This document outlines policies and guidelines for supporting candidates during their completion of the pilot/field test. These guidelines apply to all support providers including faculty, supervisors, cooperating teachers, mentor teachers, peers, and others who may provide assistance (e.g., a tutor). Consistent with research on student learning, programs are encouraged to help candidates examine expectations for performance evaluated by the pilot/field test in meaningful ways, and discuss how they will demonstrate their performance in relation to those expectations. Since the pilot/field test is to be embedded within an educator preparation program, it is expected that candidates will engage in professional conversations with support providers about teaching and learning associated with the outcomes assessed by the pilot/field test. Support providers are encouraged to review the language, structure, and progression of a candidate's submission against the pilot/field test rubrics, and to provide formative feedback and guidance to the candidate as part of the preparation program experience. Below are examples of acceptable forms of support that may be provided to candidates completing the pilot/field test.
These activities constitute required forms of support for candidates within the pilot/field test process:
-
providing candidates with access to pilot/field test assessment guides, templates, and other explanatory materials about the pilot/field test and expectations for candidate performance on the assessment
-
explaining pilot/field test instructional cycle and rubrics, and guiding discussions about them
-
engaging candidates in formative experiences aligned with the pilot/field test (e.g., assignments on the plan, teach and assess, reflect, and apply sequence)
-
ensuring that candidates complete the assessment within a cooperating school or district during their clinical experience and verify appropriate permissions for all individuals who appear in any video recording
-
providing candidates who are not successful on the pilot/field test with additional support to engage in any subsequently required operational assessments
These activities constitute acceptable, but not required forms of support for candidates within the pilot/field test process:
-
reviewing examples of effective teaching (e.g., lesson plans, classroom observations, feedback to students) using pilot/field test rubrics or support documents
-
referring candidates to a writing workshop or center for assistance in improving writing for course assignments, as long as the assistance is not in the form of direct editing of submission materials
-
recommending and/or providing specific assistance to address areas in which the candidate has demonstrated a need for improvement (e.g., Integrated ELD, reflective writing, professional writing about students, using knowledge of students to plan instruction, differentiating instruction)
-
explaining scoring rubrics by using them in formative exercises or assignments outside of the ones the candidate will submit for scoring
-
linking content and experiences from the preparation program to the TPEs as measured by the pilot/field test cycles and rubrics
-
providing a schedule/timeline for completion of the pilot/field test
-
conducting check-in meetings to discuss timelines and deliverables, and to ascertain or address candidate questions
-
co-planning an instructional segment with a cooperating teacher or peer, while ensuring that the evidence submitted for the pilot/field test represents the original work of the candidate(s)
-
providing access to translations of instructional materials for submissions that include evidence in languages other than English and require translations
-
paraphrasing or answering candidate questions about the content of an instructional cycle, rubrics, directions (including templates), or support documents such as the pilot/field test assessment materials
-
encouraging candidates to self-assess their draft responses or video recordings against the pilot/field test rubrics without providing direct edits to responses or specific answers to pilot/field test prompts
-
answering common questions about the pilot/field test in a group setting
-
facilitating candidate discussion groups that are intended to provide peer-to-peer support for completing the pilot/field test while maintaining the original work of each candidate
-
directing candidates to resources on current research and evidence-based practices, and to experts in the field who are knowledgeable about the content of the cycles and rubrics
-
assisting candidates in understanding how to use the electronic platform for accessing materials and uploading submissions
-
arranging technical assistance for video-recorded portions of the pilot/field test
- providing and discussing support documents such as these guidelines for acceptable support and the Pilot/Field Test Rules of Participation
Although there may be many opportunities for support providers to encourage a candidate's deeper understanding and demonstration of pedagogy, other supports are not acceptable within the pilot/field test process. These unacceptable forms of support will undermine the use of the assessment as a determinant of a candidate's status with respect to the TPEs and as an indicator of preparation program quality and effectiveness. Engaging in these activities could lead to a candidate's loss of the credential and jeopardize a program's accreditation status.
The following activities constitute unacceptable forms of support for candidates completing the pilot/field test:
-
providing a candidate with the content or answer in response to a pilot/field test prompt (e.g., selecting for a candidate the focus students, analyzing student work, determining next steps for instruction for a group of students)
-
editing and/or revising a candidate's response prior to submission
-
conjecturing on pilot/field test performance requirements, expectations, or what is deemed as sufficient evidence
-
using institutional terms and definitions as substitutes for those used in the pilot/field test
-
offering alternative responses or answers to prompts for a candidate's draft responses prior to submission for official scoring
-
telling a candidate which video clips or work samples to select for submission
- uploading a candidate's responses (written or video-recorded) to publicly available websites or through social media
View Cart