State education agencies (SEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) with educator preparation programs (EPPs) in the central region are developing evidence-based instruments for measuring teacher candidate performance. After examining EPPs across 15 states, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) created standards for SEAs and IHEs to use when creating data collection instruments for identifying quality teacher candidates (Allen, Coble, & Crowe, 2014). In particular, these standards outline expectations regarding the reliability and validity of these instruments (CAEP, 2013). Having accurate and effective instruments that can be used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of teacher candidates is pivotal to supporting teacher candidates' professional development as well as providing information to evaluate the effectiveness of EPPs. To help stakeholders investigate CAEP reliability and validity standards, REL Central will host an informative and interactive webinar, Examining the Reliability and Validity of Teacher Candidate Evaluation Instruments,
on February 13.
During the webinar, Gary Railsback, vice president of CAEP, will present the CAEP standards and discuss how reliability and validity are characterized in CAEP guidance. Participants will also be introduced to CAEP recommendations for sources of validity and reliability evidence through the 2013 CAEP Standards (2019) and CAEP Evidence Guide (2015). Railsback will also provide an overview of the different types of EPP-created teacher candidate evaluation instruments that CAEP has reviewed as well as the common challenges EPP staff have faced in meeting CAEP reliability and validity standards.
This webinar should be of particular interest to EPP leadership who are considering or are in the process of developing their own teacher candidate evaluation instruments. "Participants in the webinar will learn how to address the CAEP requirements for evidence of reliability and validity for teacher candidate evaluation instruments," explained Marc Brodersen, REL Central senior researcher and the webinar facilitator.
For those wondering how SEAs and IHEs with EPPs develop data collection instruments for evaluating EPPs that meet CAEP standards, this webinar will be especially useful. Presenters Stacy Duffield, professor at North Dakota State University, Sarah K. Anderson, associate professor and accreditation coordinator at Mayville State University, and Alan Olson, professor at Valley City State University, will share the steps that members of the North Dakota Common Metrics Project took to develop and assess the reliability and validity of the Student Teacher Observation Tool (STOT) - an instrument developed to measure teacher candidates' performance.
"The process used by North Dakota EPPs to collaboratively develop a valid and reliable assessment instrument The assessment is aligned with [Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium] InTASC standards, meets CAEP sufficiency level expectations, and went through the process of being piloted, analyzed, and revised and is now being used for the benefit of student teachers and program improvement," added Duffield, Anderson, and Olson.
Join us for the REL Central webinar Examining the Reliability and Validity of Teacher Candidate Evaluation Instruments on February 13 at 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. CT.
References
Allen, M., Coble, C., & Crowe, E. (2014). Building an evidence-based system for teacher preparation. Teacher Preparation Analytics.
Retrieved from http://caepnet.org/~/media/Files/caep/accreditation-resources/tpa-report-full.pdf?la=en
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. (2015). Program review options.
Retrieved from http://caepnet.org/accreditation/caep-accreditation/program-review-options
