Middle Childhood English Language Arts
Assessment Handbook
Version 06.1
edTPA_MC_ELA_V06.1
edTPA stems from a twenty-five-year history of developing performance-based assessments of
teaching quality and effectiveness. The Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium (Stanford
and AACTE) acknowledges the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the
Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, and the Performance Assessment for
California Teachers for their pioneering work using discipline-specific portfolio assessments to
evaluate teaching quality. This version of the handbook has been developed with thoughtful input
from over six hundred teachers and teacher educators representing various national design
teams, national subject matter organizations (ACEI, ACTFL, AMLE, CEC, IRA, NAEYC, NAGC,
NCSS, NCTE, NCTM, NSTA, SHAPE America), and content validation reviewers. All
contributions are recognized and appreciated.
This document was authored by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE)
with editorial and design assistance from Evaluation Systems.
Copyright © 2019 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
The edTPA trademarks are owned by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.
Use of the edTPA trademarks is permitted only pursuant to the terms of a written license agreement.
edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
i
Contents
Introduction to edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts ................................................. 1
Purpose................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Overview of the Assessment ................................................................................................................................... 1
Structure of the Handbook ...................................................................................................................................... 3
edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Tasks Overview ......................................................................... 5
Planning Task 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment .......................................................... 8
What Do I Need to Think About? ............................................................................................................................ 8
What Do I Need to Do? ........................................................................................................................................... 8
What Do I Need to Write? ..................................................................................................................................... 10
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be Assessed? ........................................................................... 13
Planning Rubrics ................................................................................................................................................... 14
Instruction Task 2: Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning ........................................... 19
What Do I Need to Think About? .......................................................................................................................... 19
What Do I Need to Do? ......................................................................................................................................... 19
What Do I Need to Write? ..................................................................................................................................... 21
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be Assessed? ........................................................................... 22
Instruction Rubrics ................................................................................................................................................ 23
Assessment Task 3: Assessing Student Learning ........................................................................ 28
What Do I Need to Think About? .......................................................................................................................... 28
What Do I Need to Do? ......................................................................................................................................... 28
What Do I Need to Write? ..................................................................................................................................... 29
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be Assessed? ........................................................................... 31
Assessment Rubrics ............................................................................................................................................. 32
Professional Responsibilities ........................................................................................................... 37
Middle Childhood English Language Arts Context for Learning Information ............................ 38
Middle Childhood English Language Arts Evidence Chart ........................................................... 41
Planning Task 1: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications .................................................................................. 41
Instruction Task 2: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications ............................................................................... 42
Assessment Task 3: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications ............................................................................ 43
Middle Childhood English Language Arts Glossary ...................................................................... 46
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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This document contains both information and definition pop-ups. To read information, use the Down Arrow from a form field.
Introduction to edTPA Middle Childhood
English Language Arts
Purpose
The purpose of edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts, a nationally available
performance-based assessment, is to measure novice teachers’ readiness to teach English
Language Arts to young adolescents. The assessment is designed with a focus on student
learning and principles from research and theory. It is based on findings that successful
teachers
develop knowledge of subject matter content standards and subject-specific
pedagogy
develop and apply knowledg
e of varied students’ needs
consider research and th
eory about how students learn
re
fl
ect on and analyze evidence of the effect
s of instruction on student learning
As a performance-based assessment, edTPA is
designed to engage candidates in
demonstrating their understanding of teaching and student learning in authentic ways.
Overview of the Assessment
The edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts assessment is composed of three
tasks:
1. Planning for Instruction and Assessment
2. Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning
3. Assessing Student Learning
For this assessment, you wil
l first plan 3–5 consecutive English Language Arts lessons
(or, if teaching within a large time block, 3–5 hours of connected instruction) referred to
as a learning segment. Consistent with NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language
Art
s,
1
a learning segment prepared for this assessment should provide opportunities for
young adolescents to use textual references to construct meaning from, interpret, or
respond to complex text, AND t
o create a written product, interpreting or responding to
complex features of a text that are just beyond your students’ current skill levels.
2
1
The Standards for the English Language Arts (2012) can be found at
http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/Books/Sample/StandardsDoc.pdf.
2
Complex text used as the focus for instruction can be written text, speech (oral text), or other media. However, students must
produce a written product within the learning segment.
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In addition, consistent with the recommendations provided by the Association for Middle
Level Education (AMLE),
3
a learning segment prepared for this assessment should be
“developmentally responsive, challenging, empowering, and equitable.” While the full scope
of AMLE’s recommendations will not be feasible in a short learning segment, you should
design your lessons to provide challenging and responsive opportunities for young
adolescents to learn English Language Arts.
3
See the AMLE Middle Level Teacher Preparation Standards (2012) at
http://www.amle.org/AboutAMLE/ProfessionalPreparation/AMLEStandards/tabid/263/Default.aspx.
You will then teach the learning segment, making a videorecording of your interactions with
students during instruction. You will also assess, informally and formally, students’ learning
throughout the learning segment. Upon completion of the three tasks, you will submit
artifacts from the tasks (e.g., lesson plans, clips from your videorecording, assessment
mat
erials, instructional materials, student work samples), as well as commentaries that
you
have written to explain and reflect on the Planning, Instruction, and Assessment
components of the tasks. The artifacts and commentaries for each task will then be
evaluated using rubrics especially developed for each task.
The edTPA Tasks and the Cycle of Effective Teaching
The three edTPA tasks represent a cycle of effective teaching (i.e., teaching that is focused
on student learning). Planning Task 1 documents your intended teaching, Instruction Task
2 documents your enacted teaching, and Assessment Task 3 documents the impact of
your teaching on student learning.
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The three tasks and the evidence you provide for each are framed by your understandings
of your students and their learning. As you develop, document, and teach your lessons, you
will reflect upon the cyclical relationship among planning, instruction, and assessment with a
focus on your students’ learning needs.
Evidence of Teaching Practice: Artifacts and Commentaries
An essential part of edTPA is the evidence you will submit of how you planned, taught, and
assessed your lessons to deepen young adolescent learning in English Language Arts. This
evidence includes both artifacts and commentaries:
Artifacts represent authentic work completed by you and your students. These
inc
lude lesson plans, copies of instructional and assessment materials, video clips of
your teaching, and student work samples.
Commentaries are
your opportunity to describe your artifacts, explain the rationale
behind their choice, and analyze what you have learned about your teaching practice
and your students’ learning. Note that although your writing ability will not be scored
directly, commentaries must be clearly written and well focused.
When preparing your artifacts and commentaries, refer to the rubrics frequently to guide
y
our thinking, planning, and writing. Refer to the
Middle Childhood English Language Arts
E
vidence Chart for information about how your evidence should be formatted for electronic
s
ubmission.
Evaluation Criteria
The rubrics used to score your performance are included in this handbook, following the
sections describing the directions for each task. The descriptors in the five-level rubrics
address a wide range of performance, beginning with the knowledge and skills of a novice
not ready to teach (Level 1) and extending to the advanced practices of a highly
accomplished beginner (Level 5).
Structure of the Handbook
The following pages provide specific instructions on how to complete each of the three tasks
of the edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts assessment. After an overview of the
tasks, the handbook provides instructions for each task, organized into four sections:
1. What Do I Need to Think About?
This section provides focus questions for you to think about when completing the task.
2. What Do I Need to Do?
This section provides specific, detailed directions for completing the task.
3. What Do I Need to Write?
This section tells you what you need to write and also provides specific and detailed
di
rections for writing the commentary for the task.
4. How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be Assessed?
This section includes the rubrics that will be used to assess the evidence you provide for
t
he task.
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Additional requirements and resources are provided for you in this handbook:
Professional Responsibilities: guidelines for the development of your evidence
Middle Childhood Engl
ish Language Arts C
ontext for Learning Information:
prompts used to collect information about your school/classroom context
Middle Childhood English Language Arts Ev
idence Chart: specifications for
electronic submission of evidence (artifacts and commentaries), including templates,
supported file types, number of files, response length, and other important evidence
specifications
Glossary: definitions of key terms can be accessed by rolling your cursor over each
glossary term marked with a dotted underline throughout the handbook or by
referring to the Mi
ddle Childhood English Language Arts Glossary.
You should review the Making Good Choices document prior to beginning the planning of
t
he learning segment. If you are in a preparation program, it will have additional resources
that provide guidance as you develop your evidence.
Review all instructions carefully before beginning to teach the learning segment to
ensure that you are well prepared for all tasks. Before you record your videos,
pay particular attention to the specific content focus of each video clip
submission; these foci are described in the What Do I Need to Do? sections in
Instruction Task 2 and Assessment Task 3. Refer to the Professional
Responsibilities section of this handbook for important information about
permissions, confidentiality, and other requirements.
If your program requires you to submit artifacts and commentaries for official
scoring, refer to www.edTPA.com for complete and current information before
beginning your work and to download templates for submitting materials. The
website contains information about the registration process, submission deadlines,
submission requirements, withdrawal/refund policies, and score reporting. It also
provides contact information should you have questions about your registration and
participation in edTPA.
Whether submitting directly to www.edTPA.com or via your program’s electronic
portfolio management system, follow the submission guidelines as documented in
the Evidence Chart and review edTPA Submission Requirements to ensure that
your materials conform to the required evidence specifications and requirements for
scoring.
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts
Tasks Overview
Planning Task 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment
What to Do
Select one class as a focus for this
assessment.
Provide relevant context information.
Identify a learning segment to plan,
teach, an
d analyze student learning.
Your learning segment should include
3–5 consecutive lessons (or, if
teaching English Language Arts within a
large time block, about 3–5 hours of
connected instruction).
Determine a central focus for your
lear
ning segment. The central focus
should support young adolescent
learners to (1) use textual references to
construct meaning from, interpret, or
respond to complex text (2) create a
written product that interprets or
responds to a text and (3) make
interdisciplinary connections.
Write and submit a lesson plan for each
lesson i
n the learning segment.
Select and submit key instructional
materi
als needed to understand what
you and the students will be doing.
Choose one language function and
other l
anguage demands important to
understanding middle childhood English
Language Arts in your learning
segment. Identify a learning task where
students are supported to use this
language.
Respond to commentary prompts prior
to te
aching the learning segment.
Submit copies of all written
assessments and/o
r clear directions for
any oral or performance assessments
from the learning segment.
What to Submit
Part A: Context for
Learning Information
Part B: Lesson Plans for
Learni
ng Segment
Part C: Instructional
Mater
ials
Part D: Assessments
Pa
rt E: Planning
Commentary
Evaluation Rubrics
Planning Rubrics
Rubric 1: Planning for English
Lang
uage Arts Understandings
Rubric 2: Planning to Support
Var
ied Student Learning Needs
Rubric 3: Using Knowledge of
Students to
Inform Teaching and
Learning
Rubric 4: Identifying and
Supp
orting Language Demands
Rubric 5: Planning Assessments to
Monitor
and Support Student
Learning
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Instruction Task 2: Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning
What to Do
Obtain required permissions for
videorecording from parents/guardians
of your students and other adults
appearing in the video.
Identify lessons from th
e learning
segment you planned in Planning Task
1 to be videorecorded. You should
choose lessons that show you
interacting with young adolescents to:
1) engage them in constructing
mea
ning from, interpreting, or
responding to a complex feature of a
text, and 2) discuss the text to support
and/or monitor young adolescents’
abilities to interpret the text.
Videorecord your teaching and select 2
video c
lips (no more than 10 minutes
each in total running time, but not
less than 3 minutes combined).
Analyze your teaching and your
stu
dents’ learning in the video clips by
responding to commentary prompts.
What to Submit
Part A: Video Clips
Part B: Instruction
Commentary
Evaluation Rubrics
Instruction Rubrics
Rubric 6: Learning Environment
Rubr
ic 7: Engaging Students in
Learning
Rubric 8: Deepening Student
L
earning
Rubric 9: Subject-Specific
P
edagogy: Using Textual
References
Rubric 10: Analyzing Teaching
E
ffectiveness
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Assessment Task 3: Assessing Student Learning
What to Do
Select one assessment from the
learning segment that you will use to
evaluate your studentsdeveloping
knowledge and skills. Attach the
assessment used to evaluate learner
performance to the end of the
Assessment Commentary.
Define and submit the evaluation
crit
eria you will use to analyze young
adolescent learning.
Collect and analyze young adolescent
work fr
om the selected assessment to
identify quantitative and qualitative
patterns of learning within and across
learners in the class.
Select 3 student work samples to
il
lustrate your analysis of patterns of
learning within and across learners in
the class. At least 1 of the samples
must be from a young adolescent with
specific learning needs. These 3
students will be your focus students.
Summarize the learning of the whole
class,
referring to work samples from
the 3 focus students to illustrate
patterns in young adolescent
understanding across the class.
Submit feedback for the work samples
for
the 3 focus students in written,
audio, or video form.
Analyze evidence of young adolescents’
lan
guage use from (1) the video clips
from Instruction Task 2, (2) an
additional video clip of one or more
students using language within the
learning segment, AND/OR (3) the
student work samples from Assessment
Task 3.
Analyze evidence of young adolescent
lea
rning, and plan for next steps by
responding to commentary prompts.
What to Submit
Part A: Student Work
Samples
Part B: Evidence of
Feedb
ack
Part C: Assessment
Commen
tary
Part D: Evaluation Criteria
Evaluation Rubrics
Assessment Rubrics
Rubric 11: Analysis of Student
Learning
Rubric 12: Providing Feedback to
Gu
ide Learning
Rubric 13: Student
Under
standing and Use of
Feedback
Rubric 14: Analyzing Students’
Lang
uage Use and English
Language Arts Learning
Rubric 15: Using Assessment to
Infor
m Instruction
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Planning Task 1: Planning for Instruction
and Assessment
What Do I Need to Think About?
In Planning Task 1, you will describe your plans for the learning segment and explain how
your instruction is developmentally appropriate for young adolescents and the content you
are teaching. As you develop your plans, you need to think about the following:
What do your students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do?
What do you want your students to learn? What are the
important understandings,
core concepts, and interdisciplinary connections you want students to develop within
the
learning segment?
How will you use your knowledge of your students’ assets to inform your
plans?
What instructional strategies, learning tasks, and assessments
will you design to
suppor
t young adolescent learning and language use?
How will your learning segment support students to develop and use language that
deepens c
ontent understanding?
How is the teaching you propose supported by research and theory about how young
adoles
cents learn?
What Do I Need to Do?
Select a class. If you teach more than one class, select one focus class for this
assessment. If your placement for English Language Arts has you responsible for a
group rather than a whole class, plans should describe instruction for that group
(minimum of 4 students). That group will constitute “the whole class” for edTPA.
Provide context information. The Middle Childhood English Language Arts Context for
Learning Information form is provided later in this handbook and must be submitted in a
tem
plate. This form provides essential information about your students and your
school/classroom. The context information you submit should be no more than 4
pages, including prompts.
Identify a learning segment to plan, teach, and analyze. Review the curriculum with
your cooperating teacher and select a learning segment of 3–5 consecutive lessons. (If
teaching English Language Arts within a large time block, select a learning segment of
about 3–5 hours of connected instruction.)
Identify a central focus. Identify the central
focus along with the content standards and
objectives you will address in the learning segment. The central focus should support
young adolescents to use textual references to
construct meaning from, interpret, or respond to complex text
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create a written product interpreting or responding to complex features of a text that
are just beyond their current skill levels
make interdisciplinary connections as relevant
Identif
y and plan to support language demands. Select a k
ey language function from
your learning objectives. Choose a learning task that p
rovides opportunities for young
adolescents to practice using that language function. Identify additional language
demands associated with that task. Plan targeted supports that address the identified
language demands, including the language function.
Write a lesson plan for each lesson in t
he learning segment. Your lesson plans should
be detailed enough that a substitute or other teacher could understand them well enough
to use them.
Your lesson plans must include the foll
owing information, even if your teacher
preparation program requires you to use a specific lesson plan format:
State-adopted student academic content standards that are the target of student
learni
ng (Note: Please include the number and text of each standard that is being
addressed. If only a portion of a standard is being addressed, then only list the part
or parts that are relevant.)
Learning objectives (subj
ect-specific and, as relevant, interdisciplinary) associated
with the content standards
Informal and formal assessment
s used to monitor student learning, including type(s)
of assessment and what is being assessed
Instructional strategies and learning tasks (including what you and the students will
be doing) t
hat support diverse student needs
Instructional resources and mat
erials used to engage young adolescents in learning
Each lesson plan must be no more than 4 pages in length. You will need to
condense or
excerpt lesson plans longer than 4 pages. Any explanations or rationale for
decisions should be included in your Planning Commentary and deleted from your plans.
Respond to the commentary prompt
s listed in the Planning Commentary section
prior to teaching the learning segment.
Submit your original lesson plans. If you make changes
while teaching the learning
segment, you may offer reflection on those changes in the Instruction Task 2 and
Assessment Task 3 Commentaries.
Select and submit key instructional materials needed to understand what y
ou and
the students will be doing (no more than 5 additional pages per lesson plan). The
instructional materials might include such items as class handouts, assignments, slides,
and interactive whiteboard images.
Submit copies of all written assessments and/or directions for any oral or
performance assessments. (Submit only the blank assessment given to students; do
not submit student work samples for this task.)
Provide citations for the source of all materials that you did not create (e.g.,
published texts, websites, and material from other educators). List all citations by lesson
number at the end of the Planning Commentary. Note: Citations do not count toward the
commentary page limit.
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See the Planning Task 1: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications in the Middle
Childhood English Language Arts Evidence Chart for instructions on electronic
submission of evidence. The evidence chart identifies templates, supported file
types, number of files, response length, and other important evidence specifications.
Your evidence cannot contain hyperlinked content. Any web content you wish to
include as part of your evidence must be submitted as a document file, which must
conform to the file format and response length requirements.
What Do I Need to Write?
In Planning Task 1, you will write
a description of your Context for Le
arning (see “What Do I Need to Do?” above for
direc
tions)
lesson plans (see “What Do I Need to Do?” above for directions)
a commentary expl
aining your plans (see “Planning Commentary” below for
directions)
Planning Commentary
In Planning Task 1, you will write a commentary, responding to the prompts below. Your
commentary should be no more than 9 single-spaced pages, including the prompts.
1. Central Focus
a. Describe the central focus and purpose of the content you will teach in the
learni
ng segment.
b. Provide the title, author (or, if a film, the director), and a short description (about
a paragr
aph) of salient features of the text(s) that a reviewer of your evidence,
who is unfamiliar with the text(s), needs to know in order to understand your
instruction. If there is more than one text, indicate the lesson(s) where each text
will be the focus.
Consider including the following in your description: genre, text structure, theme,
plot,
imagery, or linguistic features, depending on the central focus of your
learning segment.
c. Given the central focus, describe how the standards and learning objectives
wit
hin your learning segment address young adolescents’ abilities to use textual
references to
construct meaning from, interpret, or
respond to complex text
create a written product interpreting or responding to complex features of a
text
d. E
xplain how y
our plans build on each other to help young adolescents make
connections between textual references, constructions of meaning,
interpretations, and responses to a text to deepen their learning of Middle
Childhood English Language Arts.
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e. Explain how you will help students make interdisciplinary or integrative
connections between the central focus of the learning segment and other subject
areas.
2. Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching
For each of t
he prompts 2ac below, describe what you know about your students
with respect to the central focus of the learning segment.
Consider the vari
ety of young adolescent learner
s in your class who may require
different strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language
learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in
academic knowledge, and/or gifted students).
a. Prior academic learning and prerequisite skills related to the central
focusCite
evidence of what young adolescents know, what they can do, and what
they are still learning to do.
b. Personal, cultural, and communit
y assets related to the central focusWhat do
you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural and
language backgrounds and practices, and interests?
c. Young adolescent developmental assets related to the central focusWhat do
you know about your students’ cognitive, physical
, and social and
emotional development?
3. S
upporting Students
English Language Arts Learning
Respond to prompts 3a–d below. To support your justifications, refer to the
instructional materials and lesson plans you have included as part of Planning Task
1. In addition, support your justifications using principles from research and/or
theory, including how the research/theory reflects elements of young
adolescent development.
a. Justify how your understanding of your students’ prior academic learning (from
prompt 2a above) guided your choice or adaptation of learning tasks and
materials. Be explicit about the connections between the learning tasks and
students’ prior academic learning and research/theory.
b. Justify how your understanding of your students’ personal, cultural, community,
and developmental assets (from prompts 2bc above) guided your choice or
adaptation of learning tasks and materials. Be explicit about the connections
between the learning tasks and students’ assets and research/theory.
c. Describe and justify why your instructional strategies and planned supports
are
appropriate for
the whole class, individuals, and groups of young
adolescents with specific learning needs.
Consider the variety of young adol
escent learners in your class who may require
different strategies/support (e.g., young adolescents with IEPs or 504 plans,
English language learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those
with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students).
d. Describe common student errors or misunderstandings within your central focus
and how you will address them.
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4. Supporting English Language Arts Development Through Language
As you respond to prompts 4ad, consider the range of students’ language assets
and needswhat do students already know, what are they struggling with, and/or
what is new to them?
a. Language Function. Using information about your students’ language assets
and needs, identify one language function essential for your young adolescents
to construct meaning from, respond to, or interpret text. Listed below are some
sample language functions. You may choose one of these or another more
appropriate for your learning segment.
Analyze Argue Describe Evaluate
Explain Interpret Justify Synthesize
b. Identify a key learning task from your plans that provides young adolescents with
opportunities to practice using the language function identified above. Identify the
lesson in which the learning task occurs. (Give lesson/day number.)
c. Additional Language Demands. Given the language function and learning task
identified above, describe the following associated language demands (written or
oral) young adolescents need to understand and/or use:
Vocabulary
Plus at least one of the following:
Synt
ax
Discourse
d. Language S
upports. Re
fer to
your lesson plans and instructional materials as
needed in your response to the prompt.
Identify and describe the planned instruc
tional supports (during and/or prior to
the learning task) to help students understand, develop, and use the
identified language demands (language function, vocabulary, discourse, or
syntax).
5. Monitoring Student Learning
In response
to the prompts below, refer to the assessments you will submit as part of
the materials for Planning Task 1.
a. Describe how your planned formal and informal assessments, including a written
product, will provide direct evidence of young adolescents’ abilities to construct
meaning from, interpret, OR respond to a complex text throughout the learning
segment.
b. Explain how the design or adaptation of your planned assessments allows young
adolescents with specific needs to demonstrate their learning.
Consider the variety of young adolescent learners in your class who may require
different strategies/support (e.g., young adolescents with IEPs or 504 plans,
English language learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those
with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students).
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How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be
Assessed?
For Planning Task 1, your evidence will be assessed using rubrics 15, which appear on the
following pages. When preparing your artifacts and c
ommentaries, refer to the rubrics
fr
equently to guide your thinking, planning, and writing.
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Planning Rubrics
Rubric 1: Planning for English Language Arts Understandings
How do the candidate’s plans build young adolescents’ abilities to use textual references to construct meaning
from, interpret, OR respond to complex text?
Level 1
4
Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Candidate’s plans for
instruction focus solely on
literal comprehension of text
with little or no connections
to
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretation of, OR
responses to a complex
text.
OR
There are significant content
inaccuracies that will lead to
student misunderstandings.
OR
Standards, objectives, and
lea
rning tasks and materials
are not aligned with each
other.
Candidate’s plans for
instr
uction support young
adolescents’ learning of
facts and procedures with
vague connections between
textual references AND
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretation of, OR
responses to a complex
text.
Candidate’s plans for
instr
uction build on each
other to support learning of
meanings of complex text with
clear connections between
textual references AND
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretation of, OR
responses to a complex
text.
Candidate’s plans for
instr
uction build on each other
to support learning of
meanings of complex text with
clear and consistent
connections between textual
references AND
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretation of, OR
responses to a complex
text.
Plans support English
Language Ar
ts learning and
imply interdisciplinary
connections.
Level 4 plus:
Candidate explains how s/he
wil
l use learning tasks and
materials to lead students to
make clear and consistent
connections within English
Language Arts as well as
explicit and relevant
interdisciplinary
connections.
4
Text representing key differences between adjacent score levels is shown in bold. Evidence that does not meet Level 1 criteria is scored at Level 1.
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Planning Rubrics continued
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Rubric 2: Planning to Support Varied Student Learning Needs
How does the candidate use knowledge of his/her young adolescents to target support for students to construct
meaning from, interpret, or respond to complex text?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
There is no evidence of
planned supports.
OR
Candidate does not at
tend to
ANY INSTRUCTIONAL
requirements in IEPs and 504
plans.
Pla
nned supports are loosely
tied to learning objectives or
the central focus of the
learning segment.
Planned supports are tied
to learning objectives and
the central focus with
attention to the
characteristics of the
class as a whole.
Planned supports are tied to
learning objectives and the
central focus. Supports
address the needs of specific
individuals or groups with
similar needs.
Level 4 plus:
Supports include specific
strategies to identify and
respond to common errors
and misunderstandings.
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Planning Rubrics continued
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Rubric 3: Using Knowledge of Students to Inform Teaching and Learning
How does the candidate use knowledge of his/her young adolescent learners to justify instructional plans?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Candidate’s justification of
learning tasks is either
missing OR represents a
deficit view of students and
their backgrounds.
Candidate justifies learning
tasks with limited attention to
students’
prior academic learning
OR
personal, cultural,
community, or
developmental assets.
Candidate justifies why
l
earning tasks (or their
adaptations) are appropriate
using examples of students’
prior academic learning
OR
personal, cultural,
community, or
developmental assets.
Candidate makes superficial
c
onnections to research
and/or theory.
Candidate justifies why
l
earning tasks (or their
adaptations) are appropriate
using examples of students’
prior academic learning
AND
personal, cultural,
community, or
developmental assets.
Candidate makes
c
onnections to research
and/or theory, including young
adolescent development.
Level 4 plus:
Candidate’s justification is
support
ed by principles
from research and/or theory,
including young adolescent
development.
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Planning Rubrics continued
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Rubric 4: Identifying and Supporting Language Demands
How does the candidate identify and support language demands associated with a key English Language Arts
learning task?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Language demands identified
by the candidate are not
consistent with the selected
language function OR task.
OR
Language supports are
m
issing or are not aligned
with the language demand(s)
for the learning task.
Language support
s primarily
address one language
demand (vocabulary, function,
syntax, discourse).
General language supports
address use of two or more
language demands
(vocabulary, function, syntax,
discourse).
Targeted language supports
address use of
vocabulary,
language function, AND
one or more additional
language demands
(syntax, discourse).
Level 4 plus:
Language supports are
designed t
o meet the needs
of students with different
levels of language learning.
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Planning Rubrics continued
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Rubric 5: Planning Assessments to Monitor and Support Student Learning
How are the informal and formal assessments selected or designed to monitor young adolescentsprogress
toward the standards/objectives?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
The assessments only
provide evidence of students'
literal comprehension of text.
OR
Candidate does not attend to
ANY AS
SESSMENT
requirements in IEPs and 504
plans.
The assessment
s provide
limited evidence to monitor
young adolescents’ abilities
to
construct meaning from,
interpret, OR
respond to the text
during the learning segment.
The assessments provide
spe
cific evidence, including
a written product, to monitor
young adolescents’ abilities to
construct meaning from,
interpret, OR
respond to the text
during the learning segment.
The assessments provide
m
ultiple forms of evidence,
including a written product,
to monitor young adolescents’
progress toward developing
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretations of, OR
resp
on
ses to the text
throughout the learning
segment.
Level 4 plus:
The assessments are
st
rategically designed to
allow individuals or groups
with specific needs to
demonstrate their learning.
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Instruction Task 2: Instructing and
Engaging Students in Learning
What Do I Need to Think About?
In Instruction Task 2, you will demonstrate how you support and engage young adolescents
in learning. Before you begin your instruction, you need to think about the following:
What kind of learning env
ironment do you want to develop in order to establish
r
espect and rapport, and to support youn
g adolescents’ engagement in learning?
What kinds of learning tas
ks actively engage young adolescents in the central focus
of the learning segment?
How will you elicit and build on young adolescents’ responses in ways that develop
and deepen c
ontent understanding?
In what ways will you connect new content to young adolescents’ prior academ
ic
learning and personal, cultural, community, or development
al assets during your
i
nstruction?
How will you use evidence from
your instruction to examine and change your
teaching practices to more effectively meet a variety of young adolescent learning
needs?
What Do I Need to Do?
Obtain required permissions for videorecording. Before you record your video,
ensure that you have the appropriate permission from the parents/guardians of your
students and from adults who appear in the video. Adjust the camera angle to exclude
individuals from whom you do not have permission to film.
Examine your lesson plans for the learning segment and identify challenging
learning tasks in which you and students are actively engaged. The video clips you
select for submission should provide a sample of how you interact with students to
support their learning.
Identify lessons to videorecord.
Provide 2 video
clips (each no more than 10 minutes, but not less than 3 minutes
combined) that demonstrate how you interact with young adolescents in a positive
learning environment to develop their ability to construct meaning from, interpret, or
respond to a complex text.
The first clip should demonst
rate how you engage students in constructing meaning
from, interpreting, or responding to a complex feature of a text, for example,
historical context, figurative language, dense informational text, and/or visual
imagery in a film.
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The second clip should show interactions between you and at least 3 students
during a discussion of the text to support and/or monitor their abilities to interpret
the text.
(Optional)
Provide evidence of students’ language use. You may provide evidence of
language use with your video clips from Instruction Task 2, an additional video clip of
one or more students using language within the learning segment (no more than 5
minutes in length), AND/OR through the student work samples analyzed in
Assessment Task 3.
Determine whether you will feature the whole class or a targeted group of young
adolescents (minimum
of 4 students) within the class.
Videorecord your classroom teaching. Tips for videor
ecording your class are
available from your teacher preparation program.
Select video clips to submit and verify that
the clips meet the following requirements:
Check the video and sound quality to ensure that you and your students can be seen
and heard on the video c
lips you submit. If most of the audio in a clip cannot be
understood by a scorer, submit another clip. If there are occasional audio portions
of a clip that cannot be understood that are relevant to your commentary
respons
es,
do one of the following: 1) provide a transcript with time stamps of the inaudible
portion and refer to the transcript in your response; 2) embed quotes with time-stamp
references in the commentary response; or 3) insert captions in the video (captions
for this purpose will be considered permissible editing).
A vi
deo clip must be continuous and unedited, with no interruption in events.
If you have inadvertently included individuals for whom you do not have permission
to film in
the video clips you plan to submit, you may use software to blur the faces of
these individuals. This is not considered editing. Other portions of the submitted
video clips, including the classroom, your face, and the faces of individuals for whom
you have obtained permission to film, should remain unblurred.
Do not include the name of the state, school, or district in your video. Use first names
only for all indi
viduals appearing in the video.
Respond to the prompts lis
ted in the Instruction Commentary section below after
viewing the video clips.
Determine if additional information is needed to understand what you and the
students are doing in
the video clips. For example, if there are graphics, texts, or
images that are not clearly visible in the video, or comments that are not clearly heard,
you may insert digital copies or transcriptions at the end of the Instruction Commentary
(no more than 2 pages in addition to the responses to commentary prompts).
See the Instruction Task 2: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications in the Middle
Childhood English Language Arts Evidence Chart for instructions on electronic
submission of evidence. The evidence chart identifies templates, supported file
types, number of files, response length, and other important evidence specifications.
Your evidence cannot contain hyperlinked content. Any web content you wish to
include as part of your evidence must be submitted as a document file, which must
conform to the file format and response length requirements.
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What Do I Need to Write?
Instruction Commentary
In Instruction Task 2, you will write a commentary, responding to the prompts below. Your
commentary should be no more than 6 single-spaced pages, including the prompts. If
needed, insert no more than 2 additional pages of supporting documentation for the
videorecordings at the end of the commentary (e.g., digital copies of indiscernible materials
or transcriptions of inaudible comments). These additional pages do not count toward the
commentary page limit noted above.
1. Which lesson or lessons are shown in the video clips? Identify the lesson(s) by
l
esson plan number.
2. Promoting a Positive Learning Environment
Refer to scenes in the video clips where you provided a positive learning
env
ironment.
a. How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to
y
oung adolescents with varied needs (academic and developmental) and
backgrounds, and challenge young adolescents to engage in learning?
3. Engaging Students in Learning
Refer to examples from the video clips in your responses to the prompts.
a. Explain how your instruction engaged young adolescents in constructing
m
eaning from, interpreting, or responding to a complex text.
b. Describe how your instruction linked young adolescents’ prior academic learning
and per
sonal, cultural, community, or developmental assets with new learning.
4. Deepening Student Learning during Instruction
Refer to examples from the clips in your explanations.
a. Explain how you elicited and built on student responses to promote thinking
and dev
elop students’ abilities to construct meaning from, interpret, OR respond
to a complex text.
b. Explain how you supported students in using textual references (or, if a film,
v
isual references or dialogue) to check or justify their constructions of meaning
from or interpretations of or responses to complex text.
5. Analyzing Teaching
Refer to examples from the clips in your responses to the prompts.
a. What changes would you make to your instructionfor the whole class and/or for
s
tudents who need greater support or challengeto better support young
adolescent learning of the central focus (e.g., missed opportunities)?
Consider the variety of young adolescent learners
l
i
n your class who may require
different strategies/support (such as students with IEPs or 504 plans, English
anguage learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those with
gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students).
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b. Why do you think these changes would improve student learning? Support your
explanation with evidence of young adolescent learning AND principles from
theory and/or research, including young adolescent development.
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be
Assessed?
For Instruction Task 2, your evidence will be assessed using rubrics 610, which appear on
the following pages. When preparing your artifacts and c
ommentaries, refer to the rubrics
fr
equently to guide your thinking, instruction, and writing.
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Instruction Rubrics
Rubric 6: Learning Environment
How does the candidate demonstrate a positive learning environment that supports young adolescents’
engagement in learning?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
The clips reveal evidence of
disrespectful interactions
between teacher and young
adolescents or between young
adolescents.
OR
Candidate allow
s disruptive
behavior to interfere with
young adolescent learning.
The candi
date demonstrates
respect for young
adolescents.
AND
Candidate provi
des a
learning environment that
serves primarily to control
young adolescent behavior
and minimally supports the
learning goals.
The candi
date demonstrates
rapport with and respect for
young adolescents.
AND
Candidate provides a
positiv
e, low-risk learning
environment that reveals
mutual respect among
young adolescents.
The candi
date demonstrates
rapport with and respect for
young adolescents.
AND
Candidate provides a
cha
llenging learning
environment that promotes
mutual respect among young
adolescents.
The cand
idate demonstrates
rapport with and respect for
young adolescents.
AND
Candidate provides a
chal
lenging learning
environment that provides
opportunities to express
varied perspectives and
promotes mutual respect
among young adolescents.
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Instruction Rubrics continued
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Rubric 7: Engaging Students in Learning
How does the candidate actively engage young adolescents in developing their abilities to construct meaning
from, interpret, OR respond to complex text?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Young adolescents are
participating in tasks that
are vaguely or superficially
related to the central focus.
Young adolescents are
participating in learning tasks
or activities primarily
focused on literal
comprehension of text with
little attention to developing
interpretive skills.
Young adolescents are
e
ngaged in learning tasks
that address their abilities to
construct meaning from,
interpret, OR
respond to a complex text.
Young adolescents are
e
ngaged in learning tasks that
develop their abilities to
construct meaning from,
interpret, OR
respond to a complex text.
Young adolescents are
en
gaged in learning tasks that
deepen and extend their
development of deep
understanding of strategies to
construct meaning from,
interpret, OR
respond to a complex text.
There is little or no evidence
that the candidate links
young adolescents’ prior
academic learning OR
personal, cultural,
community, or
developmental assets with
new learning.
Candidate makes vague or
superficial links between
prior academic learning and
new learning.
Candidate links prior
academic learning to new
learning.
Candidate links prior academic
learning AND personal,
cultural, community, or
developmental assets to new
learning.
Candidate prompts young
adolescents to link prior
academic learning AND
personal, cultural, community,
or developmental assets to
new learning.
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Instruction Rubrics continued
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Rubric 8: Deepening Student Learning
How does the candidate elicit young adolescent learners’ responses to promote thinking and develop their
abilities to construct meaning from, interpret, OR respond to complex text?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Candidate does most of the
talking and young
adolescents provide few
responses.
OR
Candidate responses include
significa
nt content
inaccuracies that will lead to
young adolescents’
misunderstandings.
Candida
te primarily asks
surface-level questions and
evaluates young adolescents’
responses as correct or
incorrect.
Candidate elicits young
adolescents’ responses
related to
constructing meaning from,
interpreting, OR
responding to a complex
text.
Candidate elicits and builds
on
young adolescents’
responses to develop
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretations of, OR
responses to a complex
text.
Level 4 plus:
Candidate fac
ilitates
interactions among young
adolescents so they can
evaluate their own abilities
to apply strategies for
constructing meaning
from,
interpreting, OR
responding to a complex
text.
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Instruction Rubrics continued
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Rubric 9: Subject-Specific Pedagogy: Using Textual References
How does the candidate use textual references to help young adolescents understand how to construct
meaning from, interpret, OR respond to a complex text?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
The candidate focuses on
literal comprehension of the
text with little or no attention
to
constructing meaning from,
interpreting, OR
responding to a complex
text.
OR
Materials used in the clips
i
nclude significant content
inaccuracies that will lead to
young adolescents’
misunderstandings.
Candidate makes vague or
supe
rficial use of textual
references to help young
adolescents
construct meaning from,
interpret, OR
respond to a complex text.
Candidate uses textual
re
ferences in ways that help
young adolescents to
construct meaning from,
interpret, OR
respond to a complex text.
Candidate selects textual
re
ferences for young
adolescent learners to use to
check or justify their
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretations of, OR
responses to a complex
text.
Candidate facilitates
interactions among young
adolescents so they
strategically select textual
references to check or
justify their
constructions of meaning
from,
interpretations of, OR
responses to a complex
text.
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Instruction Rubrics continued
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Rubric 10: Analyzing Teaching Effectiveness
How does the candidate use evidence to evaluate and change teaching practice to meet young adolescents’
varied learning needs?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Candidate suggests changes
unrelated to evidence of
young adolescent learning.
Candidate proposes changes
to teacher practice that are
superficially related to
student learning needs (e.g.,
task management, pacing,
improving directions).
Candidate proposes changes
that address young
adolescents’ collective
learning needs related to the
central focus.
Candidate makes superficial
connect
ions to research
and/or theory.
Candida
te proposes changes
that address individual and
collective learning needs
related to the central focus.
Candidate makes
conne
ctions to research
and/or theory, including young
adolescent development.
Level 4 plus:
Candidate just
ifies changes
using principles from
research and/or theory,
including young adolescent
development.
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Assessment Task 3: Assessing Student
Learning
What Do I Need to Think About?
In Assessment Task 3, you will analyze both student learning and student use of language.
Before you begin the analysis, you need to think about the following:
How will you gather evidence and m
ake sense of what students have learned?
How will you provide meaningful feedback to your students?
How will you use evidence of what students know and are able to do to plan next
s
t
eps in instruction?
How will you identify evidence of and explain student
s’ use of language that
demonstrates the development of content understanding?
What Do I Need to Do?
Select one assessment from your learning segment you will use to evaluate your
students’ developing knowledge and skills. It should be an assessment that is completed
by the whole class featured in the learning segment. (If you are teaching only a group
within the class for the learning segment, that group will be “the whole class.”) The
assessment should reflect the work of individuals, not groups, but may be individual
work from a group task. The assessment should provide opportunities for young
adolescents to demonstrate their ability to
comprehend and make meaning from complex tex
t
interpret and/or respond to complex text
Define and submi
t the evaluation criteria you will use to analyze young adolescent
l
earning related to the English Language Arts understandings described above.
Collect and analyze student work from the selected assess
ment to identify
quantitative and qualitative patterns of learning wi
thin and across learners in the class.
You may submit text files with scanned student work, a video or audio file of a student’s
oral work, OR a student-created video or multimedia file. For each focus student, a video
or audio work sample must be no more than 5 minutes in total running time.
Select 3 student work samples that represent the patterns of learning (i.e., what
individuals or groups generally understood and what a number of young adolescents
were still struggling to understand) you identified in your assessment analysis. These
young adolescents will be your focus students for this task. At least one of the young
adolescent focus students must have specific learning needs, for example, a
student with an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or 504 plan, an English
language learner, a struggling reader, an underperforming student or a student with
gaps in academic knowledge, and/or a gifted student needing greater support or
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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challenge. Note: California candidates must include one focus student who is an English
language learner.
5
Document the feedback you gave to each of the 3 focus students on the work sample
itself, as an audio clip, or as a video clip. You must submit evidence of the actual
feedback provided to each focus student, and not a description of the feedback.
If you submit a student work sample or feedback as a video or audio cl
ip and comments
made by you or your focus student(s) cannot be clearly heard, do one of the following: 1)
attach a transcription of the inaudible comments (no more than 2 additional pages) to
the end of the Assessment Commentary; 2) embed quotes with time-stamp references in
the commentary response; or 3) insert captions in the video (captions for this purpose
will be considered permissible editing).
If you submit a student work sample or feedback as a video or audio clip and additional
st
udents are present, clearly identify which students are your focus students in the
relevant prompts (1d and 2a) of the Assessment Commentary (in no more than 2
sentences).
Respond to the prompts listed in the Assessment Commentary section below after
analyzing student work from the selected assessment.
Include and submit the chosen assessment, including the directions/prompts
prov
ided to students. Attach the assessment (no more than 5 additional pages) to
the end of the Assessment Commentary.
Provide evidence of young adolescen
tsunderstanding and use of the targeted
academic language function and other language demands. Y
ou may choose
evidence from the video clips submitted in Instruction Task 2, an additional video clip of
one or more students using language within the learning segment (no more than 5
minutes in length), AND/OR student work samples submitted in Assessment Task 3.
5
California candidatesIf you do not have any English language learners, select a student who is challenged by academic
English.
See the Assessment Task 3: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications in the Middle
Childhood English Language Arts Evidence Chart for instructions on electronic
submission of evidence. The evidence chart identifies templates, supported file
types, number of files, response length, and other important evidence specifications.
Your evidence cannot contain hyperlinked content. Any web content you wish to
include as part of your evidence must be submitted as a document file, which must
conform to the file format and response length requirements.
What Do I Need to Write?
Assessment Commentary
In Assessment Task 3, you will write a commentary, responding to the prompts below. Your
commentary should be no more than 10 single-spaced pages, including the prompts.
Attach the assessment used to evaluate student performance (no more than 5 additional
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pages) and, if necessary, a transcription of inaudible portions of a video or audio clip of
feedback or a student work sample (no more than 2 additional pages) to the end of the
Assessment Commentary. These additional pages do not count toward the commentary
page limit noted above.
1. Analyzing Student Learning
a. Identify the specific learning objectives measured by the assessment you chose
for analysis.
b. Provide a graphic (table or chart) or narrative that summarizes student learning
for y
our whole class. Be sure to summarize student learning for all evaluation
criteria submitted in Assessment Task 3, Part D.
c. Use evidence found in the 3 student work samples and the whole class
summary to analyze the patterns of learning for the whole class and
differences for groups or individual learners relative to
constructing meaning from complex text
int
erpreting OR responding to c
omplex text
Consider what young adolescents understand and do well, and where they
continue to struggle (e.g., common errors, confusions, need for greater
challenge).
d. If a video or audio work sample occurs in a group context (e.g., discussion),
provide the name of the clip and clearly describe how the scorer can identify the
focus student(s) (e.g., position, physical description) whose work is portrayed.
2. Feedback to Guide Further Learning
Refer to specific evidence of submitted feedback to support your explanations.
a. Identify the format in which you submitted your evidence of feedback for the 3
focus students. Choose one of the following:
Written directly on work samples or in separa
te documents that were
provided to the focus students
In audio files
In video clips fr
om Instru
ction Task 2 (provide a time-stamp reference) or in
separate video clips
If a video or audio clip of feedback occurs in a group context (e.g., discussion),
clearly describe how the scorer can identify the focus student (e.g., position,
physical description) who is being given feedback.
b. Explain how feedback provided to the 3 focus students addresses their individual
strengths and needs relative to the learning objectives measured.
c. Describe how you will support each focus student to understand and use this
feedback to further their learning related to learning objectives, either within the
learning segment or at a later time.
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3. Evidence of Language Understanding and Use
When responding to the prompt below, use concrete examples from the video clip(s)
(
using time-stamp references) and/or student work samples as evidence. Evidence
from the clip(s) may focus on one or more students.
You may provide evidence of students’ language use from ONE, TWO, OR ALL
T
HREE of the following sources:
1. Use video clips from Instruction Task 2 and provide time-stamp references for
ev
idence of language use.
2. Submit an additional video file named “Language Use” of no more than 5
m
inutes in length and cite language use (this can be footage of one or more
students’ language use). Submit the clip in Assessment Task 3, Part B.
3. Use the student work samples analyzed in Assessment Task 3 and cite
l
anguage use.
a. Explain and provide concrete examples for the extent to which your students
were able to use or struggled to use the
selected language function,
vocabulary, AND
discours
e or
syntax
to dev
elop content understandings.
4. Using Assessment to Inform Instruction
a. Based on your analysis of young adolescent learning presented in prompts 1b–c,
des
cribe the next steps for instruction to impact young adolescent learning:
For the whole class
For the 3 focus students and other individuals/groups with specific needs
Consider t
he variety of young adolescent learners in y
our class who may require
different strategies/support (e.g., students with IEPs or 504 plans, English
language learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those with
gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students).
b. Explain how these next steps follow from your analysis of young adolescent
l
earning. Support your explanation with principles from research and/or theory as
well as young adolescent development.
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be
Assessed?
For Assessment Task 3, your evidence will be assessed using rubrics 1115, which appear
on the following pages. When preparing your artifacts and c
ommentaries, refer to the rubrics
frequently to guide your thinking, pl
anning, instruction, assessment, and writing.
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Assessment Rubrics
Rubric 11: Analysis of Student Learning
How does the candidate analyze evidence of young adolescent learning related to constructing meaning from,
interpreting, or responding to complex text?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
The analysis is superficial or
not supported by either work
samples or the summary of
young adolescent learning.
OR
The evaluation criteria,
lea
rning objectives, and/or
analysis are not aligned with
each other.
The anal
ysis focuses on what
young adolescents did right
OR wrong.
The analysis focuses on what
young adolescents did right
AND wrong.
AND
Analysis includes some
differences in whole class
learning.
Analysis uses specific
examples from work samples
to demonstrate patterns of
learning consistent with the
summary.
AND
Patterns of le
arning are
described for whole class.
Anal
ysis uses specific
evidence from work samples to
demonstrate the connections
between quantitative and
qualitative patterns of learning
for individuals or groups.
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Assessment Rubrics continued
33 of 50
Rubric 12: Providing Feedback to Guide Learning
What type of feedback does the candidate provide to the focus students?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Feedback is unrelated to the
learning objectives OR is
developmentally
inappropriate.
OR
Feedback contains
significant content
inaccuracies.
OR
No feedback is provided to one
or
more focus students.
Feedback
is general and
addresses needs AND/OR
strengths related to the
learning objectives.
Feedback is specific and
addresses either needs OR
strengths related to the
learning objectives.
Feedback is specific and
addresses both strengths
AND needs related to the
learning objectives.
Level 4 plus:
Feedback for one or more
focus students
provides a strategy to
address an individual
learning need OR
makes connections to
prior learning or
experience to improve
learning.
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Assessment Rubrics continued
34 of 50
Rubric 13: Student Understanding and Use of Feedback
How does the candidate support focus students to understand and use the feedback to guide their further
learning?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Opportunities for
understanding or using
feedback are not described.
OR
Candidate provide
s limited or
no feedback to inform young
adolescent learning.
Candida
te provides vague
description of how focus
students will understand or
use feedback.
Candidate describes how
focus students will understand
or use feedback related to the
learning objectives.
Candidate describes how s/he
will support focus students to
understand and use feedback
on their strengths OR
weaknesses related to the
learning objectives.
Candidate describes how s/he
will support focus students to
understand and use feedback
on their strengths AND
weaknesses related to the
learning objectives.
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Assessment Rubrics continued
35 of 50
Rubric 14: Analyzing Students’ Language Use and English Language Arts Learning
How does the candidate analyze young adolescents’ use of language to develop content understanding?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Candidate identifies young
adolescents’ language use
that is superficially related
or unrelated to the language
demands (function,
6
vocabulary, and additional
demands).
OR
Candidate’s description or
explanation of
language use
is not consistent with
evidence submitted.
Candidate describe
s how
young adolescents use only
one language demand
(vocabulary, function,
syntax discourse).
Candidate explains and
provi
des evidence of young
adolescents’ use of
the language function
AND
one or more additional
language demands
(vocabulary, syntax,
discourse).
7
Candidate explains and
provides evidence of young
adolescents’ use of
the language function,
vocabulary, AND
additional language
demand(s) (syntax,
discourse)
in ways that develop content
understandings
.
Level 4 plus:
Candidate explains and
provides evidence of
la
nguage use and content
learning for young
adolescents with varied
needs.
6
Previous footnote is now obsolete and has been deleted.
7
Previous footnote is now obsolete and has been deleted.
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Assessment Rubrics continued
36 of 50
Rubric 15: Using Assessment to Inform Instruction
How does the candidate use the analysis of what young adolescents know and are able to do to plan next steps
in instruction?
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Next steps do not follow from
the analysis.
OR
Next steps are not relevant
to
the learning objectives
assessed.
OR
Next steps are not described
in sufficient detail to
understand them.
Next steps primarily f
ocus on
changes to teaching practice
that are superficially related
to students’ learning needs,
for example, repeating
instruction, pacing, or
classroom management
issues.
Next steps propose general
support that improves
student learning related to
assessed learning
objectives.
Next steps are loosely
connect
ed with research
and/or theory.
Next steps provide
targeted
support to individuals or
groups to improve their
learning relative to
constructing meaning from,
interpreting, OR
responding to complex
te
xt.
Next steps are connected
wit
h research and/or theory,
including young adolescent
development.
Next steps provide targeted
suppo
rt to individuals AND
groups to improve their
learning relative to
constructing meaning from,
interpreting, OR
responding to complex
te
xt.
Next steps are justified with
principles
from research
and/or theory, including young
adolescent development.
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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Professional Responsibilities
Refer to the following table for an overview of your professional responsibilities in
developing evidence for edTPA. If you are submitting artifacts and commentaries for official
scoring, refer to www.edTPA.com, for complete and current information before beginning
your
work. Included here are important information and policies such as submission
requirements and deadlines, registration agreements, attestations, permissions, and
confidentiality. Whether or not you are submitting for official scoring, you should fulfill the
professional responsibilities described below.
Responsibility Description
Protect
confidentiality
To protect confidentiality, please remove your name and use pseudonyms or general
references (e.g., “the district”) for your state, school, district, and cooperating teacher. Mask
or remove all names on any typed or written materials (e.g., commentaries, lesson plans,
student work samples) that could identify individuals or institutions. During videorecording,
use students’ first names only.
To ensure confidentiality of your students and yourself, do not share your video on any
public
ly accessible platforms or websites (YouTube, Facebook, etc.).
Acquire
permissions
Before you record your classroom instruction, ensure that you have the appropriate
permission from the parents/guardians of your students and from adults who appear in the
videorecording.
Your program will provide you with procedures and necessary forms to obtain these
per
missions, according to agreements with the school or district in which you are student
teaching or completing your internship.
If your program does not provide the necessary forms, you may refer to the sample forms
found on www.edTPA.co
m
.
The release forms are not to be submitted with your materials, but you should follow your
cam
pus policy for retaining them.
Cite sources
Provide citations for the source of all materials that you did not create (e.g., published texts,
websites, and material from other educators). List all citations by lesson number at the end of
the Planning Commentary. Note: Citations do not count toward the commentary page limit.
Align instruction
with state
standards
As part of the assessment, you will document the alignment of your lesson plans with state-
adopted academic content standards that are the target of student learning. Refer to the
education agency website for your state to obtain copies of relevant standards for this
assessment.
Follow the
guidelines
for candidate
support at
www.edTPA.com
Follow the guidelines for candidate support found at www.edTPA.com as you develop your
evidence for edTPA. Although you may seek and receive appropriate support from your
university supervisors, cooperating/master teachers, university instructors, or peers during
this process, the ultimate responsibility for completing this assessment lies with you.
Therefore, when you submit your completed work, you must be able to confirm your
adh
erence with certain statements, such as the following:
I have primary responsibility for teaching the students/class during the learning segment
profiled in this assessment.
I have not previously taught this learning segment
to the students/class.
The video clips submitted are unedited (continuous) and show me teaching the
st
udents/class profiled in the evidence submitted.
The student work included in the documentation is that of my students, completed
duri
ng the learning segment documented in this assessment.
I am author of the commentaries and other written responses to prompts in this
asse
ssment.
Appropriate citations have been made for all materials in the assessment whose
sour
ces are from published text, the Internet, or other educators.
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Middle Childhood English Language Arts
Context for Learning Information
Use the Middle Childhood English Language Arts Context for Learning Information to supply
information about your school/classroom context.
About the School Where You Are Teaching
1. In what type of school do you teach? (Type an “X” next to the appropriate
description; if “other” applies, provide a brief description.)
Elementary school (K-6):
Middle school (68):
K–8:
7–9:
Other (please describe):
2. Where is the school where you are teaching located? (Type an “X” next to the
appropri
ate description.)
8
City:
Suburb:
Tow
n:
Rural:
3. List any special features of your school or classroom setting (e.g., charter, co-
teachi
ng, themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, team taught with a special
education teacher) that will affect your teaching in this learning segment.
4. Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations
that m
ight affect your planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula,
pacing plan, use of specific instructional strategies, interdisciplinary learning, or
standardized tests.
8
If you need guidance when making a selection, reference the NCES locale category definitions
(https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/definitions.asp) or
consult with your placement school administrator.
About the Class Featured in this Learning Segment
1. What is the name of this course?
2. What is the length of the course? (Type an “X” next to the appropriate description; if
“other” applies, provide a brief description.)
One semester:
One year:
Other (please describe):
3. What is the class schedule (e.g., 50 minutes every day, 90 minutes every other
day)?
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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4. Is there any ability grouping or tracking in English Language Arts? If so, please
describe how it affects your class.
5. Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for English Language
Arts instruction. If a textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of
publication.
6. List other resources (e.g., electronic whiteboard, online resources) you use for
English Language Arts instruction in this class.
About the Young Adolescents in the Class Featured in this
Learning Segment
1. Grade level(s): _______
Age range of students: _______
2. Number of
students in the class: _____
males: ______ females: ____
3. Complete the charts below to summarize required or needed supports,
accommodations, or modifications for your students that will affect your instruction in
this learning segment. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete
the charts. Some rows have been completed in italics as examples. Use as many
rows as you need.
Consider the variety of young adolescent learners in your class who may
require different strategies/supports or accommodations/modifications to
instruction or assessment.
For example, students
With Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans
With specific language needs
Needing greater challenge or support
Who struggle with reading
Who are underperforming students or have gaps in academic
knowledge
For Assessment Task 3, you will choose work samples from 3 focus students.
At least one of these students must have a specified learning need. Note:
California candidates must include one focus student who is an English
language learner.
9
9
California candidatesIf you do not have any English language learners, select a student who is challenged by academic
English.
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Students with IEPs/504 Plans
IEPs/504 Plans:
Classi
fications/Needs
Number of
Students
Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications, Pertinent IEP Goals
Example: Visual processing 2 Close monitoring, use audio text
Students with Specific Language Needs
Language Needs Number of
Students
Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications
Example: English language
learners with only a few
words of English
2 Pre-teach key words and phrases
through examples and graphic
organizers (e.g., word cluster,
manipulatives, visuals)
Have students use pre-t
aught key words
and graphic organizers to
complete sentence starters
Example: Students who
speak a variety of English
other than that used in
textbooks
5 Make connections between the language
students bring and the language used in
the textbook
Students with Other Learning Needs
Othe
r Learning Needs Number of
Students
Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications
Example: Struggling readers 5 Provide oral explanations for directions,
extended time, and sentence frames to
support written responses
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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Middle Childhood English Language Arts Evidence Chart
Your evidence must be submitted to the electronic portfolio management system used by your teacher preparation program. Your
submission must conform to the artifact and commentary specifications for each task. This section provides instructions for all
evidence types as well as a description of supported file types for evidence submission, number of files, response lengths, and
other information regarding format specifications. Note that your evidence cannot contain hyperlinked content. Any web content
you wish to include as part of your evidence must be submitted as a document file, which must conform to the file format and
response length requirements. If you have materials that must be translated into English as per the
edTPA Submission
R
equirements, those translations should be added to the original materials as part of the s
ame file or, if applicable, to the end of
the commentary template. There is no page limit for required translations into English.
Planning Task 1: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications
What to
Submit
Supported File
Types
Number of Files
Response
Length
Additional Information
Min Max
Part A: Context for
Learning
Information
(template provided)
.doc; .docx; .odt; .pdf
1 1 No more than
4 pages, including
prompts
Use Arial 11-point type.
Sin
gle space with 1" margins on all sides.
Part B: Le
sson
Plans for Learning
Segment
.doc; .docx; .odt; .pdf
1 1 No more than 4
p
ages per lesson
Submit 35 lesson plans in 1 file.
Within the file, label each lesson plan (Lesson 1, Lesson 2, etc.).
All rationale or explanation for plans should be written in the
Planning Commentary and removed from lesson plans.
Part C:
In
structional
Materials
.doc; .docx; .odt; .pdf
1 1 No more than
5
pages of KEY
instructional materials
per lesson plan
Submit all materi
als in 1 file.
Within the file, label materials by corresponding lesson (Lesson 1
Instructional Materials, Lesson 2 Instructional Materials, etc.).
Order materials as they are used in the learning segment.
Par
t D:
Asse
ssments
.doc; .docx; .odt; .pdf
1 1
No limit
Submit assessments in 1 file.
Within the
file, label assessments by corresponding lesson
(Lesson 1 Assessments, Lesson 2 Assessments, etc.).
Order assessments as they are used in the learning segment.
Par
t E: P
lanning
Commentary
(template provided)
.doc; .docx; .odt; .pdf
1 1 No more than
9
pages of
commentary,
including prompts
Use Arial 11-point type.
Single space with 1" margins on all sides.
Respond to prompts before teaching the learning segment.
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Instruction Task 2: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications
What to
Submit
Supported File
Types
Number of Files
Response
Length
Additional Information
Min Max
Part A: Video
Clips
10
flv, asf, qt, mov, mpg,
mpeg, avi, wmv, mp4,
m4v
2 2 Running time no
more than 10
minutes each (but
not less than 3
minutes combined)
Before you r
ecord your video, obtain permission from the
parents/guardians of your students and from adults who appear in
the video.
Refer to Instruction Task 2, What Do I Need to Do? for video clip
conte
nt and requirements.
When naming each clip file, include the number of the lesson
shown in the video clip.
Part B: Instruction
Commentar
y
(template
pro
vided)
.doc; .docx; .odt; .pd
f
1 1 No more than 6
pages
of
commentary,
including prompts
If needed, no more
than 2
additional
pages of supporting
documentation
Use Arial 11-point type.
Single space with 1" margins on all sides.
IMPORTANT:
Insert documentation at the end of the commentary file if
yo
u or the students are using graphics, texts, or images that
a
re
not clearly visible in the video
you chose to submit a transcript for occasionally inaudible
por
tions of the video
If submitting documentation, include the video clip number, lesson
number, and explanatory text (e.g., “Clip 1, lesson 2, text from a
whiteboard that is not visible in the video,” “Clip 2, lesson 4,
transcription of a student response that is inaudible”).
10
Video file size requirements: The target file size is 200300 MB or less. The Pearson ePortfolio System file size limit is 500 MB. Please note that each integrated platform
provider portfolio system may have additional constraints or requirements regarding video formats and file sizes. You may need to use video tools to compress or transcode your
video into smaller file sizes to facilitate uploading of the video. Refer to Recommended Video Formats and Settings on www.edtpa.com
for the current requirements.
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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(Continued on next page)
Assessment Task 3: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications
What to
Submit
Supported File
Types
Number of Files
Response
Length
Additional Information
Min Max
Part A: Student
Work Samples
11
For written work
samples: .doc; .docx;
.odt; .pdf
For audio work
sam
ples: flv, asf,
wmv, qt, mov, mpg,
avi, mp3, wav, mp4,
wma
For video work
sam
ples: flv, asf, qt,
mov, mpg, mpeg, avi,
wmv, mp4, m4v
3 3
No page limit for
wr
itten work samples
No more than 5
minut
es per focus
student for video or
audio student work
samples
Use correction fluid, tape, or a felt-tip marker
to mask or remove
students’ names, your name, and the name of the school
before copying/scanning any work samples. If your students’
writing is illegible, write a transcription directly on the work sample.
On each work sample, indicate the student number (Student 1
Work S
ample, Student 2 Work Sample, or Student 3 Work Sample).
If more than one focus student appears in a video or audio work
sample, upload the same work sample separately for each focus
student who is seen/heard and label appropriately. Describe how to
recognize each of the focus students in the clip and provide the label
associated with the clip in prompt 1d of the Assessment
Commentary.
When naming each work sample file, include the student number.
If you submit a
student work sample or feedback as a video or audio
clip and comments made by you or your focus student(s) cannot be
clearly heard, do one of the following: 1) attach a transcription of the
inaudible comments (no more than 2 additional pages) to the end of
the Assessment Commentary; 2) embed quotes with time-stamp
references in the commentary response; or 3) insert captions in the
video (captions for this purpose will be considered permissible editing).
11
Video file size requirements: The target file size is 200300 MB or less. The Pearson ePortfolio System file size limit is 500 MB. Please note that each integrated platform
provider portfolio system may have additional constraints or requirements regarding video formats and file sizes. You may need to use video tools to compress or transcode your
video into smaller file sizes to facilitate uploading of the video. Refer to Recommended Video Formats and Settings on www.edtpa.com
for the current requirements.
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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Assessment Task 3: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications (continued)
What to Supported File
Number of Files
Response
Additional Information
Submit Types Length
Min Max
(Continued on next page)
Part B: Evidence
of Feedback
12
And, if included,
video evidence of
academic
language use
For written feedback
not written on the
work samples: .doc;
.docx; .odt; .pdf
For audio feedback:
flv, asf, wmv, qt,
mov,
mpg, avi, mp3, wav,
mp4, wma
For video clips
(feedback or
language use): flv,
asf, qt, mov, mpg,
mpeg, avi, wmv, mp4,
m4v
0 4 No page limit for
written
feedback
No more than 3
minutes per f
ocus
student for video or
audio feedback
No more than 5
minutes for video
evidence of student
language use
Document the location of your evidence of feedback in the
Assessmen
t Commentary.
If feedback is not included as part of the student work samples or
recorded
on the video clip(s) from Instruction Task 2, submit only 1
file for each focus studenta document, video file, OR audio file
and label the file with the corresponding student number (Student 1
Feedback, Student 2 Feedback, or Student 3 Feedback).
If more than one focus student appears in a video or audio clip of
feedback, upl
oad the same clip separately for each focus student
who is seen/heard and label appropriately.
When naming each feedback file, include the student number.
If you submit a
student work sample or feedback as a video or audio
clip and comments made by you or your focus student(s) cannot be
clearly heard, do one of the following: 1) attach a transcription of the
inaudible comments (no more than 2 additional pages) to the end of
the Assessment Commentary; 2) embed quotes with time-stamp
references in the commentary response; or 3) insert captions in the
video (captions for this purpose will be considered permissible editing).
For Academic Language If you choose to submit a video clip of
student language use, it should be no more than 5 minutes. You
may identify a portion of a clip provided for Instruction Task 2 or
submit an entirely new clip.
12
Video file size requirements: The target file size is 200300 MB or less. The Pearson ePortfolio System file size limit is 500 MB. Please note that each integrated platform
provider portfolio system may have additional constraints or requirements regarding video formats and file sizes. You may need to use video tools to compress or transcode your
video into smaller file sizes to facilitate uploading of the video. Refer to Recommended Video Formats and Settings on www.edtpa.com
for the current requirements.
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
45 of 50
Assessment Task 3: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications (continued)
What to Supported File
Number of Files
Response
Additional Information
Submit Types Length
Min Max
Part C:
Assessment
Commentary
(template
pro
vided)
.doc; .docx; .odt; .pdf 1 1 No more than 10
pages of commentary,
including prompts
Plus
no more than
5 a
dditional
pages for the
chosen
assessment
if necessary,
no more than
2 additional
total pages of
transcription of
video/audio
evidence for a
work sample
and feedback,
and/or video
evidence of
language use
Use Arial 11-point type.
Single space with 1" margins on all sides.
IMPORTANT: In
sert a copy of the chosen assessment, including
directions/prompts provided to students.
Part D: E
valuation
Criteria
.d
oc; .docx; .odt; .pdf 1 1 No limit
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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Middle Childhood English Language Arts
Glossary
Source citations for glossary entries are provided as footnotes in this section.
academic language: Oral and written language used for academic purposes. Academic
language is the means by which students develop and express content understandings.
Academic language represents the language of the discipline that students need to learn
and use to participate and engage in the content area in meaningful ways. There are
language demands that teachers need to consider as they plan to support student learning
of content. These language demands include language functions, vocabulary,
discourse, and syntax.
language demands:
13
Specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions,
discourse, syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through
reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their disciplinary
understanding.
language functions: The content and language focus of the learning task,
represented by the active verbs within the learning outcomes. Common language
functions in English Language Arts include reading/listening for main ideas and
details; analyzing and interpreting characters and plots; writing narrative,
informational, or poetic text; using presentation skills to present a play, deliver a
speech, or do a dramatic reading; evaluating and interpreting an author’s purpose,
message, and use of language choice, setting, mood, tone, and other literary
strategies; comparing ideas within and between texts; and making sense of
unfamiliar vocabulary through pictures, word parts, and contextual clues.
vocabulary: Includes words and
phrases that are used within disciplines, including:
(1) words and phrases with subject-specific meanings that differ from meanings used
in everyday life (e.g., table); (2) general academic vocabulary used across disciplines
(e.g., compare, analyze, evaluate); and (3) subject-specific words defined for use in
the discipline.
14
discourse: Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well as
how members of the discipline talk, write, and participate in knowledge construction.
Discipline-specific discourse has distinctive features or ways of structuring oral or
written language (text structures) that provide useful ways for the content to be
communicated.
15
In English Language Arts, language structures include text
structures or rhetorical patterns, and genres. If the language function is to persuade,
13
O'Hara, S., Pritchard, R., & Zwiers, J. (2012). Identifying academic language demands in support of the common core
standards. ASCD Express, 7(17). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol7/717-ohara.aspx
14
Quinn, H., Lee, O., & Valdés, G. (2012). Language demands and opportunities in relation to next generation science
standards for ELLs. Retrieved from http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/academic-papers/03-
Qui
nn%20Lee%20Valdes%20Language%20and%20Opportunities%20in%20Science%20FINAL.pdf
15
Quinn, H., Lee, O., & Valdés, G. (2012). Language demands and opportunities in relation to next generation science
standards for ELLs. Retrieved from http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/academic-papers/03-
Qui
nn%20Lee%20Valdes%20Language%20and%20Opportunities%20in%20Science%20FINAL.pdf
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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then appropriate language structures (discourse) within that genre include claims,
supporting evidence, and counterarguments.
syntax: The set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together
into struct
ures (e.g., sentences, graphs, tables).
16
language supports: The scaffolds, representations, and pedagogical strategies
teachers provide to help learners understand, use, and practice the concepts and
language they need to learn within disciplines (Santos, Darling-Hammond, Cheuk,
2012).
17
The language supports planned within the lessons in edTPA should directly
support learners to understand and use identified language demands (vocabulary,
language function, and discourse or syntax) to deepen content understandings.
aligned: Consistently addressing the same/similar learning outcomes for students.
artifacts: Authentic work completed by you and your students, including lesson plans,
copies of instructional and assessment materials, video clips of your teaching, and student
work samples. Artifacts are submitted as part of your evidence.
assessment (formal and informal): “[R]efer[s] to all those activities undertaken by
teachers and by their students . . . that provide information to be used as feedback to modify
teaching and learning activities.”
18
Assessments provide evidence of students’ prior
knowledge, thinking, or learning in order to evaluate what students understand and how they
are thinking. Informal assessments may include such things as student questions and
responses during instruction and teacher observations of students as they work or perform.
Formal assessments may include such things as quizzes, homework assignments, journals,
projects, and performance tasks.
assets (knowledge of students):
personal: Refers to
specific background information that young adolescents bring to
the learning environment. Students may bring interests, knowledge, everyday
experiences, family backgrounds, and so on, which a teacher can draw upon to
support learning.
cultural: Refers to t
he cultural backgrounds and practices that students bring to the
learning environment, such as traditions, languages and dialects, worldviews,
literature, art, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support learning.
community: Refers to comm
on backgrounds and experiences that students bring
from the community where they live, such as resources, local landmarks, community
events and practices, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support learning.
developmental: Refers to spec
ific background information about cognitive, physical,
and social and emotional development that a teacher can draw upon to support
student learning. See below for definitions of each aspect of development.
16
Zwiers, J. (2008). Building academic language: Essential practices for content classrooms. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
17
Santos, M., Darling-Hammond, L., & Cheuk, T. (2012). Teacher development to support English language learners in the
context of common core state standards. Stanford University Understanding Language. Available at
http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/academic-papers/10-Santos%20LDH%20Teacher%20Development%20FINAL.pdf
18
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan,
80(2), 139148.
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All rights reserved.
edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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central focus: A description of the important understandings and core concepts that you
want students to develop within the learning segment. The central focus should go beyond a
list of facts and skills, align with content standards and learning objectives, and address the
subject-specific components in the learning segment. For example, the subject-specific
components for Middle Childhood English Language Arts include construction of explicit and
inferred meaning from text and analysis of themes and ideas. A central focus for the
learning segment might be analyzing the author’s use of language to develop theme within a
complex text. The learning segment would focus on conceptual understanding of figurative
language and characterization, citing evidence and appropriate reasoning.
cognitive development: Refers to the changes and advancement that occur in intellectual
development during adolescence, such as the shift from concrete operational thinking to
formal abstract thinking.
commentary: Submitted as par
t of each task and, along with artifacts, make up your
evidence. The commentaries should be written to explain the rationale behind your teaching
decisions and to analyze and reflect on what you have learned about your teaching practice
and your students’ learning.
complex text: Complex text can be written text, speech (oral text), or other media. Can be
measured by three dimensions:
19
(1) The qualitative dimensions which include the meaning,
purpose, structure, language conventions, and knowledge demands of the text for the
reader; (2) The quantitative dimensions, such as word length or frequency, sentence length,
and text cohesion of the text; and (3) The reader and task dimensions, which are variables
specific to the readers, such as motivation, prior knowledge and experience, and the
particular purpose of and tasks to be done with the texts.
engaging students in learning: Using instructional and motivational strategies that
promote students’ active involvement in learning tasks that increase their knowledge, skills,
and abilities related to specific learning objectives. Engagement in learning contrasts with
student participation in learning tasks that are not well designed and/or implemented and do
not increase student learning.
evaluation criteria: Performance indicators or dimensions that are used to assess evidence
of student learning. They indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be
differentiated and that anchor judgments about the learner’s degree of success on an
assessment. Evaluation criteria can be represented in various ways, such as a rubric, a
point system for different levels of performance, or rules for awarding full versus partial
credit. Evaluation criteria may examine correctness/accuracy, cognitive complexity,
sophistication or elaboration of responses, or quality of explanations.
evidence: Consists of artifacts that document how you planned and implemented
instruction AND commentaries that explain your plans and what is seen in the
videorecording(s) or examine what you learned about your teaching practice and your
students’ learning. Evidence should demonstrate your ability to design lesson plans with
instructional supports that deepen student learning, use knowledge of your students to
inform instruction, foster a positive learning environment that promotes student learning,
19
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Common Core
State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Appendix A:
Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards and Glossary of Terms. Retrieved from
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_A.pdf
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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monitor and assess student progress toward learning objectives, and analyze your teaching
effectiveness. Your evidence must be submitted electronically using the electronic portfolio
management system used by your teacher preparation program.
integrative: The A
ssociation for Middle Level Education (AMLE) encourages middle grades
teachers to design curriculum and select materials that are integrative, challenging, and
grounded in the ideas, interests, and experiences of all young adolescents. In an integrative
curriculum, a problem or issue, often initiated by the learners, is the driving force for
organizing the curriculum.
interdisciplinary: An int
erdisciplinary curriculum makes connections across several
disciplines through a theme that crosses curricular lines. The learning experiences require
that knowledge from several disciplines be utilized to explore the concepts and skills of the
curriculum.
learning environment: The designed physical and emotional context, established and
maintained throughout the learning segment to support a positive and productive learning
experience for students.
learning objectives: Student learning outcomes to be achieved by the end of the lesson or
learning segment.
learning segment: A set of 35 lessons that build one upon another toward a central focus,
with a clearly defined beginning and end.
learning task: Includes activities, discussions, or other modes of participation that engage
students to develop, practice, and apply skills and knowledge related to a specific learning
goal. Learning tasks may be scaffolded to connect prior knowledge to new knowledge and
often include formative assessment. Sample English Language Arts learning tasks for
students working with poetry could be: Identify examples of figurative language (e.g.,
metaphors, similes, personification); generate alternate examples of figurative language in
opposition to those presented in the text; small-group discussions about how the meaning of
the poem changes when alternate examples are inserted; individual analysis of new poem in
terms of how figurative language helps the reader interpret the poem.
patterns of learning: Includes both quantitative and qualitative patterns (or consistencies)
for different groups of students or individuals. Quantitative patterns indicate in a numerical
way the information understood from the assessment (e.g., 10 out of 15 students or 20% of
the students). Qualitative patterns include descriptions of understandings,
misunderstandings, and/or partial understandings that could explain the quantitative
patterns (e.g., “given that most students were able to . . . it seems that they understand”).
physical development: Refers to the growth and development of skeletal, structural, and
muscular systems that includes the changes brought about by puberty.
planned supports: Instructional strategies, learning tasks and materials, and other
resources deliberately designed to facilitate student learning of the central focus.
prior academic learning and prerequisite skills: Includes students’ content knowledge
and skills as well as academic experiences developed prior to the learning segment.
rapport: A close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups understand
each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well with each other.
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edTPA Middle Childhood English Language Arts Assessment Handbook
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respect: A positive feeling of esteem or deference for a person and specific actions and
conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the
actual qualities of the one respected. It can also be conduct in accord with a specific ethic of
respect. Rude conduct is usually considered to indicate a lack of respect, disrespect,
whereas actions that honor somebody or something indicate respect. Note that respectful
actions and conduct are culturally defined and may be context dependent.
rubrics: Subject-s
pecific evaluation criteria used to score your performance on edTPA.
These rubrics are included in the handbook following the directions for each task. The
descriptors in the five-level rubrics address a wide range of performance, beginning with the
knowledge and skills of a novice not ready to teach (Level 1) and extending to the advanced
practices of a highly accomplished beginner (Level 5).
social and emotional development: Refers to the ways in which adolescents develop
unders
tandings of self and others. Milestones at various levels of development include
identity formation, self-awareness/self-concept, pro-social behavior, peer relationships,
social responsibility, and moral reasoning.
variety of young adolescent learners: Students in your class who may require different
strategies or support. These young adolescents include but are not limited to students with
IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers, underperforming students
or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students.
Copyright © 2019 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.
All rights reserved.