News and Updates:
August 2021
We are thrilled to announce--at long last--Public Act 102-0301, which removes the videotaping requirement for the edTPA in Illinois.
https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=808&GAID=16&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=133435&SessionID=110&GA=102
The law was signed by Governor Pritzker this month. While this law does not get rid of the edTPA requirement itself, it does achieve two goals. One, it protects the privacy of students and student teachers. Two, we believe it's an important step toward highlighting the reasons why the edTPA should be removed as a licensure requirement in Illinois. Getting this bill passed and signed took three years of advocacy and patience, but we're not done yet. Check back for updates in the coming year and be sure to email us for more information. You can send inquiries directly to: [email protected]
PAST ACHIEVEMENTS:
May 2014 Illinois Coalition for edTPA Rule Change is formed following a roundtable discussion at the spring IACTE meeting
October 2014 CCADE/IADCPE submits petition to ISBE asking for a delay of the edTPA as a high stakes assessment for licensure. Petition is rejected by ISBE
April 2015 Illinois Coalition for edTPA Rule Change submits petition, signed by more than 250 people to ISBE asking for a rule change. Petition is rejected by ISBE
November 2015 Illinois House Education and Curriculum Policy Committee holds a Subject Matter Hearing in Springfield to hear arguments in favor of and against the edTPA
February 2016 DePaul University College of Education hosts a forum addressing concerns about the edTPA
A video from the DePaul College of Education winter forum: TAKING A CRITICAL LOOK
AT THE edTPA can be found at http://condor.depaul.edu/mptvideo/COE2016/02182016.html
April 2016 We are happy to report that HB 6128 cleared another hurdle April 5 by receiving a “do pass as amended” vote in the House Licensure Oversight Committee hearing, no doubt due in large part to the almost 250 witness slips submitted in support of the bill, compared to only a few more than 30 in opposition. However, the committee members were intent on making sure that all the involved parties—those for, and those against, including ISBE, agree to meet to negotiate a bill that all the various stakeholders can support. They include teachers and administrators in the schools who support our opposition to requiring a high-stakes assessment like the edTPA in student teaching, but have concerns about the unintended consequences of moving the assessment into a provisional license period. We get that, especially because we were able to discuss this with them ahead of time, when their concerns came to our attention after the bill was filed, and before the hearing was scheduled. Fortunately, those discussions led to their commitment not to formally oppose the bill if we could get the time to work on it together before the next hearing. That’s exactly what the House committee’s vote allows, thanks to the efforts of the bill’s chief sponsor Rep Linda Chapa LaVia, the support and guidance of its two newest co-sponsors Reps Kelly Burke and Lou Lang, our arrangement with teacher and school administrator groups, and the agreement of ISBE. We are confident that we can craft a better solution in the next few weeks. Discussions begin in the next few days. We promise to keep you posted. Please let us know if you have ideas you think we should hear. There will be more opportunities for you to submit witness slips in the near future, so stay tuned. Again, thank you so much for your support!
Fall 2016
After agreeing to withdraw our efforts to pass HB 6128, ISBE agreed on its part to allow an alternative assessment in the form of a new evaluation tool designed by ETHS. This assessment tool is very similar to the edTPA. However, we counted it as a win that ISBE was willing to entertain an alternative to the edTPA. In the end, however, ETHS declined to enter into a contractual agreement with ISBE.
July 2017
This past spring we conducted two anonymous surveys to find out what stakeholders think about the edTPA. One survey was sent directly to 862 district superintendents and the other was sent, with the help of Illinois IHEs, to cooperating teachers and university supervisors. We received a 33% return rate from the superintendents and a 20% return rate from cooperating teachers and university supervisors. Data analysis and commentary is forthcoming, but our initial findings reveal a deep and widespread dissatisfaction with the edTPA as a high stakes assessment for teacher licensure. Concerns from both groups include student privacy and the effect the edTPA is having on the quality of student teaching. Other concerns include how the edTPA requirement may be affecting the shortage of teachers in Illinois, especially in rural areas. While some respondents were careful to cite positive aspects of the assessment, most who took the time to comment believe that the edTPA is unnecessary, ineffective, and damaging to teacher preparation.
We are in the process of preparing an analysis and commentary on the data. In the meantime, survey results can be found on our Documents page. In addition to the surveys, we have attempted to work with members of ISBE to reform edTPA policy. Members of the Coalition attended two ISBE meetings this spring and spoke during the public comment period at the May meeting in Springfield. A copy of a statement and materials presented to the board can also be found on our Documents page. As a result of these efforts, members of the board have agreed to meet with us to discuss and address the concerns of stakeholders around the state about how the edTPA is being used for licensure.