How edTPA Rubrics Work to Bridge Theory and PracticeHow edTPA Rubrics Work to Bridge Theory and Practice

Have you ever spent hours preparing for a classroom observation, only to feel blindsided by the feedback you received afterward? What if, instead of feeling lost and confused, you had a detailed rubric that outlined exactly what to expect, helping you understand the priorities of your observers so you could tailor your lesson to meet their expectations? This is the exact approach the edTPA rubrics take, providing teacher candidates with an organized structure to unpack the standards assessed during their edTPA portfolio. 

In this blog, we'll discuss how to quickly understand the edTPA rubrics so you can confidently apply them to real-world teaching scenarios and make your classroom observation go as smoothly as possible. We'll also discuss how EssayGrader can help ensure a seamless connection between educational theory and effective classroom practice. As you work to unpack the detailed edTPA rubrics, how to teach essay writing, grading software like EssayGrader can help simplify the process so you can focus on what matters: getting ready for your classroom observation. 

What Do I Need to Know About edTPA?

The edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) measures student teachers' readiness for the classroom. The assessment aims to ensure new teachers have the skills they need to effectively teach a class of students on day one of their careers. The edTPA is a performance-based assessment designed to gauge a candidate’s ability to effectively teach a class of students. 

What the edTPA Evaluates

The edTPA focuses on three areas: 

• Planning
• Instruction
• Assessment

The assessment is very different from the other certification exams you’ll take to become a teacher. On certification exams, you show you have the content knowledge needed to teach by answering questions and possibly writing essays. 

You will likely have to take at least two exams: 

• One on teaching methods 
• Another on the subject you wish to teach

The Structure of the edTPA

The edTPA is divided into three tasks: 

• Planning
• Instruction
• Assessment

Each task has five rubrics to guide you and explain how you’ll be scored. You will also be given a handbook specific to your certification area. You will submit written commentary and artifacts that include: 

• Information about your context for learning
• Lesson plans
• Video footage
• Copies of lesson materials
• Assessments
• Assessment results

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How edTPA Rubrics Work in Real Classrooms

The rubrics provide specific feedback on candidates' strengths and weaknesses so that they can target areas for improvement and that programs can adjust curriculum accordingly. Following a multi-step standard-setting process in the summer of 2013, the standard-setting panel, which consisted of educational stakeholders from K–12 and higher education, recommended a score of forty-two points as the professional performance standard (PPS). 

Proportional Rubric Scaling for Fair Assessment Across Credential Areas

Typically, in setting a cut score for a pass-fail decision, a standard measurement error is applied to the recommended score to reduce decisions influenced by measurement error (e.g., false negatives). For credential areas (e.g., World Language) that have fewer or more than the fifteen rubrics, it is necessary to use an adjusted PPS because the total score differs. 

Planning: edTPA Task 1 

In Task 1, candidates plan the instruction and assessment for their learning segment. Before they begin, they outline the key elements of their lesson, including: 

• The learning segment (3-5 lessons aligned to both the central focus and student content standards)
• Central focus (the understanding students will develop throughout the learning segment)
• Student content standard (the national, state, or local learning standard on which the central focus is based)
• Student learning objective (what the candidate wants students to know and be able to do after the learning segment, which can change from lesson to lesson)

They will submit context for learning, learning segment lesson plans, instructional materials, assessments, and planning commentary. Their submissions for Task 1 will be evaluated using edTPA rubrics 1-5. 

Rubric 1: Planning for Content Understandings

Rubric 1 focuses on the candidate's ability to plan for students' understanding of the content. This rubric looks for evidence that the lessons within the learning segment are connected and build toward a central goal. 

Rubrics 2 and 3: Knowledge of Students

These rubrics target the candidate's knowledge of their classroom students and ability to plan for differentiated instruction. This includes identifying student needs and planning targeted instruction to scaffold learning for all students, including those with identified learning needs and English Language Learners. 

Rubric 4: Supporting Academic Language Development

Rubric 4 highlights the candidate’s ability to identify the academic language necessary for student success in the learning segment and plan targeted instruction to support all students, including ELLs, in developing the language to communicate their understanding of the content. 

Rubric 5: Planning Assessments

This rubric focuses on the candidate’s ability to plan for assessments that measure student learning and understanding of the content. The assessments should align with the central focus, standards, and learning objectives and allow all students to demonstrate their knowledge. 

Instruction: edTPA Task 2 

In Task 2, candidates put their plans into action. They will video record themselves teaching students in a 3-5 day learning segment. For each of the rubrics in this task, candidates submit video footage and written commentary that explains how the chosen video clips meet the rubric’s standards. 

Rubric 6: Learning Environment

This is your opportunity to demonstrate evidence of the positive learning environment you have created for your students. Find video clips that exhibit respect and rapport in your class. You want proof that shows you have positive feelings toward your students, and they have positive feelings toward you and each other. 

Rubric 7: Engaging Students

This is where you show students engaged in learning tasks using thinking, analysis, and judgment to know what you have planned in your learning segment. Your video clip should feature students demonstrating the depth of their understanding of the content through probing questions from you or fellow students. 

Rubric 8: Deepening Student Learning

This is your opportunity to show how you encourage students to think deeply about your teaching content. Choose video clips that document yourself probing for responses at various thinking levels. 

Be prepared to follow up elicited responses to extend students’ thinking. Ask students to explain their thoughts or elaborate by developing their ideas with detail. Students can also summarize or add to what their classmates share. 

Rubric 9: Subject-Specific Pedagogy

This is your chance to show you know your content and how to teach it. Select video clips highlighting how you guide your students to think in your subject area. Each handbook addresses specific pedagogy needs for your submission based on the grade level and subject you teach. 

Address interdisciplinary connections to the content. You should also cite research in your commentaries, demonstrating you can put theory into practice. 

Rubric 10: Analyzing Teaching Effectiveness

This is your chance to show what you would do differently in your learning segment to optimize student learning of your central focus. The changes should focus more on instructional improvement and learning tasks than management issues, such as timing. As you note areas to improve, you should highlight things you did well. 

Assessment: edTPA Task 3 Overview

In Task 3, candidates analyze student learning to show how they will use assessment to inform future instruction. They choose one assessment from their learning segment to thoroughly analyze based on rubrics 11-15. 

Rubric 11: Analyzing Student Learning

Choose one assessment administered to the whole class (individual, self, partner, and/or group assignments will not be accepted) during your learning segment to analyze. The assessment needs to show what each student knows and can do thoroughly. 

Rubrics 12 and 13: Feedback

This is your chance to show how you use feedback to help students understand their strengths and areas of improvement based on the learning objective. Submit the feedback you gave your focus students based on their performance on the analyzed assessment. 

Rubric 14: Analyzing Students’ Academic Language Understanding and Use

You have already identified the language function, vocabulary, and additional language demands as part of Rubric 4 in Task 1. Now, you can describe my students’ use of academic language and support my description with evidence from my Task 2 video clip, a separate video clip, or student work samples. 

Rubric 15: Use of Assessment to Inform Instruction

This is your opportunity to share the next steps you will take for your whole class, targeting your focus students and other students with particular learning needs based on my analysis of the learning segment. The following steps should closely reflect the data analyzed in Rubric 11 for Task 3. 

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Top Tips to Ace the edTPA Tips from Experts

Read the Handbook like Your Teaching Life Depends on It. It Does.

Theresa, an edTPA scorer, advises, “Be sure to thoroughly read all instructions in the handbook.” This guideline is crucial to succeeding on the edTPA. 

Make Explicit Connections in Your Commentary.

“Make direct connections in your commentary. Do not leave it to the reader to assume anything. The connections have to be made by you to earn your score.” This tip from Theresa is key to understanding how to respond to edTPA prompts. 

Be Specific and Detailed When Writing Your Learning Segment.

Raechel, an edTPA scorer, says, “When writing learning segments, be specific about content connections, modifications, etc. Then be prepared to also write about it in your commentary. Even if it feels like you are repeating myself, make sure it is in both places.”  It sounds boring, but aim for fundamentals when writing your learning segments.   

Use Explicit Instruction to Teach Your Lessons.

Raechel, an edTPA scorer, advises, “Provide direct, explicit instruction whenever possible.” While a student-centered approach to class management might feel more natural, doing so on the edTPA can be counterproductive. Scorers want to see you can teach, so show this through your writing and videos.   

Don’t Overlook the Importance of Lesson Organization.

Dwayne, an edTPA scorer, says, “Ensure lesson plans are organized and have achievable goals and objectives.” His following advice is to ensure lessons are delivered sequentially and provide continuity. This sounds simple, but it’s easy to overlook organization when tackling a massive portfolio like the edTPA. Dwayne’s advice also applies to class management. 

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