Improving Assessment to Improve Learning

This study examined the assessment instruction of a four-year undergraduate secondary education program and its alignment to the teaching standards and the summative teacher licensure assessment. Document analyses were conducted on the program’s syllabi as well as the assessment portions of the InTASC standards and the handbook of the edTPA. Results highlighted several areas of misalignment in the areas of categorical concurrence, depth of knowledge, and range of knowledge. Also of note, preservice teachers in different secondary subject areas are receiving different amounts of assessment instruction. Additionally, local edTPA data was examined to highlight areas of strength and weakness. Students did not perform significantly higher or lower on the assessment task as opposed to the other two tasks (planning and instruction), but there were significant differences among rubrics within the assessment task. A new theoretical framework is introduced to conceptualize the assessment education needed for secondary education teachers to be considered assessment literate