edtpa Frequently Asked Questions The FAQ s below are a compilation of general guidelines and tips, as well as replies by NY State to specific student queries. 1. edtpa Registration 2. edtpa Submission 3. Videotaping and Video Clips 4. Citations of References 5. edtpa: Early Childhood Education 6. edtpa: Elementary Education 7. edtpa: Performing Arts and Visual Arts 8. edtpa: Special Education
Registration: 1. Where can I find the link that shows me how to register for edtpa? You need to register at edtpa.com. You may also review submission and reporting dates on edtpa.com a. You MUST CHOOSE edtpa (National) [NOT edtpa (Washington)] b. You MUST CHOOSE "edtpa Platform Provider" when prompted. For further support, please go to the Foliotek help site, steinhardt.nyu.edu/it/foliotek, and click on HOW TO REGISTER WITH edtpa under Student Help. You will see the necessary steps. 2. What is the next step after I register at edtpa.com? a. When you register, you MUST CHOOSE "edtpa Platform Provider" when prompted. b. You will receive a 16-digit AUTHORIZATION KEY. c. Log in to Foliotek and click on REGISTER. You will be prompted for your 16-digit AUTHORIZATION KEY. Once you enter the key, your Foliotek account will be linked to your edtpa.com account. Submission of edtpa Documents 1. How long will it take to transfer my documents from Foliotek to Pearson? The transfer from Foliotek to Pearson will take some time (roughly 4-5 hours though the email communication indicates a longer time), as Foliotek uploads your files and sends them to edtpa.com. We suggest you plan for the day before the deadline and try stay at least 12 hours before the deadline. This does not mean that you will not be successful if you submit after that time, but it means that factors such as internet traffic on the edtpa.com website and the internet speed of your computer may begin to impact the transfer time. Please remember that missing the deadline impacts your score reporting date, NOT your passing score or graduation. If you go to http://www.edtpa.com/content/docs/transferringyourportfoliofromanintegratedsystem.pdf, you will be able to review all the steps regarding using Foliotek and its interaction with Pearson. 2. Who can I contact if I am having difficulty submitting my Foliotek component?
If you encounter any problems during the Foliotek component of your submission, you may contact them directly (you will receive a prompt to do so) via e-mail or phone during the business hours of 9 AM - 6 PM, Monday through Friday. Please seek us out for support as well. 3. What will happen on Foliotek as I upload requirements of my edtpa? As you upload each of the required components of the edtpa, Foliotek will update your account accordingly. When you have uploaded all the components, you will see a new button on your Foliotek page, SCHEDULE TRANSFER. When you are ready to submit, AFTER reviewing your components with peers and faculty, you will click on SCHEDULE TRANSFER, and Foliotek will submit your edtpa for you. IMPORTANT: Please review the evidence chart for each Task component to verify number and format of files. A link to the chart becomes available each time you click on a Task component in Foliotek. 4. What happens after edtpa successfully receives my submission? What do I do if there are any problems in any files? When edtpa.com successfully receives your submission, you will receive an e-mail notification to log in to edtpa.com and review that each of your files have transferred successfully, and that they have been named appropriately. IMPORTANT: a. Do NOT use symbols of any sort in file names; use only letters/numbers. Keep it simple! b. Please view or fast forward through the entirety of your video clips to make sure that they are viewable from beginning to end. c. You will be asked to label your student work samples, (there's a drop-down option and you pick "student work sample 1," "student work sample 2," etc for each) and also label your videos (two drop down options- one to indicate the lesson it's from and the other to label "video clip 1," "video clip 2.") If you detect any problems that require changes in the actual file, you may return to Foliotek, and re-transfer your portfolio. 5. What do I do after completing the review of my submission? Once you have completed your review, you will click on SUBMIT PORTFOLIO FOR SCORING.
6. Where can I find information of how to track my submission? You may track the status of your submission on edtpa.com. You may also review submission and reporting dates on edtpa.com. 7. If I must resubmit my entire edtpa or a single task, do I need to submit new artifacts in addition to a new narrative? Yes. Please see http://www.edtpa.com/content/docs/edtparetakeguidelines.pdf. 8. If I need to resubmit a single task, can the materials be from a different class than the one originally submitted from the rest of the portfolio? Should a new Context for Learning be submitted even if not required for the new task? Yes. Please see http://www.edtpa.com/content/docs/edtparetakeguidelines.pdf. Video Files and Clips 1. May I include video files, such as short youtube clips shown to the class, in my instructional materials? Should I download the clips or provide links to the youtube clips? The candidate should provide a description of the video they use within the instructional materials file. Scorers will not be able to access hyperlinks to documents or webpages (e.g., lesson plan) contained in your submitted artifacts and documents. Hyperlinks are acceptable as references in your citations, but will not be used by scorers to reference information outside of your submission. 2. Is there a specific device required for videotaping? No, any device may be used. However, all videos must be compressed and saved in specific formats. See the Task 2 Part A Evidence Chart in the Appendix of the Handbook or under Video Clips in Task 2 of Foliotek. 3. Are any video cameras available on loan? Click on Resources in the Foliotek data base, then click on the Steinhardt Foliotek Help Web Site. At the bottom of the page, there is a purple videocamera icon. Click on that to go to a video help page. You will see an active link to a request form for video equipment (cameras, tripods, memory chips). Equipment is available for pick-up in room 328 in the East Building, at 239 Greene Street.
4. How do I compress videoclips? Click on Resources in the Foliotek data base, then click on the Steinhardt Foliotek Help Web Site. At the bottom of the page, there is a purple videocamera icon. Click on that to go to a video help page. You will see tips on compressing video clips. You may also go to the Digital Studio, on the 5th floor of Bobst Library, to get help with the video file compression. Citations of references for edtpa 1. Does it matter whether I use APA, MLA or other citation styles for my references? There is no required style for citations. 2. Is the citation page included in the Planning Commentary 9 page maximum? Citations do not count toward the page limit for the commentary. 3. If a common theory or principle is referred to in my work do I need to find a text that uses the theory and cite it in my work? Citations are not required for connections to theory, but if students are using curriculum or other copyright materials developed by others they are asked to cite them. 4. If I cite references in Task 2 and 3, should I include them in the list that is submitted at the end of the Planning Commentary but make sure to indicate that they belong to Tasks 2 or 3? The additional page applies for this purpose as well as any other bibliographic references they choose to include. edtpa: Early Childhood Education 1. The video guidelines for Early Childhood specify a Video Clip 1 with a whole group and a Video Clip 2 with a small group or individual. I am assuming that the numbering indicates the expected sequence, is this correct? There is flexibility. The requirement is only that the candidate submit both types of instruction for task 2, regardless of the order.
2. If I have two video clips, one of a large group and one of an individual lesson within the same group of lesson segments. However, an individual in the second clip, who is one of my two focus children, does not appear in the first clip as she was not in the room at the time of the lesson. Can I still submit both clips, as long as the narrative explains how the two clips are connected even though the subject of the second clip does not appear in the first? Yes, there is no requirement for video of the focus students until Task 3. This example meets the requirements of Task 2. edtpa: Elementary Education 1. For the elementary edtpa submission, there are two assessment tasks - literacy and math - each have their own separate Context for Learning Information. Could the submission be from two different classes or two different schools, as long as the Context for Learning Information details the specific settings? Yes, for Elementary Education, Tasks 1-3 can be done in a different placement than Task 4. 2. It is my understanding that a lesson segment must stand alone, while connected with the other segments. Each of the segments MUST have a separate lesson plan. So, if an elementary edtpa candidate teaches a literacy block of 1 hour or so, where the block includes a mini-lesson to the whole class, an independent individual activity or in small groups, and a return to the whole class to review the learning moments. Can this block constitute three separate learning segments as defined by the edtpa? The Elementary Education Handbook states on page 2: For the Elementary Literacy Assessment tasks, you will first plan 3 5 consecutive literacy lessons (or, if teaching within a large time block, 3 5 hours of connected instruction) referred to as a learning segment. Given the assumption that 1 hour is much longer than the usual instruction time, it is possible the candidate may do more than one lesson within that block. The examples stated above (mini-lesson whole class individual/small group whole class) do not seem to constitute two lessons. If the block scheduling allows the candidate to do more than one lesson (where each lesson will build upon each other in relation to the central focus and meet the requirements outlined in the handbook) the candidate should explain this in the Context for Learning form and in the Commentary. It is also recommended that the candidate submit 3 separate plans even if two of those fall within the same block of time.
edtpa: Performing Arts and Visual Arts Education 1. In the Visual Arts and the Performing Arts, the common core is not directed to art, however many of the guidelines apply when the term "text" is replaced with "art". For example, "Cite strong and thorough textural evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain." This statement applies to the visual analysis of a work of art perfectly. The same exact skills are employed, however in the context of art viewing rather than reading. Can this general interpretation be used for EdTPA (with justification in the commentary) or do the common core standards need to specifically cite reading and writing? When you consider a piece of art, such as a painting or a sculpture or even a composition in music, as visual or auditory text, then it can certainly be viewed or listened to and analyzed, interpreted using evidence, so yes Common Core then applies to art as well. edtpa: Special Education 3. If a student is in a self-contained special ed setting where all students have an IEP and are identified as special needs, may a student only submit the Special Ed TPA or can they still choose to submit the Elementary Ed or the Early Childhood one for that class? If the candidate is seeking dual certification Special Ed, Early Childhood it is up to the program to advise the candidate which edtpa to use. A faculty advisor could decide that a candidate's experience in a self-contained special ed classroom provides enough experience with literacy and math to meet the requirements of the Elementary or the Early Childhood edtpa. 4. If a student seeks to submit a special ed edtpa, can they do so while student teaching in a mainstream classroom which includes students with IEP's, if their faculty advisor supports their decision? In other words, as long as their target learner has an IEP, can she/he be a student in a general ed classroom or must s/he be in a special ed setting? The Special Education Handbook states (page 10): Select one learner with an individualized education plan (IEP) as a focus for this assessment. Continue to teach in the context in which you normally teach, teaching content you would normally teach. Although the context may be a general education or special education classroom in which you will be teaching groups of students, identify one learner with an exceptionality
identified in her/his IEP as a focus for this assessment. The focus learner you select should have IEP goals in two or more curricular areas. 5. In the Context for Learning Information Sheet, I am asked to identify students with Specific Learning Needs. The chart is divided into two segments: one for students with IEPs and 504 Plans, and another one for Other Learning Needs. If the focus class does not have any students with IEPs or 504 Plans, should I simply leave that part of the chart empty? They can leave that part of chart blank 6. Is it appropriate to refer to the standards of development of the focus learner rather than the standards appropriate for the age of the student? Yes. 7. Must focus learners appear in the video clips? No, candidates are NOT required to include any specific focus learners in the video clip (s) for Task 2. The ONLY exception is for areas that require a singled focus (or target) learner - such as Special Education. 8. If a student in an ICT (Integrated Collaborative Teaching) classroom that includes a number of students with IEP's, has been evaluated for an IEP but has not yet received one, can s/he be used as a focus learner if the candidate has access to baseline assessment data on the student? The reasons why the focus learner should be a student with an IEP is not only the baseline data, but also the identified disability, the required accommodations and modifications in instruction, assessment, and the learning environment, and the plan for moving the student forward with goals and, often, benchmarks Note that private facilities not subject to IDEA may have this under another name than IEP.