In light of national challenges brought on by COVID-19, on April 6, 2020 Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR) hosted a virtual meeting of State Education Agency and Educator Preparation Program leaders from across the country focused on the following: (1) strategies that preparation program faculty…

Since 2009, the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) has been rapidly implemented as a policy tool for strengthening teacher professionalization across the United States. However, its national assimilation has become a target for both praise and critique among teacher educators. In this article, we examine such diverse perspectives.…

The Performance Assessment for California Teachers (PACT) is a high stakes summative assessment that was designed to measure pre-service teacher readiness. We examined the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of trained PACT evaluators who rated 19 candidates. As measured by Cohen's weighted kappa, the overall IRR estimate was 0.17 (poor strength of…

This paper uses a macro, meso- and micro-level analysis of employability best practice in higher education institutions (HEIs) to question how employability is being conceived within higher education settings alongside academic goals. Thematic analysis is applied to: a range of academic articles and papers containing HEI employability best…

We examined the effects of teacher education on preservice secondary science and mathematics teacher readiness. The construct of teacher readiness consisted of three dimensions: (1) preservice teachers' understanding of how to implement current standards; (2) their understanding of how to teach multilingual learners (MLs); and (3) their beliefs…

Social and emotional skills are important for students in 21st century study, life, and future work. In 2018, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) officially launched the first round of social and emotional skills tests for 10-year-old and 15-year-old students worldwide. After 3 years of research, the first round of…

This research aims to create and validate the quality of performance assessment using functional analysis. The researchers employed a design-based research method to create core competencies and their workload-based key outcome indicators as a preliminary study encompassing two phases, before formulating a standards-setting appraisal model to…

The Accountability Plan is an annual report that is closely aligned with the Board of Governors' 2025 System Strategic Plan. This report enhances the System's commitment to accountability and strategic planning by fostering greater coordination between institutional administrators, University Boards of Trustees and the Board of Governors regarding…

To get the equitable, student-centered education system that is wanted and needed--one which honors each unique student, and prepares them for the changing 21st century world--we need to rethink not only the design of learning, but also the what and how of assessment. Assessments are used by people in many different roles and in many different…

This article presents pilot study results of two leadership performance assessments, designed for a California principal preparation program and embedded in preparation using two learning approaches. The pilot study had two purposes: to evaluate the assessments' content validity and to evaluate the candidates' leadership skills as demonstrated…

A response to Stosich et al.'s (2018) article reviewing ways in which states have taken up performance assessments, this commentary seeks to extend the focus and use of performance assessments to preservice teacher education. As such, the authors describe statewide initiatives in New Hampshire that are working to integrate performance assessments…

The authors conducted a performance-based assessment of information literacy to determine if students in a first-year experience course were finding relevant sources, using evidence from sources effectively, and attributing sources correctly. A modified AAC&U VALUE rubric was applied to 154 student research papers collected in fall 2015 and…

The purpose of the current study was to explore new Israeli principals' perceptions, during the first three years in post, of the impact of their mentoring process on their leadership experiences. Based on 12 interviews with newly appointed school principals in the Israeli State Education System, the study found that many of them indicated that…

The USA has had a new set of science standards entitled the Next Generation Science Standards since 2014. While their adoption has not been ubiquitous, as curriculum choices are a state rather than a federal decision, they have been adopted by 19 states (plus the District of Columbia). Moreover, they have been influential on the curriculum choices…

For centuries, education policymakers have sought to identify the most effective way to assess a potential teacher's readiness to enter the classroom. These assessments evolved from multiple choice examinations to performance-based assessments focused on teacher actions. The latest iteration of these performance-based assessments is edTPA. edTPA's…