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edTPA

Terms in this set (53)

Learning Segment
A set of 3-5 lessons that build one upon another toward a central focus, with a clearly defined beginning and end. Each discipline has its own requirements for the learning segment (see Handbook)
Commentary
Submitted as part of each task and, along with artifacts, make up your evidence. The commentaries should be written to explain the rationale behind your teaching decisions and to analyze and reflect on what you have learned about your teaching practice and your students' learning.
Formal Assessment
"[R]efer[s] to all those activities undertaken by teachers and by their students . . . that provide information to be used as feedback to modify teaching and learning activities. Assessments provide evidence of students' prior knowledge, thinking, or learning in order to evaluate what students understand and how they are thinking. Formal assessments may include, for example, quizzes, homework assignments, journals, and projects.
Informal Assessment
"[R]efer[s] to all those activities undertaken by teachers and by their students . . . that provide information to be used as feedback to modify teaching and learning activities."14 Assessments provide evidence of students' prior knowledge, thinking, or learning in order to evaluate what students understand and how they are thinking. Informal assessments may include, for example, student questions and responses during instruction and teacher observations of students as they work.
Central Focus
central focus: A description of the important understandings and core concepts that you want students to develop within the learning segment. The central focus should go beyond a list of facts and skills, align with content standards and learning objectives, and address the subject-specific components in the learning segment. The subject-specific components for elementary literacy include an essential literacy strategy and the associated requisite skills for comprehending or composing text.

For example, the central focus for a primary grade literacy learning segment might be summarizing narratives. The learning segment would focus on the essential literacy strategy (summarizing) and requisite skills (e.g., decoding, recalling, sequencing). The central focus for an upper elementary learning segment might be persuasive writing. The learning segment would focus on the essential literacy strategy (using evidence to support an argument) and requisite skills (e.g., writing paragraphs, using correct verb tense, or other conventions). See the Making Good Choices resource for suggestions on selecting your central focus.
For example, the subject-specific components for elementary mathematics are: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and mathematical reasoning/problem-solving skills. A central focus for an intermediate grade mathematics learning segment might be equivalent fractions or equivalencies. The learning segment would focus on conceptual understanding and the associated computational/procedural understandings and reasoning/problem-solving skills.
Learning Target
A specific learning goal that has been articulated for student learning.
Literacy Strategy (Literacy)
An approach selected deliberately by a reader or writer to comprehend or compose text. When students are able to select and use strategies automatically, they have achieved independence in using the strategy to accomplish reading and writing goals. Example strategies for reading include summarizing or retelling, comparing and contrasting firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event, using evidence to predict, interpreting a character's feelings, or drawing conclusions from informational text. Example strategies for writing include organizing ideas before writing, note taking from informational text to support drafting a topic, using graphic organizers to organize writing, using a rubric to revise a draft, or using quotes as evidence to support an argument.
Developmental Approximation (Literacy)
Include transitional spelling or other attempts to use skills or strategies just beyond a student's current level/capability.
Academic Language
Oral and written language used for academic purposes. Academic language is the means by which students develop and express content understandings. Academic language represents the language of the discipline that students need to learn and use to participate and engage in the content area in meaningful ways. There are language demands that teachers need to consider as they plan to support student learning of content. These language demands include vocabulary, language functions, syntax, and discourse.
Vocabulary
Includes words and phrases that are used within disciplines including: (1) words and phrases with subject-specific meanings that differ from meanings used in everyday life (e.g., table); (2) general academic vocabulary used across disciplines (e.g., compare, analyze, evaluate); and (3) subject-specific words defined for use in the discipline.
Syntax
The set of conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into structures (e.g., sentences, graphs, tables)
Discourse
Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well as how members of the discipline talk, write, and participate in knowledge construction. Discipline-specific discourse has distinctive features or ways of structuring oral or written language (text structures) that provide useful ways for the content to be communicated.10 In the language arts and literacy, there are structures for composing, interpreting, and comprehending expository, narrative, poetic, journalistic, and graphic print materials as well as video and live presentations. If the language function is to interpret character development, then appropriate language forms could include written essays (with particular ways of citing textual evidence) or pattern sentences such as "The author used (action, dialogue, and/or description) to introduce (main character). One example of (action, dialogue, and/or description) was ____________, which suggested that the character was _______________."
Learning Environment
The designed physical and emotional context, established and maintained throughout the learning segment to support a positive and productive learning experience for students.
to Elicit
To evoke or draw out a response from students, often with the aim of deepening student understanding or moving understanding toward "higher order thinking."
Learning Standards
Learning standards are elements of declarative, procedural, schematic, and strategic knowledge that, as a body, define the specific content of an educational program. Standards are usually composed of statements that express what a student knows, can do, or is capable of performing at a certain point in their learning progression. Know which Standards you must incorporate into your lesson segment by consulting your Handbook.
Learning Objectives
Student learning outcomes to be achieved by the end of the lesson or learning segment.
Evidence
Evidence for edTPA consists of artifacts that document how you planned and implemented instruction AND commentaries that explain your plans and what is seen in the videorecording(s) or examine what you learned about your teaching practice and your students' learning. Evidence should demonstrate your ability to design lesson plans with instructional supports that deepen student learning, use knowledge of your students to inform instruction, foster a positive learning environment that promotes student learning, monitor and assess student progress toward learning objectives, and analyze your teaching effectiveness. Your evidence must be submitted electronically using the electronic portfolio management system used by your teacher preparation program.
Gaps in Academic Knowledge
Skills or content that students have not learned. These gaps can prevent a full understanding of a topic or because of lacking skills, an inability to progress to a higher level of understanding or procedure.
Direct Instruction
Direct teaching (lecture)
Inquiry
An approach to learning that involves gaining knowledge and skills in the process of problem solving or seeking an answer to a question. Student-centered.
Patterns of Learning
Includes both quantitative and qualitative consistencies for different groups of students and individuals across the whole class. Quantitative patterns indicate the number of similar correct responses or errors across or within student assessments. Qualitative patterns include descriptions of understandings and/or misunderstandings, partial understandings, and/or attempts at applying a strategy that underlies the quantitative patterns. For example, if the majority of students (quantitative) in a class ordered unit fractions from least to greatest as 1/2, 1/3, 1/14, /5, the students' error shows that they believe that the smaller the denominator, the smaller the fraction and they have a mathematical misunderstanding related to the value of fractional parts (qualitative).
Language Demands
Specific ways that academic language (vocabulary, functions, discourse, syntax) is used by students to participate in learning tasks through reading, writing, listening, and/or speaking to demonstrate their disciplinary understanding.
Language Functions
The content and language focus of the learning task represented by the active verbs within the learning outcomes. Common language functions in the language arts include identifying main ideas and details; analyzing and interpreting characters and plots; arguing a position or point of view; predicting; evaluating or interpreting an author's purpose, message, and use of setting, mood, or tone; comparing ideas within and between texts; and so on.
Aligned
Consistently addressing the same/similar learning outcomes for students.
Assets (personal/community/cultural)
personal: Refers to specific background information that students bring to the learning environment. Students may bring interests, knowledge, everyday experiences, family backgrounds, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support learning.
cultural: Refers to the cultural backgrounds and practices that students bring to the learning environment, such as traditions, languages, worldviews, literature, art, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support learning.
community: Refers to common backgrounds and experiences that students bring from the community where they live, such as resources, local landmarks, community events and practices, and so on, that a teacher can draw upon to support learning.
Evaluation Criteria
Performance indicators or dimensions that are used to assess evidence of student learning. They indicate the qualities by which levels of performance can be differentiated and that anchor judgments about the learner's degree of success on an assessment. Evaluation criteria can be represented in various ways, such as a rubric, a point system for different levels of performance, or rules for awarding full versus partial credit. Evaluation criteria may examine correctness/accuracy, cognitiv
Misconception
For literacy, includes confusion about a strategy or skill (e.g., misunderstanding about text purpose and structure, application of a skill, or multiple meaning words). For mathematics, a misconception stems from an erroneous framework about mathematical relationships or concepts, sometimes based on informal generalizations from experience. For example, a student may believe that multiplying two numbers always results in a larger number than either of the numbers being multiplied. This misconception is likely to cause difficulty when learning to multiply fractions.
Planned supports
Instructional strategies, learning tasks and materials, and other resources deliberately designed to facilitate student learning of the central focus.
Requisite Skills (Literacy)
Literacy skills students will develop and practice while learning a literacy strategy in the learning segment. This is not to be confused with prerequisite skills, which are developed before the learning segment begins.
Conceptual Understanding (Math)
"Students demonstrate conceptual understanding in mathematics . . . when they recognize, label, and generate examples of concepts; use and interrelate models, diagrams, manipulatives, and varied representations of concepts; identify and apply principles; know and apply facts and definitions; compare, contrast, and integrate related concepts and principles; recognize, interpret, and apply the signs, symbols, and terms used to represent concepts."
Mathematical Reasoning (Math)
"[T]he capacity to think logically about the relationships among concepts and situations. Such reasoning is correct and valid, stems from careful consideration of alternatives, and includes knowledge of how to justify the conclusions. . . . One uses it to navigate through the many facts, procedures, concepts, and solution methods and to see that they all fit together in some way, that they make sense."
Re-engagement (Math)
Means to support students to revisit and review a topic with a different set of strategies, representations, and/or focus to develop understandings and/or correct misconceptions.
Documented Student Data (PE)
Data in the psychomotor domain that was collected using an assessment instrument (i.e., rating scale, rubric, game performance assessment instrument). Documented student data does not come from the anecdotal or informal observations made during the instructional process
Health-enhancing Physical Fitness (PE)
Intentional and systematic physical activity that positively enhances the components of personal physical fitness" (e.g., cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength/endurance, flexibility, and body composition). "Improving these components reduces the risk of disease and illness and enhances overall health and well-being.
Movement Patterns (PE)
Fundamental movements are the essential building blocks to skillful movement. These include locomotor (e.g., jumping and running), non-locomotor (e.g., bending and stretching), and manipulative (e.g., striking and throwing) movement patterns."These are groups of skills based on common elements.
Performance Concepts (PE)
"Knowledge and action concepts related to skillful performance. . . . [I]ncludes aspects of (1) correct selection of 'what' to do (e.g., when to choose a drop shot or why to choose low repetitions for strength training) when performing a skill; and (2) correct execution or 'how' to do a skill (e.g., executing a wrist flick or [knowing the correct] speed for lowering the weight in a repetition) (Rink 2003)."18 This also includes activities such as orienteering and team building.
Safe (PE)
In physical education, being safe goes beyond providing for students' physical safety. It also includes ensuring there is enough space available for activities, that students appropriately use equipment, that transitions are planned for and efficiently completed, and that active supervision occurs to ensure on-task behavior. Candidates must also ensure the psychological well-being of all students by eliminating any opportunities for bullying to occur, creating an environment that encourages safe risk taking, avoiding embarrassing and singling out students, and creating an environment where appropriate peer-to-peer interactions occur. At no time should stereotyping based on gender, race, culture, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation occur.
Special Needs (PE)
Refers to categories addressed by federal law (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), identified learning disabilities, gifted and talented, and other features of student learning that may require individualized instruction or assessment.
Tactical Approach (PE)
A teaching approach that focuses on the ability to identify tactical problems within the game environment. The tactical model begins with a game form (modified and exaggerated), followed by teaching tactical awareness (what to do), and then skill execution (how to do it). This approach to teaching sport is opposite of a traditional teaching model that focuses on teaching several days of skill development in isolation, without their tactical context.
Psychomotor (PE)
...
Cognitive (PE)
...
Affective (PE)
...
Evidence-based Argument (science)
A claim (statement) about the phenomenon justified through the use of scientific data.
Evidence-based Explanation (science)
An evidence-based explanation of a phenomenon includes a claim (statement) about the underlying cause using scientific concepts or principle(s), consistent with scientific data.
Nature of Science (science)
Science is "a set of practices that shows that theory development, reasoning, and testing are components of a larger ensemble of activities that includes networks of participants and institutions; specialized ways of talking and writing; the development of models to represent systems or phenomena; the making of predictive inferences; construction of appropriate instrumentation; and testing of hypotheses by experiment or observation."13 Science teachers create a community of learners who learn how to work together to develop, test, refine, and share scientific ideas based on evidence about how the biological and physical worlds work.
Scientific Practices Through Inquiry (science)
Scientific practices, as defined by the Next Generation Science Standards, focus on eight key components:

Asking questions
Developing and using models
Planning and carrying out investigations
Analyzing and interpreting data
Using mathematics and computational thinking
Constructing explanations
Engaging in argument from evidence
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
Artifacts
Authentic work completed by you and your students, including lesson plans, copies of instructional and assessment materials, video clips of your teaching, and student work samples. Artifacts are submitted as part of your evidence.
engaging students in learning:
Using instructional and motivational strategies that promote students' active involvement in learning tasks that increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities related to specific learning objectives. Engagement in learning contrasts with student participation in learning tasks that are not well designed and/or implemented and do not increase student learning.
evidence:
Evidence for edTPA consists of artifacts that document how you planned and implemented instruction AND commentaries that explain your plans and what is seen in the videorecording(s) or examine what you learned about your teaching practice and your students' learning. Evidence should demonstrate your ability to design lesson plans with instructional supports that deepen student learning, use knowledge of your students to inform instruction, foster a positive learning environment that promotes student learning, monitor and assess student progress toward learning objectives, and analyze your teaching effectiveness. Your evidence must be submitted electronically using the electronic portfolio management system used by your teacher preparation program.
prior academic learning and prerequisite skills:
Includes students' content knowledge and skills as well as academic experiences developed prior to the learning segment.
rapport:
A close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well with each other.
variety of learners:
Students in your class who may require different strategies or support. These students include, but are not limited to, students with IEPs or 504 plans, English language learners, struggling readers, underperforming students or those with gaps in academic knowledge, and/or gifted students.
problem-solving skills (math)
Skills to engag[e] in a task for which the solution method is not known in advance.
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