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This study examined the validity of the WA PPA process which was developed to assess teacher candidates for licensing purposes. Three validities were investigated using Messick’s view. Content validity was addressed using the raters’ judgment to
establish alignment between the WAC standards and the INTASC. Evidential validity refers to the confidence of faculty members and supervisors about: 1) inferences that teacher candidates have the ability to demonstrate that they meet the standards; and 2)all of the criteria are necessary and sufficient to license a beginning teacher. The consequential basis of validity refers to the effect of the use of the WA PPA process on teacher preparation programs and student teachers. Data sources included the raters’ judgments concerning the standards’ alignment, exploratory questionnaires, and interviews. Nineteen participants responded to the questionnaire, and eleven of them were interviewed.
Alignment data analysis showed that nine out of ten of the WAC standards were rated as partially aligned with the INTASC. Each INTASC principle was addressed adequately by multiple WAC standards. Consequently, the WA PPA process has substantial content validity; although, there are some missing areas including teacher disposition evaluation. The findings indicated that the university evaluation requirements were intended to compensate for the weakness of the WA PPA process for assessing teacher candidates’ abilities to meet state teaching
standards (WAC).
The WA PPA process has a significant degree of the evidential and consequential validity. Participants felt confident in their judgments about student teachers’ abilities to meet standards. They believe that all of the criteria are necessary
and sufficient to license a beginning teacher. However, a number of participants were not completely confident in the inferences they made about student teachers’ abilities based on evidence gathered from the WA PPA process. They had concerns about the clarification of standards, the lack of sufficient evidence to support the WA PPA standard judgments, and the need for additional information from cooperating teachers. Nevertheless, the WA PPA process along with other university evaluation processes facilitates valid decisions about the qualification of teachers for licensing in the State of Washington. |
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