Statement and Recommendations from NYS Board of Regents edTPA Task Force Members Representing NYSUT, PSC/CUNY and UUP (SUNY)
The edTPA task force members representing New York State United Teachers, Professional Staff Congress (CUNY), and United University Professions (SUNY) sent this statement and list of recommendations to the State Board of Regents on Monday, Feb. 23, 2015.
Given the range and intensity of discussions among all the stake-holders on the edTPA Task Force, and the questionable and unfair circumstances of the initial certification policies adopted by SED that are currently confronting our students, we feel it is urgent to make public the recommendations that were discussed by the subcommittees and ruled out of order by Commissioner King.
We support immediate implementation of the following policy recommendations:
- Remove the high stakes consequences of edTPA to allow New York State teacher preparation programs appropriate time for exploratory use of this new performance assessment, identify ways to resolve problems experienced during the first year of its consequential use in New York State, and to determine the best way to use the assessment.
- Consider the full range of performance assessment options for possible use in New York State teacher preparation programs.
- The validity and reliability of the edTPA, ALST, and EAS should be assessed in order to inform policy decisions about their high-stakes use.
- A grandfathering policy/transition plan is needed to allow for changes to initial teaching certification requirements in a way that does not unfairly penalize students.
- The role of Pearson, Inc. in the delivery of all of New York State’s initial certification assessments and exams should be investigated in view of high student costs and proprietary information agreements that have shielded exam content from teacher education professionals.
Click here for the full statement.
Proposed Federal Regulations on Teacher Preparation
The U.S. Department of Education is proposing new regulations on teacher preparation program accountability. These regulations would put into place state ratings systems for teacher preparation programs, based on several measures, including K-12 student test scores and teacher employment data.
There are some features of these regulations which will likely cause negative unintended consequences for teacher preparation programs and the schools they serve, particularly programs that serve high needs schools and which prepare teachers of color. These regulations are not yet final, however, and are currently open for public comment.
Read the comments that PSC, UUP and NYSUT submitted on the proposed regulations.
To see the proposed regulations, go to the DOE website at regulations.gov.
Governor’s Assault on Teacher Ed Programs
If enacted, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Budget could lead to a dramatic decline in college-based teacher preparation programs, reduced diversity in teacher education and unsound standardization of teacher education curricula.
Click here for more information about the governor’s assault on teacher prep programs.
Click here to find out how you can protect teacher education.
