PLAINVIEW – Wayland Baptist University’s Don A. Williams School of Education recently hosted a two-day training seminar for McMurry University faculty members on the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment, better known as edTPA.
Dr. Sarah Hartman, Dean of the Williams School of Education, conducted the training. She serves as a National Academy Member for edTPA and is one of only a handful residing in Texas.
“The state has been in limbo over whether we are moving to edTPA or a variation of a teacher performance-based assessment portfolio for some time, but we are definitely moving away from the PPR,” Hartman said. “All of these are pedagogy exams that teacher candidates must take and pass at the end of their program to be certified. So, McMurry asked me to train their education faculty.”
EdTPA is an assessment and support system used by teacher preparation programs throughout much of the United States to emphasize, measure and support the skills and knowledge that teachers need to start their career. TExES PPR is the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities. TExES PPR measures a test taker’s knowledge of educational theory and pedagogy.
As colleges and universities in Texas work toward implementing edTPA, the Williams School of Education has become a sought-after resource primarily due to Hartman’s extensive training and experience in the pedagogy assessment. Prior to coming to Wayland, Hartman acquired edTPA knowledge and experience while working in Georgia and Tennessee. In 2020, Hartman was named a member of the edTPA National Academy. Additionally, the Williams School of Education has been a sought-after resource due to the faculty’s intensive training and experience in edTPA in a short time and the ability to train teacher candidates to pass the assessment at a 100 percent pass rate to date.
“I was blessed to be able to work with the McMurry faculty in conducting their two-day training on edTPA,” Hartman said. “They came to our campus in Plainview ready to learn the content and pedagogy and eager to do what is best for their teacher candidates. Perhaps of utmost importance, they came ultimately prepared to do what is right for K-12 students. That, above all else, is the important thing we train for.”
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