Mapping the Way from Teacher Preparation to Edtpa Completion: A Guide for Secondary Education Candidates

As nationwide calls for educational rigor and accountability continue across the U.S., many states have made the edTPA®, a teacher performance assessment, a requirement for teacher certification. The edTPA® is a subject-specific performance assessment that requires aspiring teachers to plan, implement, assess, and reflect upon a learning segment, while demonstrating pedagogical skills related to their disciplines. While it is designed to promote teaching excellence, the edTPA® can drive already-stressed teacher candidates to their breaking point, as it places them in an unfamiliar classroom and asks them to quickly display their knowledge and savvy.  
 
This book is here to help teacher candidates not only survive the challenge of the edTPA®, but also thrive. It maps out precisely what steps aspiring secondary education teachers should take to ensure successful completion of the edTPA®. Demystifying the language used in the assessment, it uniquely connects edTPA® requirements with what teacher candidates learn within their teacher preparation programs, showing them how the assessment relates to what they are already doing in their classrooms. The strategies in this book draw on both academic research and practical experience to guide student teachers as they plan for their edTPA® portfolios and for their teaching careers beyond.

JASON C. FITZGERALD, PhD is a faculty member at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey, where he teaches secondary social studies education and educational leadership courses. Formerly, he served as a professor-in-residence, teaching and mentoring candidates and early-career teachers inside the school context. He has taught about the edTPA® since 2012 at two universities.   
 
MICHELLE L. SCHPAKOW, EdD is a faculty member in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.  She serves on the university’s edTPA® implementation committee and assists with the mentorship and supervision of student teachers. She also works for Pearson Education as an edTPA® scorer.