Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1512793
Comments from a 2023 CTA survey of 1,284 members with 10 or fewer years of teaching: " As a student, I was never good at tests and for this to be what was to determine if I was a good teacher (passing) or a bad teacher (failing) was a lot of added stress. I did not want to fail myself or my family since I am a first-generation student." " It felt that I was just expected to just give Pearson another $200 check for them to fail me." " I failed 3 times. I knew I was a great teacher, passing all evaluations, recommended to mentor other teachers who passed the TPAs. But you have to play the TPA game and write [to] the liking of your grader." " Failing this test literally sent me into a depressive episode. I quit a lucrative career to teach and I was absolutely devastated by the results of my test. Today I am a competent, loved, respected teacher by kids and staff and in no way did the TPA help me with that." Controversy about the TPA — and its impact on BIPOC teacher candidates — is not new. e California Alliance of Researchers for Equity in Education asked the CTC in 2021 to end high stakes standardized testing in teacher education, saying in a letter that problems with teacher credentialing exams include "validity, reliability, fairness, and bias." In a 2019 research brief, the alliance had recommended that California eliminate the TPA "from all high-stakes decision making." Embedding assessment in clinical practice Surveying and talking to union members, along with set- ting up structures to study the TPA issue, has positioned CTA leaders and educators to take action. At this year's October 12–13 meeting of the CTC, CTA distributed its survey results along with recommendations for TPA revi- sion. ey include: • e onus for passing the TPA must transfer from the candidate to the teacher preparation program, as specified by law ; • e assessment should be embedded in teacher candidates' clinical practice as part of the broader assessment; • Candidates should not have to take the TPA more than once; • e accreditation process, including the TPA, should ensure that candidates are supported. At the CTC meeting, Commissioner Christopher D av i s sp o ke on st an d ardi z ed t e stin g 's imp a c t on BIP O C candi d at e s. St and ardi z ed t e stin g, h e sai d , causes "disproportionate harm" to people of color. "We continue to struggle with the reality that our state, through these examinations, is systematically discrim- inating against the very diversity it alleges it wants to track into our workforce." CTC commissioners requested additional data to better understand TPA's impact on BIP O C teacher candidates. If the CTC does not act in a timely manner, CTA is pre- pared to move forward. At the October 22–23 CTA State Council, delegates approved of a sponsored legislation Continued from Page 27 proposal to eliminate the TPA requirement for teacher candidates in California. e process is expected to take several months, and the Edu- cator will continue to cover this story. *ere is also the Fresno Assessment of Student Teaching (FAST), serving students that attend Fresno State University for their teacher education. Pullquotes used in this story are excerpted from the CTA survey of 1,284 CTA members with 10 or fewer years teaching. 30 cta.org Feature