Investigating Science Teacher Candidates’ Assessment Practices Using Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA)

Abstract

The emerging paradigm in assessment argues for teachers to assess student thinking, as opposed to factual recall, thus calling for alternative-performance, project, and portfolio-based assessments that align with constructivist and sociocultural views of learning (Resnick & Resnick, 1992; Shepard, 2000). In this study, three science teacher candidates’ experience in assessing students is documented. Data analysis was from open-prompt surveys, 15 Teacher Performance Assessment edTPA artifacts collected from the three teacher candidates, and individual interviews. Findings indicated that science teacher candidates made deliberate efforts in giving students feedback to guide their learning but they struggled with strategies that encourage students to appropriately use that feedback once given to them. We argue that broadening how teacher candidates analyze assessment and feedback given to students in science classes should not only indicate correct or incorrect responses, but also act as a guide for future learning and reveal students’ strengths.