it will be absolutely essential for faculty to fully grasp the language of the expectations, so clarity of communication is imperative for successful cooperation on every front. Full immersion by all parties involved in the student teaching process must involve transparency of how the assessment will be approached from day one of the teacher education program.
Call for Articles
Please e-mail whitsettrg@montevallo.edu with submissions and questions.
Conference Strands Fall 2016
Creating and Using Rubrics for Assessments and Accreditation
Measuring Impact on P-12 Student Learning
Call for Proposals will begin in June. Stay Tuned!
Our Fall 2015 conference was a success!
Thanks to everyone who attended and presented! Colleges represented were:
Athens State University, Alabama State University, University of South Alabama, Stillman College, Faulkner University, Auburn University, University of West Alabama, Jacksonville State University, University of Alabama, Judson College, Troy University, Talladega College, University of Alabama Huntsville, University of Mobile, University of Alabama Birmingham, Huntingdon College, University of North Alabama, and the University of Montevallo.