edTPA

edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) is a performance-based summative assessment designed to evaluate the teaching skills and effectiveness of teacher candidates. edTPA was developed by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) and is required by Oregon for licensure. This page provides a detailed look at what the edTPA involves for teacher candidates.

Please note that many resources on this page direct you to edTPA.org. edTPA.org is a separate website from edTPA.com, and requires a separate account log-in. If you are interested in an edTPA.org account, please contact Kevin A. McLemore, the Director of Assessment & Accreditation, at kmclemo2@pdx.edu. Teacher candidates who are completing edTPA should visit edtpa.com to create an account and register for the assessment. Here is a link with instructions to register for edTPA.com.

Purpose

The purpose of edTPA is to provide teacher candidates with a comprehensive portfolio of their teaching ability and readiness for the classroom. edTPA aims to ensure that candidates have the necessary skills to effectively plan, instruct, and assess student learning and evaluate how well candidates can apply their knowledge and skills in a real classroom setting.

Components

edTPA’s three components include:

Planning - Develop detailed lesson plans and instructional materials;
Instruction - Record videos of teaching practice;
Assessment of student learning - Analyze student work and reflect on instructional impact.

Reflection is a critical component throughout the edTPA. Candidates are expected to reflect on their teaching practices and how their practices can improve based on their observations and student outcomes.

Reporting Dates and Submission Instructions

Submission deadlines and score reporting date can be found at edTPA Submission and Reporting Dates page for submission deadlines and score reporting dates. For information about submitting the edTPA, please follow the instructions listed under the "Candidates Using the Pearson ePortfolio System" at edTPA’s Submitting the Assessment.

Getting Started

A good starting point is to review Making Good Choices (see also Making Good Choices - Special Education and Making Good Choices - Addendum for Elementary Education: Literacy with Mathematics Task 4). Making Good Choices is a general guide that offers an overview of the edTPA requirements.

edTPA Overview Videos

edTPA has created an introductory edTPA video and “deep dives” into the edTPA tasks. An edTPA.org account is required to access these resources. If you are interested in having an edTPA.org account created for you, please contact Kevin A. McLemore, the Director of Assessment & Accreditation, at kmclemo2@pdx.edu.

Handbooks, Rubrics, Templates & Thinking Organizers

Each content area has its own handbook and set of resources that include details and guidance to ensure success on the edTPA. Below are direct links to the College of Education's Google Drive with resources that include the assessment handbook, rubrics, templates, tips for using academic language, and thinking organizers. You must be logged into your pdx.edu account in order to access these resources.

Confidentiality and Permission Forms

Teacher candidates will need to complete a confidentiality agreement and a parent video permission form.

Confidentiality agreement - The agreement is located in Tk20 and must be completed before working on edTPA. (Example)
Parent video permission form - Permission forms must be collected from parents or guardians before taping for the edTPA. Forms are available in English, Arabic, Amharic, Burmese, Chinese, Hmong, Khmer, Spanish, Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. Forms collected by hardcopy must be uploaded into Tk20.
Virtual permission forms - Virtual permission forms are available in English, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Forms collected virtually must be uploaded into Tk20.

Both the confidentiality agreement and parent video permission form will appear in the Pending Task section in Tk20. Teacher candidates will not be eligible for licensure until these forms are submitted.

Video support

edTPA’s Task 2 (Instruction) requires teacher candidates to submit video records of their teaching practice. These clips should demonstrate how teacher candidates deliver instruction, interact with students, and engage them in learning activities. The edTPA task 2 support video (9:42) provides an overview for how students can begin recording, trimming, and compressing videos.

Additional instructions to support Task 2 related to training, editing, compressing, and exporting video files based on your use of Mac or PC can be found here. You must be logged into your pdx.edu account in order to access these resources.

iPad Check-out Request Form

If you are in need of an iPad to record edTPA Task 2, please complete the following Google form.

Cost

The cost for edTPA is $300. Payment is due when you register for edTPA. The fee is used to cover the cost of developing and supporting the edTPA and pay nationally-trained evaluators to score the edTPA. Please see edTPA’s Fees and Payment Options page for more information.

If you need to retake the edTPA, the cost is $300 for a full retake, $200 for a two-task retake, and $100 for a single task retake.

If you are in a position where you may need to forego living expenses to pay for edTPA, please submit a Student Emergency Fund application. More information about the expenses considered and the eligibility can be found on the Student Emergency Fund page.

Scoring

The edTPA is scored by independent, trained, third-party evaluators based on rubrics that focus on different aspects of teaching practice.

Reviewing the rubric that corresponds to the handbook for each section of the edTPA will provide you with valuable insight on how to prepare your portfolio. Understanding what evaluators are looking for will help tailor the edTPA to meet these expectations.

The minimum passing scores are:

13-rubric handbooks (World Languages): 29
15-rubric handbook (Most handbooks): 35
18-rubric handbook (Elementary Education with Mathematics): 42

One possible scoring outcome is receiving a condition code. Condition codes indicate that some part of the portfolio was not scorable, and the code itself offers more detail about the reason why. Condition codes will need to be addressed in order to receive a passing score on your retake. Please see edTPA’s Condition Code Guidance and Support page for more information about condition codes.

Benefits

The edTPA is designed to ensure that new teachers are well-prepared to support student learning and to help them grow as educators through rigorous assessment and feedback. Consequently, the edTPA:

Demonstrates candidates’ readiness to teach
Prepares candidates for the actual work of teaching
Aligns with many Oregon districts’ teacher evaluation systems
Meets the Oregon licensure requirements
Informs the College of Education about how well our programs are preparing candidates to teach

Faculty Support

The College of Education has dedicated faculty to support teacher candidates with the edTPA. For AY2024-25, the edTPA faculty coordinators are:

Tiffany Jones (Special Education)
Heidi Meister (GTEP - Secondary)
Olivia Murray (Elementary Education)
Melissa Pebly (Special Education)

Links

Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) - edTPA

edTPA for Oregon - Includes information about edTPA handbooks and passing scores

edTPA.org - A general resource for teacher candidates

edTPA.com - Register for and submit the edTPA and access edTPA scores