Bloomington, Minn., May 01, 2012 – Pearson today announced that the field test for the Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA), a nationally available, performance-based assessment measuring the effectiveness of teacher candidates seeking initial licenses, is under way. Pearson anticipates receiving nearly 10,000 candidate submissions from participating educator preparation programs.The TPA has been developed by Stanford University faculty and staff at the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity (SCALE) with substantive advice and feedback from teacher educators from across the nation In partnership with the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE), 25 participating states comprise the Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium (TPAC), which includes representatives from state education agencies and more than 180 educator preparation programs.

Pearson supports the TPA nationally via a web-based platform that allows for electronic submission and nationwide scoring. In addition, the company is working closely with four integrated TPA Platform Providers – Chalk & Wire, LiveText, TaskStream and Tk20 – to provide for the secure transfer of TPA field test materials for scoring by trained and calibrated scorers.

About the TPA

The TPA draws evidence of candidate teaching competence from a subject-specific learning segment of three to five lessons from a unit of instruction for one class of students. TPA artifacts include video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries.

Based on the submitted evidence, which is scored by trained evaluators (university faculty and K-12 educators), faculty and candidates can discuss the impact of candidates’ teaching performance on student learning and determine ways to improve teaching. Faculty can analyze evidence of candidate performance to guide decision-making about program revision and renewal. State education agencies may use TPA scores for licensure and accreditation. The TPA is aligned with the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) standards, the Common Core State Standards, and Specialized Professional Association (SPA) standards.
Upon completion of the field test, the TPA will be available to candidates, state education agencies and colleges and universities in fall 2012.

To learn more about the TPA, visit http://tpafieldtest.nesinc.com or email tpa-program-policy@pearson.com.

About Pearson

Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education services, education technology and school solutions, provides innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. Pearson’s other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go to http://www.pearsoned.com orhttp://www.pearsonassessments.com.

For more information:
Adam Gaber, Pearson
800-745-8489 / adam.gaber (at) pearson (dot) com
@apgaber or @nextgenassess (Twitter)