The Relationship Between Teacher Candidates Performance on the Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching (K-6) and Performance on the edTPA Elementary Literacy Assessment

The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between the scores teacher candidates obtained on the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades K-6 and the edTPA Elementary Literacy and identify any influence of ethnicity, gender, and/or GPA on the performance of teacher candidates. Since some research about the PLT suggest the exam is not an effective means to predict the readiness of new teachers, several states have or are considering using a performance-based assessment, particularly the edTPA, as a replacement of the PLT. However, the question becomes, do teacher candidates who perform well on the PLT also do well on a performance-based assessment, such as the edTPA? If not, what relationships, if any, exist between the two measures? Do the relationships between performance on the PLT and the edTPA differ by ethnicity or gender? Do students who have high as compared to lower grade point averages (GPA) perform differently? This quantitative study was conducted using secondary analysis from 69 teacher candidates from a dual K-6 and Special Education licensure area undergraduate program in a Tennessee University. Several hierarchical multiple regressions were analyzed and data revealed a statistically significant relationship among GPA, PLT, and edTPA. No statistically significant differences were found when gender or ethnicity were considered. An additional finding indicated edTPA subscores were intercorrelated while the PLT subtests were not. These findings suggest the PLT is not as rigorous of a test as the edTPA and they do not assess some of the same components. The PLT is a traditional standardized test and all the subtests are stand-alone measures that have very little overlap. In contrast, the edTPA shows to be intercorreleated and each task builds upon one another. Although data from this research showed positive relationships between the edTPA and the PLT, the findings suggest edTPA as a more viable licensure assessment option. Compared to the PLT, the edTPA is more sustainable because of the positive relationships between key categories and the real-world nature of a performance-based assessment and the P-12 classroom