Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance

ISSN: 0730-3084 (Print) 2168-3816 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujrd20

edTPA and Physical Education: Tips for Success for

All Stakeholders

Sheri M. Treadwell, Jay L. Cameron & Mara Manson

To cite this article: Sheri M. Treadwell, Jay L. Cameron & Mara Manson (2017) edTPA and
Physical Education: Tips for Success for All Stakeholders, Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance, 88:5, 39-45, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2017.1294511

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2017.1294511

Published online: 28 Apr 2017.

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 edTPA and
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Physical
Education:
Tips for
T here may be similarities in people’s feelings about veg-
etables, exercise and the Education Teacher Performance Assess-
ment (edTPA) — not everyone likes them equally, but they can
all be good for physical educators. Of course, no single vegetable
or one type of exercise alone can make a person healthy, and the
same can be said of teacher performance assessments and methods of measur-
ing teacher effectiveness. As part of a balanced approach, the edTPA can be a
useful tool for student teachers, cooperating teachers, supervisors and physical
education teacher education (PETE) programs. This article will present tips for
Success
for All
gaining the greatest benefits from the edTPA for all stakeholders in physical
education. A subject-specific understanding of the edTPA in physical education
can help improve the effectiveness of teacher candidates, teachers in the field,
and teachers in PETE programs relative to the National Beginning Teacher
Stakeholders
Standards (SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators, 2017).
The edTPA is a performance-based assessment designed to evaluate a pre-
service teacher’s readiness to plan lessons, instruct, and assess student learn-
Sheri M. Treadwell
ing. A teacher candidate is required to complete a “context for learning” and Jay L. Cameron
commentaries related to planning, instruction and assessment. For each com- Mara Manson
mentary associated with these three tasks, supporting documents (lesson plans,
unit plans, instructional materials, samples of assessments, samples of students’
work, etc.) and video(s) are uploaded. Each section of the edTPA (i.e., plan-
ning, instruction, and assessment) is evaluated with five different rubrics for Sheri M. Treadwell (streadwe@brockport.edu) is an assistant
a total of 15. Each rubric is based on a 5-point scale, and some states have professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies
established current passing scores that range from 38 to 42. Even though the and Physical Education at The College at Brockport, the State
University of New York in Brockport, NY. Jay L. Cameron
initiative behind the edTPA may trace all the way back to the Nation at Risk is an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Physi-
report (D. P. Gardner, Larsen, Baker, Campbell, & Crosby, 1983), and experts cal Education, Recreation and Coaching at the University of
at the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) have Wisconsin–Whitewater in Whitewater, WI. Mara Manson is
utilized current best practices related to performance or authentic assessment, an associate professor in the Department of Exercise Science,
Health Studies, Physical Education and Sport Management
it is the acceptance and implementation of the edTPA that will determine if this
at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY.
is a beneficial process in teacher candidate assessment. Some have argued that

JOPERD  39
 the edTPA is the “tail wagging the dog” and that it will result in
requiring teacher candidates to use rudimentary or extremely basic
teaching methods rather than a models-based approach (Metzler,
2014). National scorers for the edTPA are all from physical edu-
cation backgrounds and are mostly PETE professors, university
student-teaching supervisors, or cooperating teachers in physical
education. As such, the scoring is done in accordance with the ru-
brics by subject-specific scorers who appreciate and understand
quality, standards-based pedagogy.
The purpose of this article is to share perspectives and tips
from three PETE professors who teach, administrate and supervise
teacher candidates — and who have also completed the training to
be edTPA national scorers and were employed as part-time scorers
during the first years of implementation. These perspectives come
from nine years of combined experience implementing the edTPA.
One objective of this article is to share time-saving tips, accrued
benefits, and deeper understandings from which further successes
can emerge for all parties involved. Teacher candidates may be bet-
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ter able to appreciate that the test is both a measurement of teaching
performance and also a tool for reflection. Cooperating teachers and
school administrators may understand more clearly ways in which
the certification process has changed and what aspects of teaching
are of current greatest value. Physical education teacher education
instructors and programs overall can use results from their candi-
dates to perform gap analyses and program review to ensure that
the important aspects of teacher preparation are being met.
Wiggins (1993) argued that authentic assessment could more
accurately assess domains of performance and better measure
higher-order thinking and learning than traditional forms of as-
sessment. Using an authentic assessment such as the edTPA may
help to demonstrate how and why PETE programs are being ef-
fective and allow for comparisons with alternative certification
programs in preparing candidates for an effective career. If the
edTPA is looked at only as the latest imposition, there may be
little positive educational impact. It may be equivalent to giving
a fitness test to students and never doing anything, either before
or after, with the scores. The tips presented here are intended to
increase the edTPA literacy of teacher candidates, teachers and ad-
ministrators in schools and in PETE programs. For readers who
are not currently using the edTPA, the tips can also be helpful with
other forms of teacher performance assessments and for improving
practice in general.
When measuring teacher candidates’ readiness to teach, a tool
such as the edTPA may get closer to authentically evaluating the
relevant and desirable skills of teacher candidates’ pedagogical
content knowledge and class management across planning, in-
structing and assessing tasks with students in the gym compared
to the Educational Testing Service’s (ETS) Praxis II Physical Educa-
tion Content Knowledge test or the New York Teachers Certifica-
tion Exam (NYTCE) in PE. Ensuring that teacher candidates leave
PETE with the skills and knowledge necessary to teach on day one
of their career may be partially but perhaps more validly linked
to passing scores on the edTPA. Examining the link between TPA
performance and teaching effectiveness is an important next step in
the research on teaching, but for now the edTPA sets a bar that will
help guide certification and perhaps hiring of teachers. Ball (2013)
argued that too many teachers are graduating from mediocre pro-
grams lacking in basic essential pedagogical skills, and, as a result,
student learning has been compromised. She has advocated that
the edTPA could be one measure in the overall assessment process
to help ensure that entry-level teachers leave their programs ready
40  Volume 88  Number 5   May/June 2017
to teach (Ball, 2013). Some institutions use the edTPA for program
evaluation or student remediation, while others use the assessment
for graduation requirements and/or state licensure.
The range of edTPA stakeholders is broad and includes teacher
candidates, physical education teachers, school administrators,
PETE faculty, and perhaps even state education department of-
ficials. Specific tips for successful implementation are presented in
the next section. The advice that follows has been pulled from the
combined experiences of the authors as (1) PETE faculty members
implementing edTPA components in their curriculums, (2) trained
evaluators who have accumulated insights from contrasting suc-
cessful and unsuccessful materials submitted for evaluation, and
(3) student-teaching supervisors who interact with cooperating
teachers and student teachers as they tackle the edTPA.
Advice for Stakeholders
There is no group for which the edTPA has greater importance
than teacher candidates. Forty-two states use the edTPA in one form
or another, but 14 states have already adopted the edTPA as part
of teacher certification processes (American Association of Colleges
for Teacher Education [AACTE], 2015). It is or will be a culminat-
ing, high-stakes test for an increasing number of graduates from
teacher education programs and may impact the graduates’ ability
to attain licensure. The tips and suggestions that follow are a result
of more than two years of piloting and implementing the edTPA
at the authors’ own universities, as well as their experiences as na-
tional scorers for the edTPA. Advice in this section falls into three
areas: organization, procedures and understandings (see Table 1).
Organization.  One skill that can significantly decrease the
teacher candidates’ stress level while completing the edTPA is or-
ganization. The first tip in organizing the edTPA is to use a binder,
either physical or electronic, to collect and save all materials. Time-
lines, handouts, letters to classes and cooperating teachers, returned
permission slips, assessment forms, the Context for Learning, all
commentaries, and other documents must be carefully collected.
Organization can also apply to ways in which a teacher candidate
(TC) aligns standards, objectives and tasks. This should not be left
to chance. Teacher candidates who find ways to let a scorer know
that they consciously considered how they would link tasks, objec-
tives, and SHAPE America’s National Standards for K–12 Physical
Education (SHAPE America, 2014) will do better. The SCALE en-
listed the help of Pearson, the textbook publisher, to administer and
score the edTPA, so TCs must understand how to upload all com-
mentaries, artifacts and documents according to the Pearson server’s
requirements. Universities that use Internet portfolio management
programs, such as TaskStream or TK-20, provide TCs a platform
to submit their edTPA to Pearson through the campus portfolio
system. Regardless of the method of submission (whether directly
to Pearson or through TaskStream or TK-20), candidates should
save all electronic documents and artifacts with easily identified file
names to help the TCs keep the files organized on the computer. For
example, when saving the Context for Learning, TCs should label
the file “Task1PartA” since that is how Pearson identifies the Con-
text for Learning on its platform at the time of submission.
Procedures.  It is important for TCs to plan to complete their
edTPA in the first half of their student-teaching experience. In
states where candidates have one placement, they should complete
their edTPA in the first eight weeks of that semester. In other states,
where there are two required placements, the edTPA should be
done in the first placement. This way it gives the candidate more

Table 1.
edTPA Tips for Teacher Candidates
1. Complete your edTPA during the first half of student
teaching.
2. Create an edTPA-specific binder (electronic or
physical or both) to collect and back up all work.
3. Label and save documents and videos with clear file
names to facilitate uploading.
4. Pay for your edTPA early to force commitment.
5. Use an edTPA-aligned lesson plan and unit plan form.
6. Create a five-lesson learning segment out of your unit
(five is better than three in meeting all requirements).
7. Understand how to set up and use the video
equipment with enough depth to be able to teach
the cooperating teacher how to use it and practice
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videotaping your teaching before student teaching.
8. Watch videotaped lessons the day they are recorded
and take notes using a video worksheet to mark clips
for Tasks 2 and 3.
9. Videotape all lessons in your unit (at least three, but
five or six is better).
10. Before beginning your edTPA unit, know how and
when assessments of student learning will occur.
11. Make sure to have connections between standards,
objectives and tasks in all three domains. Explain
these connections clearly and concisely in
commentaries.
12. Utilize the “Understanding Rubric Progressions”
document from SCALE to self-assess your edTPA
before submission.
13. Use a remote or lavalier microphone with the video
camera to increase chances of being heard. This is
absolutely required when teaching outside; otherwise,
the candidate will need to transcribe what is being
said throughout the lesson.
14. Back up and save all of your edTPA-related work in at
least two places.
15. Scan and create copies of student assessments,
feedback given to students on written work or exit
slips, etc. Downloading the CamScanner application
for smartphones helps.
16. Related to academic language: know the differences
between a language function, discourse and syntax.
Create learning tasks that have students in your PE
classes using all three.
17. Present your best professional disposition in all
edTPA materials.
time to refine the commentaries and to make sure all criteria are
met before the end of student teaching; if there is a problem during
the learning segment, the candidate has time to troubleshoot the
issues and to do it over if necessary before the end of the semes-
ter. This allows for time to receive scores and possibly complete a
resubmission if required. It is less stressful for TCs to concentrate
on improving pedagogy in the second half of their student teaching
if they have completed their edTPA. Student-teaching programs in
states where the edTPA is used will supply TCs with the neces-
sary information to be successful. These documents include the
edTPA Physical Education Assessment Handbook (SCALE, 2016),
Making Good Choices: A Support Guide for Candidates (SCALE,
2015a), and Using Rubric Level Progressions (to be explained
later; SCALE, 2015b), as well as the submission procedures and
dates. Candidates should not put off reading the assessment hand-
book. They should be proactive in making a plan for completing
their edTPA in the first half of student teaching so they can submit
before the end of their student teaching.
Many teacher preparation programs have created a separate
edTPA lesson-plan template for candidates so there is an increased
likelihood of having key information on the plans. Teacher candi-
dates should use these resources that are made available to them
by their programs. If the program does not have a specific lesson-
plan template, then the teacher candidate should be sure to read
the handbook closely and include the required components in their
planning (i.e., objectives in two to three domains, state standards,
assessment, and academic language).
Utilizing technology to record the learning segment can be a
challenging task. It is vital that the candidates understand how to
use available video equipment and, if at all possible, how to use a
wireless lavalier microphone to capture all interactions between
the candidate and students. Recording instructional experiences in
schools can be complicated, and simply handing a camera to a co-
operating teacher is unlikely to be successful. Teacher candidates
must practice with video recording their classes and must provide
support and instruction to their cooperating teachers. It may also
be wise to let students know that video recording will be occurring
so that they are conditioned to having a camera in class. Teacher
candidates are encouraged to video record every lesson of the en-
tire unit to be assured that they will have enough video footage to
choose from when determining their 3–5 lesson learning segment.
The TC should then watch the day’s lesson each night to determine
whether that lesson meets the required criteria. This will eliminate
the need for the TC to view all of their lessons in a single sitting
as they are planning for other lessons in their placement. This also
helps to reinforce the importance of reflection as a way of improv-
ing teaching practice.
Teacher candidates should also create a learning community
with their peers via social networking. Meuwissen and Choppin
(2015) found that TCs rely heavily on their peers throughout the
edTPA process. Many candidates supported one another through
text-messaging groups and online discussion as a way to clarify
handbook instructions and share strategies for planning, teach-
ing and assessment, which strengthened their knowledge of and
performance on the edTPA. Social networks can help candidates
provide much-needed emotional support to one another.
Understandings.  Understandings are often difficult to define
but are deeper on Bloom’s taxonomy than simple knowledge or
comprehension (Bloom, 1956). It is very important for candi-
dates to have a clear understanding of Bloom’s taxonomy because
academic language is evaluated throughout the three tasks of the
edTPA. How well TCs are providing instruction linked to the Na-
tional Standards for physical education may be physical educa-
tion’s primary focus, but how they support language arts and math
are also important. Thoughtfully integrating physical literacy with
JOPERD  41
 other subjects is a form of best practice that may help in meeting
learning needs across multiple intelligences (H. Gardner, 1993). In
physical education, reading and writing may not be on the top of
the priority list except in situations of reading task cards or com-
pleting assessments. In states that have adopted the Common Core
State Standards (CCSS) teachers have the responsibility of teach-
ing reading, writing, speaking, listening and other language skills
across all disciplines. Physical education teachers are not exempt.
Literacy skills can enhance learning in physical education and si-
multaneously prepare students for success in English language arts
(James & Manson, 2015). The edTPA leads TCs to meet some of
the language arts aspects of the CCSS through the implementation
of academic language. Teacher candidates are challenged by the
inclusion of academic language in their unit and lesson plans, and
most struggle to make sense of it (James & Manson, 2015).
There are a variety of ways to successfully implement literacy
skills in daily physical education lessons. The edTPA requires
teacher candidates to think about the language functions that will
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be embedded and expected from students in lessons throughout
their units. Some language functions include analyze, contrast, de-
scribe, interpret, sequence and signal. The following are examples
of how to include academic language in physical education: jour-
nals, reflections, and exit slips; peer and self-assessments; written
fitness plans; word walls; graphic organizers; task cards; and other
related readings. It should be understood that academic language
in the edTPA is important. Field-testing data from the initial im-
plementation of the edTPA indicate that academic language is the
weakest area for TCs’ performance out of all three tasks (AACTE,
2015). Teacher candidates may not have had examples of embed-
ding language functions in physical education, but they must find
ways to add them to their learning segments.
How to Support Teacher Candidates
The SCALE and Pearson provide documents to scorers that out-
line the rubric-based scoring procedures and decisions. These are
known as the “Thinking behind the Rubrics” and were strictly
off limits for TCs during the first year of implementation in 2013.
However, as the edTPA has matured, a very similar set of docu-
ments called “Understanding Rubric Level Progressions” has been
distributed and made available to TCs. Teacher candidates who
wish to be successful should have an in-depth understanding of
how they will be evaluated and should take time to self-evaluate
their completed edTPA using this document prior to submitting to
Pearson (see Table 2).
Communication with Administrators. In the two years since
the edTPA became consequential in the authors’ states, it was
surprising how little administrators knew and understood about
the edTPA when the teaching candidates arrived at their schools
for student teaching. Administrators were largely unaware of the
changes in certification, and very few understood the new, more
rigorous expectations placed on teaching candidates. Therefore,
communication and collaboration with administrators play a key
role in helping to ensure the smooth planning of the edTPA tasks
— specifically, video recording. Administrators can confirm the
procedure to allow video recording and give permission for any
necessary paperwork. Communication between the administrator
and the college/university begins at the time of placement request.
An explicit explanation concerning completing the edTPA in a
school district must be clearly laid out and accepted prior to the
TC beginning their student-teaching experience. This will ensure a
42  Volume 88  Number 5   May/June 2017
Table 2.
edTPA Tips for Cooperating Teachers,
Administrators and College Supervisors
1. Communicate early with your student teacher about
which units will be covered during student teaching to
provide them with extra planning/preparation time.
2. Help student teachers select an edTPA class that
will have a high percentage of student and parental
consents.
3. Request and review any edTPA materials provided by
the student teacher or PETE program.
4. View the YouTube video posted by the University of
Wisconsin – Whitewater to learn the basics on how
cooperating teachers can support candidates (https://
youtube/Jp9wXOLBbrg).
5. Discuss edTPA tasks with student teachers; ask them
to explain their choices related to student learning
and pedagogical decisions.
6. During video recording, focus on the student teacher
as much as possible and, if using a camera’s built-in
microphone, stay in close proximity to the student
teacher.
7. Attempt to link edTPA tasks to current aspects of
accountability in your state and school; make it real
and relevant for your student teacher (for example,
Annual Professional Performance Review in New York
or Educator Effectiveness in Wisconsin).
8. Video-record lessons prior to the edTPA learning
segment to familiarize yourself with the technology.
9. Know who the teaching candidate’s focus students
are so you can be sure to record those interactions.
10. Encourage school districts to include video
requirements for student teachers in the district’s
existing video-recording parental permission form.
A sample statement could read: “Your child may
have a student teacher in one or more classes this
year. All student teachers are required to submit
video segments of their teaching as part of the state
licensure process. These videos are used to evaluate
the student teacher’s performance for educative
purposes only, and will not be made available
publically on any social media site; your child’s
privacy will be protected at all times.”
smooth transition and will alleviate any issues or concerns between
the university/college and the school district.
Because all TCs completing the edTPA, regardless of discipline,
are required to video record their lessons, one of the barriers that
has been observed in completing the edTPA is getting enough video
consent forms returned to complete the video portion of the learn-
ing segment. Many programs require specific video consent forms
to be signed by parents so they are fully aware that their child’s
image will be captured on video and sent to Pearson for evalua-
tion. The focus of the video recording is the candidate and his or
 her teaching behaviors and practices, not the students participating
in the class. The edTPA scorers are trained to evaluate only the
TC’s teaching behaviors related to instruction, management and
routines, as well as student responses to those behaviors to evalu-
ate teaching effectiveness. The students appearing in the video are
not evaluated in any way by the scorers. In fact, teacher candidates
need to take steps to ensure the students’ confidentiality and refer
to the students only by first name. When the teacher candidate
uploads the documents to Pearson, all identifying factors such as
school, teacher preparation affiliation, cooperating teacher and
student names should be removed to ensure the confidentiality of
participants. This point must be made clear to parents by cooper-
ating teachers and school administrators.
One easy way to overcome this barrier is for the university to
petition the district to have the existing district video consent form
modified to include a short statement that informs parents about
the new state and/or program requirements for all teacher candi-
dates. Many parents balk at signing additional forms, especially
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when they perceive they have already given permission for their
child to be video recorded. They do not realize that the existing
forms cover their child’s image to be used in district materials, and
not for student teachers’ licensure. This specific purpose must be
addressed to avoid possible litigation. Video consent forms can be
given out and collected prior to the start of the student-teaching
experience. This takes the pressure off of the student teachers and
allows them to begin their experience with all of the preparation
work completed.
Cooperating Teacher Support.  It is imperative that TCs receive
appropriate support throughout their student-teaching process,
especially when they are in the midst of completing their edTPA
segment. This support should come from both the cooperating
teacher and the college supervisor. The authors recommend that
time during the initial visit between the TC, cooperating teacher
and college supervisor be spent discussing what the edTPA is, as
well as the appropriate nature of support the candidate can re-
ceive while the edTPA learning segment is being taught. It is likely
PETE faculty can embed the edTPA into peer teaching in methods classes
to give their students practice opportunities with each of the edTPA tasks.
that the cooperating teacher is not completely aware of changes
to the certification process in their state, and they will need to be
informed of any recent changes to state policy.
Many programs provide timelines for TCs and college super-
visors to follow, and it is suggested that cooperating teachers be
provided the same timeline to help keep the TC accountable and
on track for completing the learning segment in a timely manner.
One of the first items on this timeline should be to schedule a
meeting between the candidate and cooperating teacher as soon
as the placement has been made so the two can communicate
regarding the unit that the student teacher will design and imple-
ment for the edTPA.
If discussion of the teaching unit happens prior to the student-
teaching experience, the student teachers can begin to create their
block plan, lesson plans and assessments before they begin to
teach. Student teachers are highly stressed when completing their
edTPA, and this tactic can help alleviate the problem of time con-
straints and allow the student teacher to submit their edTPA in a
timely manner (Meuwissen & Choppin, 2015). It is essential to un-
derstand that the cooperating teacher is not allowed to edit any of
the TC’s written work or suggest video clips to be used for submis-
sion of the edTPA. It is advised that the cooperating teacher take
some time to read through the assessment handbook and rubrics
and have discussions with the candidate regarding the edTPA re-
quirements and expectations so the cooperating teacher can appro-
priately support the candidate. During this process, cooperating
teachers should be able to see how the edTPA relates to his or her
own teaching evaluations, especially if the district uses Danielson’s
framework for teaching (2013) as a method of teacher evaluation.
Many districts have adopted Danielson’s framework as a primary
source of systematic observation for teaching effectiveness. The
framework includes four domains: (1) planning and preparation,
(2) classroom environment, (3) instruction, and (4) professional
responsibilities (Danielson, 2013). Cooperating teachers should
discuss these similarities with their student teacher to prepare them
for future evaluations once they get a teaching job.
JOPERD  43
 The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater has published a video
on YouTube specifically addressed to cooperating teachers in that
state. Even though the video addresses Wisconsin requirements, it
does share accurate information that is useful to any cooperating
teacher. As the candidate teaches the edTPA learning segment, the
cooperating teacher should ask the candidate why certain content,
management and pedagogical decisions were made. This will help
the TC to be able to think through the process, reflect on practice,
and more concisely and correctly complete their commentaries.
It is likely that recording the TC’s learning segment on video
will be the responsibility of the cooperating teacher. When video
recording the lessons, it is important to practice using the video
camera in the days leading up to the learning segment to ensure
proper use of the technology. Simple reminders, such as remem-
bering to make sure the microphone is turned on and the lens cap
is removed, are vital. More importantly, the purpose of the video
segment is to capture the candidate’s interactions with students
and to see how students respond to instruction. For this reason, the
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camera should be set up in an area of the gymnasium or field that
enables the TC and as many students (who have consent forms) as
possible to be in the frame. A key component to Task 3 (assessing
student learning) is to provide evidence of differentiated instruc-
tion for various skill levels, so TCs must select three students as
“focus students.” The cooperating teacher should capture video
of each of the three students during lesson activities throughout
the learning segment. When the teaching candidate moves to give
specific feedback to one of the three identified focus students, it is
beneficial to zoom in on the interaction so the scorer can clearly see
what is happening. When the interaction is done, the cooperating
teacher can return to the wide angle. Cooperating teachers should
keep it simple and should stay focused on what is happening on
the floor so all interactions are recorded. One basic item for coop-
erating teachers to remember about video recording is to be sure
to set up the camera so it is not facing the sun or windows, as this
would cause the video to be very dark, and it may be difficult for
the scorer to see what is happening.
The College Supervisor as Facilitator. The university/college
supervisor is another key facilitator in the edTPA project. The su-
pervisor has the responsibility of making sure that both the coop-
erating teacher and student teacher know what is expected of them
throughout the edTPA project. It is important that a meeting be set
up at the very beginning of the student-teaching experience with
the supervisor, cooperating teacher and student teacher to discuss
all aspects of the edTPA and to answer any questions. It is helpful
for the supervisor to come prepared with an outline of all three
edTPA tasks and to clearly and concisely review all the steps to
successfully complete the project. Throughout the entire student-
teaching experience, the supervisor and cooperating teacher should
have ongoing conversations concerning the edTPA. Some teaching
programs have provided a “Frequently Asked Questions” guide to
cooperating teachers to help them understand the purpose of the
edTPA better. Depending on the cooperating teacher’s knowledge
of academic language, supervisors should be prepared to discuss
this important focus of the edTPA. There should be no “guess-
ing” about the project. Having questions answered and confusion
cleared up can only help with smooth completion of the edTPA.
Cooperating teachers, administrators and university/college su-
pervisors all play a key role in the successful completion of the
edTPA project. Clear communication between all parties takes the
guesswork out of the process and lessens stress. When cooperating
teachers, administrators and university/college supervisors work
44  Volume 88  Number 5   May/June 2017
Table 3.
edTPA Tips for PETE Faculty
1. Understand that learning experiences related
to edTPA tasks are already part of most PETE
programs.
2. Buy into edTPA as a positive exercise in performance-
based assessment of teaching.
3. Use the data provided by edTPA.
4. Perform a gap analysis of the PETE program that is
informed by edTPA tasks.
5. Embed edTPA components throughout the PETE
program to allow for time to practice and build
understandings.
6. Create a timeline for student teachers, cooperating
teachers and supervisors so everyone knows what
will happen and when.
7. Have teacher candidates grant permission for edTPA
materials to be used as exemplars for future students.
8. Set student teachers on a path to success by using
intensive pre-student teaching edTPA preparation
to avoid having it monopolize all student-teaching
seminar time.
9. Clearly state upfront what student teachers will need
to do to remediate poor edTPA sections.
10. Decide how edTPA scores will become part of
certification, licensure and graduation processes.
11. If not already part of the program, teach students to
design and teach tasks in all three domains.
together to help lead the student teacher to success, the edTPA
project can be an excellent tool to help new teachers achieve suc-
cess and become highly effective practitioners (see Table 3).
What Teacher Preparation Programs and
Faculty Can Do
The path to implementation for institutions of higher educa-
tion in states where the edTPA is already a high-stakes exam for
teacher certification has not been without its challenges. Change
is not easy, and when the change is dictated at the state level, it
sometimes is a harder pill to swallow. The purpose of this section
is to provide tips for PETE faculty who may be in the beginning
stages of implementation and do not have a full understanding of
the purpose or intent of the edTPA, or who understand only the
negative aspects of what has been reported in the media.
Perform a Gap Analysis.  Some PETE programs do a better job
than others preparing their teacher candidates to plan, instruct and
assess their teaching, and anyone who has ever taught an under-
graduate methods course knows how hard it is to teach under-
graduates to effectively reflect on their practices. It is important to
look for the similarities between the curriculum and the edTPA. It
is highly recommended to meet as a faculty to analyze gaps and
overlaps in the curriculum, but when these meetings occur, it is
suggested to try to have a positive outlook on the process. An hon-
 est evaluation of the PETE curriculum may show where edTPA-
related concepts are missing. If gaps are identified, then professors
should look for meaningful ways to embed edTPA components in
the curriculum so that it becomes a part of the class and not just
“teaching to the test.”
Those who work closely with TCs in their student-teaching
seminars should create timelines for the candidates to follow and
instruct the candidates to share them with their college supervisor
and cooperating teacher so everyone in the student-teaching triad
is on the same page as the learning segments unfold. It is also ad-
vised to devote a full day or two prior to the first placement to give
the TCs intensive training on each task of the edTPA. This is essen-
tial, especially for those first groups of students who may not have
had components of the edTPA embedded in their courses. This will
allow for later seminars to be devoted to other relevant topics and
issues that TCs face within their student teaching.
Create an edTPA Boot Camp.  When designing intensive train-
ing times between the student teacher and supervisors, it is im-
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perative that each task is separately addressed in a clear, concise
manner. Preparing guides for the student teacher in addition to
the publications that the SCALE provides (SCALE, 2015a, 2015b,
2016) makes the transition to completing the tasks smoother and
without complications. For example, PETE professionals can cre-
ate a guide for each task, laying out step-by-step directions regard-
ing the completion of each task. Actual content must be designed
and implemented by the student teacher, but having a guide to
stay on track has led to greater success and less stress. In addition,
creating a guide for academic language has also led to a clearer un-
derstanding of infusing the CCSS and has offered student teachers
a clear breakdown of the task.
Utilize edTPA Data for Program Purposes. A primary goal
of the edTPA is to provide teacher preparation programs with
data-driven measures as a source of program evaluation (SCALE,
2013). Universities are provided all scores for candidates (as long
as teaching candidates check a box at the time of submission that
allows Pearson to share their scores with their university), which
can then be used to evaluate their curriculum. The data regarding
the breakdown of each rubric score can help professionals perform
a gap analysis of their PETE program. For example, if candidates
consistently score low on rubrics 4 and 14, which assess their abil-
ity to plan and to assess academic language, then PETE faculty can
take steps to improve their instruction to prepare their candidates
to utilize academic language in their teaching. Looking for gaps
where programs can embed edTPA content into their curriculum
will allow for a shift of course content that will lead toward more
effective teaching and edTPA success.
Although success on the edTPA is clearly the goal, reality is that
not every TC will be successful. Physical education teacher educa-
tion professionals need to think about how they will mentor and
facilitate the redo of an unsuccessful edTPA. One helpful tip is to
make sure that TCs video record as much as possible so that they
have a bank of video footage. Since a candidate may not use video
that was previously submitted, they would not be able to redo the
task without the extra footage. This poses all sorts of problems
and forces the candidate into repeating the entire edTPA.
Teacher education program professionals should view the
edTPA as one potential tool for measuring teacher effectiveness
of those seeking certification. Effective teachers are engaged in
tasks that happen to align with the edTPA. The only difference
is that now, by going beyond a simple cognitive measure of con-
tent knowledge, teacher candidates are being held accountable for
documenting and providing evidence of planning, instruction and
assessment.
Conclusions
Simply knowing why exercise is important is rarely sufficient
to effect behavior change. Knowing how to exercise is more likely
to have an impact. Knowing why the edTPA is important is good,
but knowing how to do it well is better when considering ways to
improve long-term effective teaching habits. The tips and sugges-
tions shared in this article are the result of the three authors’ expe-
riences with successful edTPA implementation at their respective
campuses. It should be emphasized that the majority of success re-
garding the edTPA was due to getting all stakeholders on the same
page. It is too soon to tell whether the edTPA can be the educative
and evaluative tool it claims to be with regard to educational re-
form, accountability, and integrating Common Core into physical
education, but if all stakeholders work together to understand this
assessment tool, it stands to reason that teaching candidates who
complete the assessment increase their chances for success com-
pared to stakeholders who maintain the status quo.
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