Mistilina Sato

Improving Teachers’ Assessment Practices Through Professional Development: The Case of National Board Certification

This study examines how mathematics and science teachers’ classroom assessment practices were affected by the National Board Certification process. Using a 3-year, longitudinal, comparison group design, evidence of changes in teachers’ classroom practice were measured on six dimensions of formative assessment. The National Board candidates began the study with lower mean scores than the comparison group on all six assessment dimensions; had higher mean scores on all dimensions by the second year, with statistically significant gains on four of the dimensions; and continued to demonstrate substantially higher scores in the third year. Pronounced changes were in the variety of assessments used and the way assessment information was used to support student learning. National Board candidates attributed changes in practice to the National Board standards and assessment tasks. Comparison group teachers who showed noticeable changes in practice described professional development experiences similar to those supported by the National Board Certification process.

What Is the Underlying Conception of Teaching of the edTPA

The edTPA, a nationally available performance assessment for teacher candidates, has recently been developed and implemented in teacher education programs across the United States. Advocates make arguments for the need for such an assessment while critics of standardized performance assessments point out the dangers of standardization. This article takes a step back from the arguments in support of or in opposition to the assessment and asks fundamentally what the underlying conception of teaching of the edTPA is. After examining conceptions of teaching articulated by scholars such as Nathanial Gage, Larry Cuban, Lee Shulman, Paulo Freire, and bell hooks, this article argues that the underlying conception of teaching of the edTPA is one of professional practice, not only at the individual level but also at the level of teaching as a collective enterprise. The conception of teaching argument is also connected to discussions of the validity arguments for the edTPA with specific attention to face validity, content validity, and construct validity.

A Call to Action for Diversity in Teacher Education

Studying Diversity in Teacher Education, edited by Arnetha Ball and Cynthia Tyson, is a tapestry of unique perspectives on a critical area of teacher education research from U.S.-based theorists and researchers. The 20 chapters of the text are organized into three sections focusing respectively on historical contexts and persisting challenges, current trends and innovation, and future trends and directions. Of the 20 chapters, one chapter explores the overarching theme of diversity in teacher education in an international context, the rest of the chapters address the theme in a variety of U.S. settings. In the foreword, Linda DarlingHammond describes the volume as a “treasure trove of perspectives, answers, and provocations” (p. x). We take a cue from Darling-Hammond in this review and discuss this volume in terms of the perspectives the authors bring to studying diversity in teacher education and how they provoke those who engage with the text. Overall, we conclude that rather than providing answers to the most vexing questions related to diversity and teacher education, this volume is an urgent call to action for the field.

Investigating your school’s science teaching and learning culture

The authors report on their work with the Academy for Leadership in Science Instruction, a program targeted to help science teachers promote a science teaching and learning culture in their own schools.

Coping with Uncertainty in Teacher Mentoring: Cases of Ethical Tensions.

This article describes some of the complexity embedded in mentoring relationships among teachers and analyzes them through the lens of ethical tensions. The author draws on three instances from a larger collection of cases of mentoring dilemmas situated within the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards portfolio-based assessment system. The selected cases provide an avenue into the exploration of how mentors cope with the uncertainty related to the ethics of equity, prioritizing values, and the rights and responsibilities of group membership. Both teacher mentoring relationships and the particular circumstances of the high-stakes nature of mentoring within the National Board assessment environment are discussed.