Teacher education under audit: Value-added measures, TVAAS, EdTPA and evidence-based theory

Abstract

This article describes how evidence-based theory fuels an audit culture for teacher education in the USA, placing faculty under monitoring and surveillance, and severely constraining judgment, discretion, and professional decision-making. The national education reform efforts, Race to the Top and Common Core State Standards, demand fealty to evidence-based standards, while the Teacher Performance Assessment (EdTPA) requires teacher candidates to videotape their classroom lessons and submit the 'evidence' for review by external reviewers. The history of this theory, findings on the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS), a discussion between EdTPA and teacher education colleges, and examples of how faculty are expected to provide evidence of effectiveness, are all included in the article.