Posted 11:08 a.m. Friday, March 28, 2025
How the edTPA prepares UWL teacher candidates for the classroom, beyond
Many majors require a final assessment or additional testing before beginning a career. For education students, that assessment is the edTPA.
The edTPA (Teacher Performance Assessment) is a portfolio-based evaluation designed to assess the readiness of aspiring teachers. At UW-La Crosse, the edTPA is included as part of the graduation requirements for teacher candidates.
“While some teacher preparation colleges use assessments that they've created, we feel strongly about sticking to the edTPA,” says Jourdan Stacey, professional development and community outreach specialist for UWL’s School of Education.
“We love how each task is grounded in research on current best practices in education,” Stacey continues. “Without this alignment, we would not be as confident in the fact that we are maintaining the highest standards for future teachers. We also appreciate that it is scored externally to UWL, ensuring consistency in evaluation across all content areas.”
The assessment requires candidates to submit teaching materials including lesson plans, student work samples and reflective statements, in order to demonstrate their ability to teach effectively in real classroom settings.
Lindsey Pedersen, ’22, took the edTPA as a teacher candidate at UWL and now teaches middle school math in a school district near Nashville, Tennessee.
“Even though it was one of the longest processes in my college career, it really helped me focus on the alignment of standards to objectives to lesson agenda to assessment,” Pedersen explains. “If those things don’t connect, your lesson is not clear to students.”
In addition, Pedersen says participating in the edTPA helped her become a more reflective educator, providing her with the right questions to ensure she developed the lesson she intended: Did I plan intentionally? Did I say and do as I wanted to? Was I missing something important?
“On a personal level, it also made me feel proud to complete a rigorous assessment since the School of Education can sometimes be undermined as ‘easy’” Pedersen says.
Another positive of completing the edTPA, Stacey shares, is its portability to other states.
“If a teacher candidate is looking to teach in another state, they have the capability to transfer this assessment as a measure of their abilities as a teacher,” Stacey says.
For many school districts, the edTPA is seen as a valuable indicator of teaching readiness, providing concrete evidence of a candidate's abilities.
“Having a completed edTPA on a resume signals to potential employers that the candidate is prepared, reflective and capable of delivering high-quality instruction from day one,” Stacey explains. “It is clear to us that schools want to take UWL student teachers and hire UWL grads.”
Several districts have highlighted how UWL students stand out in the applicant pool, recognizing the hard work and high expectations set by UWL's School of Education for its teacher candidates.
The edTPA's focus on evidence-based teaching strategies ensures that UWL graduates are not only well-prepared for the classroom but also equipped to find a fulfilling career after graduation.