Year One Implications of a Teacher Performance Assessment's Impact on Multicultural Education across a Secondary Education Teacher Preparation Program

Abstract

This case study examines the impact of the 1-year implementation of a state-mandated, standardized teacher performance assessment (TPA) on a faculty's infusion of multicultural education across a secondary education teacher preparation program. Findings show that faculty and teacher candidate (TC) perceptions predominantly concluded that the TPA supported multicultural education infusion by preparing TCs to teach academic language and connect curricula to student background yet hindered critical, in-depth reflection vital to preparing TCs to teach diverse populations. The program's cohort learning communities cultivated TC reflection on background, bias, and inequity, mitigating these limitations. Is it possible for TPAs to serve as a unifying standard for teacher preparation reform while engaging TCs in authentic, in-depth inquiry on diversity and inequity, or should certain aspects of this sensitive work be left for programs to address more carefully in their unique contexts? How faculty respond to TPA-related challenges is central to this question.