Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1512793
Fo r t h e p a st tw o y e a r s , C TA h a s b e e n a c t iv e ly involved in evaluating TPA impacts, particularly rel- ative to t each er supply, diversity, preparation and well-being. After extensive research and review, both CTA's New Educator Pipeline Workgroup (NEPW) and Credentialing and Professional Development Com- mitt ee of CTA Stat e Council concluded that TPA s undermine teacher preparation and negatively impact teacher supply and diversity. e findings are corroborated by the survey of 1,284 CTA members with 10 or fewer years of teaching. Some 60% of respondents "strongly agree" and 21% "agree" that the TPA should be eliminated outright. e NEPW recommended that the TPA be eliminated as a requirement for teacher candidates and that per- formance-based assessment instead take place within teacher preparation coursework or practice. "Judges candidates unfairly" "CTA absolutely supports high standards for teaching and accountabil- ity," said CTA Vice President Leslie Littman, who led the NEPW. "But the work group concluded that while there might have been good inten- tions with the TPA, it was always an additional burden and requirement for teacher candidates that was unnecessary, "Just like how standardized testing doesn't benefit our students, the TPA doesn't benefit candidates and judges them unfairly." States that have already eliminated the TPA include Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Washington and Wisconsin. e Texas State Board of Education also moved to reject the EdTPA as a requirement following a three-year implementation pilot. Most teacher candidates work on the TPA while completing course- work, other exams and other requirements for certification. e survey revealed that respondents found great value in the coursework and especially in their work with teacher mentors. ey found little if any value to the TPA and saw it as an enormously difficult addition to their workload during an already challenging time. Exams, coursework and clinical practice, in the left-hand column, are already part of the requirements for a credential. The TPA, in the right- hand column, is unnecessary, according to CTA's New Educator Pipeline Workgroup report. Comments from a 2023 CTA survey of 1,284 members with 10 or fewer years of teaching: " [The TPA] caused so much additional stress and anxiety that I had to reconsider whether I truly wanted to pursue this profession. It drove away my passion for education. I eventually sought mental health care." " I don't feel that I learned anything from the process, and instead was working to just show my ability to regurgitate academic language and label processes." " It made me hate myself and think I wasn't a good teacher." Continued on Page 30 27 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 / J A N U A R Y 2 0 24