Candidate Performance Assessment
In the College of Education
The College of Education (COE) at Texas Tech University (TTU) strongly believes in public
accountability and transparency: we are open for public review and are accountable for our
actions. The basis for such accountability is the assessment of our candidates’ performance, and
the use of a range of data to inform our decision making.
Performance assessment is founded in a clear vision for educator preparation: Through
meaningful partnerships with the schools, agencies, and communities we serve, the College of
Education will produce measurably best educators in the U.S. and provide programs, services,
and research that maximize student success from early childhood through graduate education.
Strategic Goals for Educator Preparation Texas Tech University
The College aspires to be a national leader in education reform and has embraced three strategic
goals for doing so. As these goals are achieved, the end result is to produce measurably the best
educators in the United States. In so doing, our graduates are provided with the knowledge,
skills, and dispositions to make them highly qualified and recruited for whatever education
position they seek.
Goal 1: Produce the Measurably Best Educators in the U.S.
The College will produce “trademark” graduates with distinctive skills and outcomeproducing capacities that address stated market needs in a cross section of communities
and population centers, thereby increasing diversity and enrollment.
Goal 2: Add value to the profession by collaborating with partner schools, agencies,
and communities to maximize P-20 students’ college and career readiness, health,
and success. (P-20: Students from preschool through grade 20, college.)
The College will engage with school, agency, and community partners to maximize
college and career readiness, health, and success; and will maximize the measured impact
of our graduates on the clients they serve.
Goal 3: Conduct research that brings measurable improvement and innovation to
the field. Prepare educators to use research as a tool to continuously improve and
innovate.
The College will use intervention research to maximize a measured impact of our
graduates on the fields they serve, including maximizing P-20 students’ college and
career readiness, health, and success.
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The primary means to judge the attainment of these goals is through ongoing assessment
activities, particularly the measurement of candidate performance. There are multiple points
throughout educator preparation programs where candidates’ readiness is examined. The regular
assessment of performance therefore becomes the bases for achieving the College’s goal to
“Produce the measurably best educators in the U.S.” Following are six assessments utilized by
academic programs to monitor candidate performance and inform decision making.
Multiple Assessments of Candidate Performance
1. End of Phase Assessments
All educator preparation programs and courses are hierarchically organized into three levels or
phases reflecting increasing performance expectations of candidates and enhancing faculty
members’ instructional capabilities. These expectations are reflected in corresponding “end-ofphase” performance assessments.
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Phase One (P1) assessments emphasize the foundational knowledge and reasoning
required in the discipline.
Phase Two (P2) assessments incorporate the knowledge, reasoning from P1 and
assimilate them into practice, or skill, that takes place in guided and hypothetical settings,
such as case studies and controlled clinical experiences.
Phase Three (P3) assessments integrate the knowledge, reasoning and skills from Phase 1
with the simulated application from Phase 2, and then employ them in authentic real
world settings.
The results from end-of-phase assessments are entered into a database and are analyzed by
faculty members to monitor candidate progress and to evaluate program quality. If a candidate
does not meet the proscribed level of competency, remediation is undertaken in order to advance
individuals to the next Phase, or to guide them to consider other career options.
Figure 1 is an excerpt from a dashboard indicating End-of-Phase data.
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Figure 1
2. Apply and Evaluate Assignments (A&E)
Each educator preparation course has an A&E assignment that reflects the course “phase” (i.e.,
Phase 1 to Phase 3). A&E assignments provide opportunities for candidates to practice and
develop instructional skills. These skills are taught by instructors who first model them in the
college classroom. Then candidates practice those strategies in the safety of the college
classroom to improve competency. Finally, candidates try out those strategies in real-world,
clinical settings to further refine and demonstrate competency. Candidates use a video-capture
device to record their instruction, and then submit the video for evaluations, including self, peer,
and instructor evaluation. This evaluation provides important feedback to candidates about their
competency. In many courses, candidates can again instruct and record to build on what they
learn in their first attempts. A&E assignments are an important component of all Phase 2 and
Phase 3 courses.
Figure 2 provides an indication of how A&E data are used. Notice how a variety of indicators
are measured, including academic feedback, activities and materials, assessment, benchmark data
analysis, and data management. Also note how variables such as program, semester, and course
may be changed to provide many levels of data—all of which allow candidates, instructors, and
programs to improve. Ultimately this process better prepares graduates for their eventual careers
in education.
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Figure 2
Apply and Evaluate (A&E) Data
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3. Performance Assessments (PA)
The culminating Phase 3 evaluation for teacher candidates takes place during the year-long
student teaching practicum or graduate internship. During this year, candidates’ instructional
competency is evaluated through four assessments of instructional competency. Each PA is
intended as a formative assessment of candidate competency so that, like the A&E assignments,
feedback can be used to shape and improve instructional skills. To maximize the formative
benefits of this evaluation, each PA also includes a “POP” cycle: (a) a pre-conference to review
the lesson; (b) observation and scripting of lesson to gather evidence for evaluation; and (c)
post-lesson meeting with the candidate to review evidence, coach and assign ratings.
Candidate instructional competency throughout the program is evaluated using the TAP Rubric.
The Rubric was designed by the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching as part of the
Teacher Advancement Program (TAP), and has multiple indicators such as instructional plans,
standards and objectives, presenting instructional content, activities and materials, academic
feedback, and managing student behavior. Like the A&E assignments, PAs also involve the use
of a video-capture device to facilitate self-reflection and (later) program monitoring and
adjusting.
Figure 3 indicates one view of performance assessment data. Again these data may be
aggregated and disaggregated in many ways by program, year, and measurement indicators.
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Figure 3
Performance Assessment (PA) Data
4. Student Attitudinal Measure
P-12 students taught by candidates during student teaching also provide feedback, which is
gathered through a pre and posttest administration of the Classroom Engagement Inventory.
Through this inventory, students are able to rate the extent to which they are emotionally,
cognitively, and behaviorally engaged when they are being taught by the teacher candidate.
Teacher candidates receive the anonymous results, and use this feedback to target specific types
of strategies aimed at improving student engagement. At the end of the year, students again
provide feedback to their teacher candidate about their engagement while she or he is teaching.
These data provide teacher candidates with a fuller picture of their competency, feedback about
their efforts at improvement, and a direction for continuing to refine their instructional skills for
engaging students.
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5. School District Benchmarks
A major focus of assessment activities is to measure the impact educator preparation candidates
have on the clients and communities they serve. The growth P-12 students’ knowledge, skills,
and dispositions is a basic measure of the success of college candidates. As part of this process,
school districts provide a variety of data concerning the performance of their students on
assessments produced by the districts, and on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic
Readiness (STAAR) test. These benchmark and summative data in turn are used to determine
the impact college teacher candidates make on the public school students, as indicated in Figure
4. Again, variables such as program, subject, and grade level may altered to provide a range of
information to support decision-making and improvements.
Figure 4
School District Benchmark Data
6. The Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES)
The culmination of all college assessment activities is to produce measurable best educators, a
major indicator of which is the passing rate of the state licensure exam—TExES. All portions of
the Texas Examination of Educator Standards must be passed for a candidate to become a
certified educator in Texas. TExES has both final and practice components, with candidate
performance on the exam used in several ways.
 Passage of the appropriate Practice Content exam is required for admission to the teacher
education program.
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Passage of the appropriate Final Content exam is required for admission to student
teaching.
Passage of the Final Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility exam is required for
ultimate certification.
Texas Tech candidates do well on the TExES, as indicated in Figure 5. These data are for
candidates’ initial attempt of the exam. Individuals who don’t pass the first time may retake the
exam for eventual success. Note how top-level performance is found across all ethnic and
gender groups (Figure 6). Additional performance details are found in individual certification
field data, Figure 7. Notice that TTU candidates perform well with certificate specific exams, as
they complete requirements to become a range of educators—teachers, principals, counselors,
and diagnosticians.
Figure 5
TExES Certification Tests Overall
Initial Pass Rates
Year
2014-2015
2013-2014
2012-2013
2011-2012
2010-2011
2009-2010
2008-2009
2007-2008
2006-2007
2005-2006
2004-2005
2003-2004
2002-2003
2001-2002
All
98% (447)
Initial Pass
Rate
98%
95%
95%
95%
92%
95%
97%
97%
96%
96%
93%
97%
95%
92%
Number of
Test Takers
447
431
652
584
693
606
598
675
679
621
610
473
397
586
Figure 6
TExES Pass Rates for Completion Year 2015
Female
Male
African
Hispanic
Other
American
98% (366) 97% (81) 100% (13) 97% (128)
88% (8)
White
98% (298)
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Figure 7
TExES Pass Rates
By Certification Area (2014-2015)
Certification Area
Agricultural Science and Technology (6-12)
Art (EC-12)
Bilingual Education Supplemental-Spanish (NA)
Dance (8-12)
Deaf and Hard of Hearing (EC-12)
Educational Diagnostician (EC-12)
English Language Arts and Reading (7-12)
English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies (4-8)
English as a Second Language Supplemental (NA)
Generalist (EC-6)
History (7-12)
History (8-12)
Mathematics (4-8)
Mathematics (7-12)
Mathematics (8-12)
Mathematics/Science (4-8)
Music (EC-12)
Physical Education (EC-12)
Principal (EC-12)
School Counselor (EC-12)
Science (8-12)
Social Studies (7-12)
Special Education (EC-12)
Superintendent (EC-12)
Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (EC-12)
Theatre (EC-12)
Taken Passed Percent
14
12
47
2
1
32
5
13
70
250
7
10
1
1
3
10
25
15
10
1
1
1
53
3
18
1
13
12
41
2
1
31
5
13
64
250
7
10
1
1
3
10
25
15
10
1
1
1
52
3
18
1
92.86
100
87.23
100
100
96.88
100
100
91.43
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
98.11
100
100
100
Moving Forward
Ultimately, performance data on Texas Tech candidates provide incentive for continued reform
of educator preparation programs and provide the basis for research about our programs, which
informs the conversation about teacher education.
The College of Education is committed to rigorous and focused strategic goals producing the
“Measurably best educators in the U.S.” In particular, our reformed teacher education program,
Tech Teach, is marking a radical departure from traditional teacher preparation programs by
engaging candidates in activities aimed at developing superior instructional competency and
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professionalism. Transformed coursework focuses on helping candidates learn and apply the
skills necessary to foster preschool through 12th grade student achievement. Clinical experiences
include extended placements with diverse populations throughout the program, and a full year of
student teaching. Through the use of video-capture technology, candidates receive
unprecedented feedback about instructional competency; and through the use of a co-teaching
model, gain experience that develops the qualifications and skills equal to or above that of a
second-year teacher. These experiences allow Texas Tech University graduates to meet the
needs of all diverse student populations, and help us produce the “Measurably best educators in
the U.S.”
Progress toward the measurably best goal, and Tech Teach as a model of excellence, have
recognized by many external groups.
• Lubbock ISD: “We try to hire all the Tech Teach graduates that we can. We have
principals fighting over them.”
• Dallas ISD: “We want more Tech Teach graduates, how do we get them and what do we
need to do to keep them?”
• The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, a national accrediting body,
calls educator preparation at TTU, “A National Model of Reform.”
• Texas Tech University has been interacting with several groups that want more
involvement with the Tech Teach model:
o the Massachusetts Department of Education;
o the Louisiana Department of Education;
o the University of Memphis;
o the Urban Teacher Center with programs in Baltimore and Washington, DC; and
o the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching has engaged in early discussions
about a teacher prep partnership for TAP Schools across the U.S.
o TTU was the only university recipient of a Gates Teacher Preparation
Transformation Center grant to support the reform of other university’s teacher
preparation programs.
Indeed, Texas Tech University is moving forward to product the “Measurably best educators in
the U.S.”