edTPA stems from a twenty-five-year history of developing performance-based assessments
of teaching quality and effectiveness. The Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium
(Stanford and AACTE) acknowledges the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards, the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, and the
Performance Assessment for California Teachers for their pioneering work using disciplinespecific portfolio assessments to evaluate teaching quality. This version of the handbook has
been developed with thoughtful input from over six hundred teachers and teacher educators
representing various national design teams, national subject matter organizations (ACEI,
ACTFL, AMLE, CEC, IRA, NAEYC, NAGC, NCSS, NCTE, NCTM, NSTA, SHAPE America),
and content validation reviewers. All contributions are recognized and appreciated.
This document was authored by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE)
with editorial and design assistance from Evaluation Systems.
Copyright © 201 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
The edTPA trademarks are owned by The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.
Use of the edTPA trademarks is permitted only pursuant to the terms of a written license agreement.
edTPA Special Education Assessment Handbook
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Contents
Introduction to edTPA Special Education ……………………………………………………………………. 1
Purpose………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Overview of the Assessment………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
Structure of the Handbook …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
edTPA Special Education Tasks Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Planning Task 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment ………………………………………… 10
What Do I Need to Think About? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..10
What Do I Need to Do? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
What Do I Need to Write? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 13
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be Assessed? ………………………………………………………………… 17
Planning Rubrics ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18
Instruction Task 2: Instructing and Engaging the Focus Learner ………………………………… 23
What Do I Need to Think About? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 23
What Do I Need to Do? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 23
What Do I Need to Write? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 25
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be Assessed? ………………………………………………………………… 27
Instruction Rubrics ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 28
Assessment Task 3: Assessing Learning ………………………………………………………………….. 33
What Do I Need to Think About? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
What Do I Need to Do? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
What Do I Need to Write? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 35
How Will the Evidence of My Teaching Practice Be Assessed? ………………………………………………………………… 37
Assessment Rubrics …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 38
Professional Responsibilities …………………………………………………………………………………… 43
Special Education Context for Learning Information ………………………………………………….. 44
Special Education Evidence Chart ……………………………………………………………………………. 46
Planning Task 1: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications ………………………………………………………………………. 46
Instruction Task 2: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications ……………………………………………………………………. 48
Assessment Task 3: Artifacts and Commentary Specifications …………………………………………………………………. 49
Special Education Glossary ……………………………………………………………………………………… 53
edTPA Special Education Assessment Handbook
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Introduction to edTPA Special Education
Purpose
The purpose of edTPA Special Education, a nationally available performance assessment,
is to measure readiness to teach learners with identified disabilities. The assessment is
designed with a focus on learning and principles from research and theory. It is based on
findings that successful teachers
develop and apply knowledge of varied learner needs
consider research and theory about how to support learners with varied needs
develop learner knowledge and skills using individualized education program/plan1
(IEP) goals, content standards, and ongoing assessment to select instructional
objectives
provide instruction that meets individual needs with adaptations and
accommodations
attend to generalization and maintenance of newly learned knowledge and skills
reflect on and analyze evidence of the effects of instruction and other planned
supports, and use this information to inform future instruction and selection of
instructional content
1 An individualized education program/plan that sets forth learning goals and required special instruction and related services
for an individual learner with a disability. When capitalized, it refers to a plan required under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA). For children under 2, the plan is the Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP), which includes, in part, plans
for interventions and direct support by the early interventionist for the learning and development of young learners (as opposed
to family supports, which are also included in the IFSP). Some private facilities are not subject to IDEA, and develop their own
programs/plans for individual learners. If your focus learner has an IFSP or another individualized program/plan other than an
IEP, use elements of this program/plan when responding to prompts and directions about an IEP.
As a performance-based assessment, edTPA is designed to engage candidates in
demonstrating their understanding of teaching and learning in authentic ways.
Overview of the Assessment
The edTPA Special Education assessment is composed of three tasks:
- Planning for Instruction and Assessment
- Instructing and Engaging the Focus Learner
- Assessing Learning
You will teach content consistent with what you normally teach, planning and instructing as
you normally would teach. However, for this assessment, you will develop an in-depth case
study of one learner (your focus learner) from your class, group, or caseload. The
focus learner should have multiple learning needs so that you may demonstrate your
ability to meet the complex needs of a learner.
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You will identify one learning goal for the focus learner and plan and provide supports
related to that learning goal. Planned supports can include the learning environment, instructional strategies,
learning tasks, materials, accommodations, modifications, assistive technology,
prompts, and/or scaffolding that are deliberately selected or designed to facilitate
learning.
Consider the following to identify the learning goal:
If the focus learner is working on academic content (including academics in a
community setting2
or early literacy/numeracy), select a learning goal related to an
IEP goal in one of the following academic content areas: literacy, mathematics,
social studies, or science. If there is no IEP goal related to the content (e.g., if the
focus learner only has behavioral goals), then select a learning goal related to the
academic content (in literacy, mathematics, social studies, or science) on which the
focus learner is working.
If the focus learner is not working on any academic content (e.g., an infant, a
toddler, or a learner with a severe and profound disability), select a learning goal
related to an IEP goal.
2 Examples of academic skills as they are used in the community include: reading signs in the community, making a daily list of
tasks in a work placement, rounding costs up to the next dollar, and counting out money to pay for a purchase.
Note: If the focus learner is working on academic content, you will select an
academic learning goal whether or not there is a related IEP goal. The learning goal should be related to a relevant standard adopted by your state, if
available. Some states have also identified early childhood or other education standards,
which can address areas of learning beyond academics.
Once you have identified your focus learner and the learning goal, you will plan 3–5
consecutive lessons (referred to as a learning segment). Each lesson will have a lesson
objective and planned supports designed to meet the needs of the focus learner with
respect to the learning goal. The learning segment may take place within a larger unit of
instruction and as a result, may be derived from the broader curriculum content you are
teaching in your placement. The learning segment must be designed to
support the focus learner to access content related to the learning goal and
demonstrate his/her learning
align with at least one goal in the IEP and, as applicable, relevant academic or
nonacademic standards
reflect IEP-identified adaptations of the learning environment, content, and
instructional strategies
This learning segment should be planned and taught in the setting that is consistent with
usual practice in your placement. For most focus learners, this will be a small group or whole
class setting.
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After planning the learning segment, you will then teach it, making a videorecording that
centers on your interactions with the focus learner during instruction within the usual
setting. You will also keep a daily assessment record to monitor the focus learner’s
progress toward the learning goal as demonstrated by his/her performance in relation to the
lesson objectives. Upon completion of the three tasks, you will submit artifacts from the
tasks (e.g., lesson plans, clips from your videorecording, assessment materials, instructional
materials, learner work sample), as well as commentaries that you have written to explain
and reflect on the Planning, Instruction, and Assessment components of the tasks. The
artifacts and commentaries for each task will then be evaluated using rubrics specifically
developed for each task.
Sample Solution