A new assessment is being introduced to students in the Department of Education.
Sierra Paul, a theatre and performance/education senior, and Brittany Urbina, art education senior, will be taking the performance-based Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers this year, instead of the standardized Oklahoma Professional Teaching Examination students have taken in the past. This change is part of a shift toward the way teachers are assessed at a state level, and there are plans to implement the PPAT in place of the OPTE within the next two years.
The OPTE is a written exam required as a part of university-based teacher education, ensuring that those taking the exam understand how to teach and can work in a classroom environment. The PPAT, by contrast, is a practical assessment separated into four tasks, with an emphasis on a real-world approach to teaching. Whereas the OPTE is a written test demonstrating knowledge, the PPAT demands an application of this knowledge in a real-world environment.
Paul said she and Urbina are the first ones to try out the new assessment system.
“For this year, they’re only having myself and Brittany Urbina do it, since we’re art teachers,” Paul said. “Eventually, they’re going to have everybody do this.”
The change is due to the different areas students can specialize in for education. Some areas do not have national organizations giving requirements and guidelines for teaching. The state of Oklahoma has determined that for these fields of teaching, students must now take the PPAT as a part of the state’s requirements for teachers.
There are currently plans to make the PPAT required for all people in university-based teacher education programs throughout the state.
Liz Willner, professor of education and the director of teacher education at OCU, has also offered her hopes and concerns about the upcoming change.
“I am suspending judgment at this point, partly because I keep thinking about what it costs, the three tests they have to take. Now we have the two tests and the performance assessment.” Willner said.
Two of the other exams required are the Oklahoma General Education Test and the Oklahoma Subject Area Test, which together can cost up to $175 to take, not including the potential added cost of resubmission fees. The OPTE currently costs $140 to take. The PPAT has a price tag of $300, with a $75 resubmission fee, significantly raising the total cost of these examinations.
The PPAT is not a standardized assessment, meaning that submitting and grading it is more prohibitive than the OPTE, which is both standardized and multiple-choice. However, Willner said she believes it has the potential to be a blessing in disguise, keeping teachers who are unable to demonstrate a practical application of teaching theory out of the classroom.
“Maybe we’ll keep some people out who shouldn’t be there,” Willner said.
Depending on how the assessments go for Paul and Urbina, along with others taking the PPAT in the next few years, Willner said the OPTE may be phased out and replaced with the new assessment for everyone in university-based teacher education by 2021.
Leave a Reply