Teacher Work Sample Methodology

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Emporia State University
The Teachers College
Teacher Work SampleModel
Phil Bennett bennettp_at_emporia.edu 620-341-5367
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Collaboration and Use

• Emporia and Olathe mentor teachers
• Emporia and Olathe elementary interns
• Emporia State University faculty
• Renaissance Group partner universities
• Oklahoma teachers and university professors
• Kansas Performance Assessment to obtain
• professional license

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Current Status at ESU

• Required of all elementary and secondary
  interns/student teachers beginning Spring
  2002
• Practice Teacher Work Sample completed
• prior to Block 3/Student Teaching
• The Teacher Work Sample is a major part of
• the final grade for the course EL/ED 431

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General Structure of the TWS

• Contextual Information Learning Environment
  Adaptations
• Unit Learning Goals and Objectives
• Instructional Design and Implementation
• Demonstration of Integration Skills
• Analysis of Classroom Learning Environment
• Analysis of Assessment Procedures
• Reflection and Self-Evaluation

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Factor 1 Contextual Information Learning
Environment

• Educational Purposes
• Increase students concept of classroom
  diversity
• Link information about diversity to
  instructional design
• Measurement Purpose
• Provide information about students awareness
  of contextual factors and ultimately data to
  examine their ability to function as a
  professional in a diverse setting.

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Factor 2 Unit Learning Goals Objectives

• Educational Purposes
• Promote use of more challenging instruction for
  all PK-12 pupils
• Promote use, interpretation and application of
  local and
• state standards
• Encourage student teachers/interns to avoid
  knowledge only
• targets unless appropriate
• Measurement Purpose
• Aid in interpretation of gain scores (i.e.,
  what kind of learning does the gain score
  represent type and concentration)

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Factor 3 Instructional Design Implementation

• Educational Purposes
• Foster use of assessment context data in
  planning instruction
• Link instructional design to learning
  objectives
• Encourage student teachers/interns to design
  challenging
• lessons that
• -impact learning for all students
• -address different learning styles,
• -incorporate technology
• -incorporate a wide range of reading abilities
• -use learning-centered environments
• Measurement Purpose
• Examine relationship between gain scores
  teaching approaches
• Ensure that teachers understand and use a
  variety of appropriate
• instructional strategies

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Factor 4 Demonstration of Integration Skills

• Educational Purposes
• Demonstrate the ability to integrate across and
  within
• content fields
• Demonstrate the ability to teach thinking
  skills
• Measurement Purposes
• Ensure that teachers can facilitate all
  students abilities
• to understand relationships between subject
  areas

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Factor 5 Analysis of Classroom Learning
Environment

• Educational Purposes
• Provide opportunity for student
  teachers/interns to link
• learning results to classroom efforts
• Promote student teacher/interns reflection on
  the impact the unit
• had on individual, small group and whole
  group learning
• Provide evidence of an appropriate classroom
  management plan
• Provide evidence of an appropriate
  motivational skills
• Measurement Purpose
• Ensure teachers provide a classroom environment
  supportive
• of student interaction in learning activities

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Factor 6 Analysis of Assessment Procedures

• Educational Purposes
• Promote link between learning objectives and
  assessments
• Encourage the use of different assessment
  formats
• Encourage the use of challenging assessments
• Measurement Purposes
• Encourage student teachers/interns to avoid
  using simple
• knowledge based assessments unless
  appropriate
• Student Teachers/interns can present evidence
  of calculation
• of student gain scores

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Factor 7 Reflection and Self-evaluation

• Educational Purposes
• Promote analysis and synthesis of all
  activities
• Promote professional development
• Promote a better understanding of the
  implications of state
• assessment and accreditation process on the
  teachers classroom
• Measurement Purpose
• Estimate the degree to which the unit was
  successful
• Demonstrate that the student teacher/intern
  can successfully
• evaluate the effects of his or her choices
  and actions on
• student learning

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Emporia State University Teacher Work
SampleSurvey ofStudent Teachers/InternsSpring
of 2002, 2003, 2005
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Spring 2002 Open-ended responses

• Most important thing I gained doing the TWS
• Determining gain scores/student progress (13)
• Being accountable for individual student learning
  (11)
• Planning/using/pacing a teaching unit (10)
• Being aware of my teaching skills/instruction
  planning and how to improve (9)
• Learning how to present/analyze assessment data
  (9)
• Improving time management/organization (9)

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Spring 2002 Open-ended responses

• The one thing that would improve the TWS
  assignment
• Decrease length (17)
• Make TWS less repetitive (12)
• Provide examples of good Teacher Work Samples (9)

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Spring 2003 Open-ended responses

• Most important thing I gained doing the TWS
• Planning and implementing units and lessons (15)
• Reflecting about my experience of teaching (9)
• Learning to evaluate students gain scores (9)

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Spring 2003 Open-ended responses

• The one thing that would improve the TWS
  assignment
• Having more specific details and better examples
  (16)
• Reduce/shorten the number of requirements/amount
  of work (12)
• More training sessions (12)

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Spring 2005Agree-disagree questions

• The TWS accurately show-cased my knowledge/skills
  as a teacher.
• 27 disagree 73 agreed
• The TWS was a valuable experience to my
  professional training.
• 21 disagree 79 agree

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Crocker Validity Survey Results

• Response Percentages from TWS
• Raters

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Who are TWS raters at ESU?

• Readers/scorers of TWSs
• Classroom teachers and university faculty
• Trained in TWS purpose and format
• Undergo anti-bias training and review before each
  scoring session

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Crocker validity, Spring 2002Does the TWS
measure Knowledge/Skills necessary for beginning
teachers?

• Not at all Yes, absolutely
• (1) (2) (3)
  (4)
• 0 3.5 32.5 64
• N28, in

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How important to practice of beginning teachers?

• Unimportant Somewhat Important
  Critical
• important
• (1) (2) (3)
  (4)
• 0 3.5 46.5
  50
• N28, in

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How often would a beginning teacher engage in
each

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(No Transcript)
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Extent that TWS tasks reflect following INTASC
standards
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(No Transcript)
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Crocker Validity, Spring 2003

• Does the TWS measure Knowledge/Skills necessary
  for beginning teachers?

Not at all Yes, absolutely
(1) (2) (3) (4) 0
2.8 27.8 66.7 N36, in
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How important to practice of beginning teachers?

• Unimportant Somewhat Important
  Critical
• important
• (1) (2) (3)
  (4)
• 0 2.8 52.8
  41.7
• N36, in

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How often would a beginning teacher engage in each
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(No Transcript)
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Extent that TWS tasks reflect following INTASC
standards
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(No Transcript)
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TWS-Specific Survey of Recent Graduates after at
Least 1 Year of Teaching, Summer 2004

• Emporia-area new teachers who completed a TWS
  during student teaching
• Telephone survey

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Guiding questionWhat aspects of the Teacher
Work Sample (TWS) do you do in your teaching job?
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Do you
35
Do you
yes no
36
Do you
yes no
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Candidate Performance Data and Research
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Means for Candidate Scores, Learning Gain,
Objective Mastery Index
Student Gain Scores are around 65 Objective
Masters are around 77
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Mean percentage scores for additional semesters

• Fall 05 87.8 Some major changes were made this
  semester for which candidates were not as
  prepared as in earlier years. This likely had
  some impact on scores the next two semesters as
  well.
• Spring 06 89.88
• Fall 06 88.94
• Spring 07 91.5

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Descriptive Data(overall group)

• Strengths
• Awareness of classroom context
• Ability to write outcomes and align instruction
• Use of collaborative/multi-learner environments
• Use of active learner/inquiry models
• Employment of multiple learning strategies
• Use of formative assessments
• Use of assessment throughout instruction
• Ability to depict assessment data
• Use of technology
• Reflection on personal classroom successes
  failures
• High degree of reported learning impact

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Descriptive Data (overall group)

• Challenges
• Assessment design (planning is all right but
• needs more rigor)
• Reflection on professional development plan
• Alignment of objectives, instruction, and
  assessments

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Comparison of TWS Scores by Subject Fall 03
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Assessing The Benefits and Challenges of
Completing A Teacher Work Sample During Student
Teaching From The Perspective Of PK-12 Student
Teachers/Interns and Cooperating Teachers
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Background

• Dr. Darla Mallein, Emporia State Social Science
  faculty member and methods instructor
• Spring 2003
• Descriptive study utilizing surveys of student
  teachers/interns and cooperating teachers

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Benefits of TWS According to Student
Teachers/Interns

• Raised student teachers/interns awareness of the
  impact they have on students learning (30)
• Student teachers/interns specifically stated
  there were no benefits of completing the TWS
  (16)
• Helped student teachers/interns reflect on
  teaching and learning (14)
• Prepared student teachers/interns for real-life
  applications (14)
• Required student teachers/interns to create
  adaptations and activities to meet the needs of
  all their students (12)

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Benefits of TWS According to Cooperating Teachers

• Prepares student teacher/intern for Quality
  Performance Accreditation, NCLB, and other
  real-life applications (32)
• Provides student teachers/interns opportunity to
  plan and teach a complete unit that aligns with
  standards, objectives, activities, and
  assessments (24)
• Helps student teachers/interns reflect about
  teaching and learning (16)
• Gives student teachers/interns the practice in
  administering and analyzing pre- and post-test
  assessments (15)
• Raises student teachers/interns awareness of
  their impact on student learning (15)

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Problems with TWS According to Student
Teachers/Interns

• The directions for completing the TWS were
  unclear or confusing (22)
• Student teachers/interns had trouble finding the
  time to complete the TWS (16)
• Some requirements were difficult to complete
  (15)
• Student teachers/interns had difficulty
  completing the TWS because of lack of training,
  lack of good examples, and lack of resource
  people to contact with questions (14)
• Completing the TWS was time-consuming (14)
• The TWS detracted from other classroom duties
  (12)
• The TWS was hard to adapt to grade level, subject
  area, unit topic, assigned classroom, or
  curriculum (10)

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Problems with TWS According to Cooperating
Teachers

• Student teacher/intern had a difficult time
  dealing with time constraints (19)
• Completing the TWS was time-consuming (15)
• Completing the TWS generated stress, frustration,
  procrastination, and feelings that the project
  was not valuable (12)
• Directions for the TWS were unclear or confusing
  (11)
• Student teacher/intern had difficulty adapting
  TWS to grade level, subject area, assigned
  students, or district curriculum (11)
• Creating, administering, and analyzing
  assessments were difficult for student
  teachers/interns (11)

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Suggested Changes for TWS According to Student
Teachers/Interns

• Provide better training and resources for student
  teachers/interns and cooperating teachers (35)
• Simplify the TWS by shortening the requirements
  and making it more practical (31)

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Suggested Changes for TWS According to
Cooperating Teachers

• Provide better training and resources for student
  teachers/interns and cooperating teachers (20)
• Simplify the TWS by shortening the requirements
  and making it more practical (19)
• Move the TWS requirements to a different semester
  other than the student teaching semester (11)

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Recommendations

• Explain the purpose and benefits of completing
  the TWS
• Provide more training sessions and support
  concerning the TWS for student teachers/interns
  throughout the student teaching semester
• Provide more contact people at the university
  level who can answer questions about the TWS
• Make the TWS manual and rubric very clear and
  understandable
• Simplify the TWS by shortening the requirements
  and taking out the repetitive sections.

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Recommendations

• 6. Provide good examples of completed Teacher
  Work Samples
• 7. Allow flexibility in the format and design of
  the TWS to fit the student teachers/interns
  assigned grade levels and/or subject areas
• 8. Encourage students with split placements to
  complete the TWS during the first placement
• 9. Reinforce the positive aspects of the TWS
• 10. Require all cooperating teachers to attend
  training sessions and/or scoring sessions

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• Questions and
• Maybe Answers