Insights into an Australian practice-oriented teaching performance assessment for prospective teachers: benefits and complexities

ABSTRACT

This research examines the consequences of a mandatory assessment for pre-service teachers in Australia that is completed during their final teaching placement. The Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) is an analysis of practice that incorporates video of teaching episodes, observation feedback, and analysis of pupils’ work samples. Semi-structured focus groups and surveys were conducted with pre-service teachers and teacher educators to investigate how the assessment item contributes to developing professional understanding and professional practice. Data were analysed using inductive coding that was thematically categorised. The study established that the process of completing the TPA contributed to expanding pre-service teachers’ understanding and comprehension of the ways their teaching can improve pupil learning. These results lead to several insights about how a high-stakes assessment task such as the Teacher Performance Assessment can promote the educational growth of pre-service teachers but also brings risks of redirecting the purpose of the placement from its ambition to focus on compliance tactics.

KEYWORDS:

• Evaluative thinking
• initial teacher education
• professional reasoning
• professional learning and development
• teaching performance assessment

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the part funding from the Australian Institute for Teaching & School Leadership (AITSL) in the first year of the project (2017) and the significant and ongoing financial support provided by member institutions of the AfGT Consortium. The authors also thank members of the AfGT Consortium for the enthusiastic and collaborative work in developing the Assessment for Graduate Teaching.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the interpretation of the data by all members of the AfGT Consortium.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jeana Kriewaldt

Jeana Kriewaldt is Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Melbourne. Her research focuses on initial teacher education, teacher learning and their interrelationships.

Natasha Ziebell

Natasha Ziebell is a Lecturer at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. She has worked extensively in designing and implementing initial teacher education programmes and conducts professional learning programmes for teachers.

Katina Tan

Katina Tan is a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on assessment and evaluation in initial teacher education, early career teaching, student dispositions and learning outcomes.

Nadine Crane

Nadine Crane is a Lecturer at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. She has worked extensively on integrated curriculum and inquiry-based learning, student voice and agency, pedagogy and assessment, and developing clinical teaching skills in the classroom.