Group items tagged

But this spring, Johnson will take a practice version of a new performance assessment that goes beyond asking what he knows about his subject. Formally known as the Teacher Performance Assessment, the portfolio-based assessment will be required for anyone completing a teacher-education program and seeking a teaching license in Wisconsin after Aug. 31, 2015, the Department of Public Instruction has decided. Johnson and teacher hopefuls in other states taking the Teacher Performance Assessment, even if for practice, will have to submit lesson plans, reflections of their work and a video of their classroom interactions with students as part of the Web-based program.

All of it is aimed at answering a single, critical question: How well can you teach?

Developed by a team of researchers at Stanford University, the assessment will be administered by international education publishing and technology juggernaut Pearson. Once teacher candidates submit their portfolios online, trained reviewers from around the country will grade them on a scale of 1 to 5. They're looking for evidence of student learning, from the 10- to 15-minute video or teacher reflections. A 3 or higher is typically considered a passing score, though Wisconsin hasn't settled on what its passing score will be.