Troubling the edTPA: Illusions of Objectivity and Rigor

High-stakes, standardized teacher performance assessments (TPAs) are dramatically shifting the landscape of educator preparation. In this article, we examine illusions of objectivity and rigor embedded in edTPA, focusing on the reductive nature of standardized teacher assessments and the corrosive impact of the burgeoning TPA industry. We assert that TPAs corrupt the preparation process by discouraging authentic, multifaceted, longitudinal evaluations of candidate readiness, thereby undermining the very rigor and accountability they purport to ensure.