
Central Focus - edTPA Central Focus Candidates will describe the central focus and the essential learning strategy for comprehending or composing text, that will be taught throughout the learning segment.
What is the central focus?
Central Focus unites learning objectives across learning segments. The EdTPA defines an objective as a learning segment of the Central Focus that addresses both basic types of knowledge and conceptual understandings and higher order thinking skills. Basic Types of Knowledge (as defined by EdTPA): Facts, skills, conventions.
What is an objective in edTPA?
The EdTPA defines an objective as a learning segment of the Central Focus that addresses both basic types of knowledge and conceptual understandings and higher order thinking skills. Basic Types of Knowledge (as defined by EdTPA): Facts, skills, conventions.
What should the central focus address in the learning segment?
Last, but not least, the Central Focus should address the subject-specific components in the learning segment. What you are teaching your students. The purpose of teaching this content.
What is edTPA’s Curriculum Assessment?
Since there is no standard curriculum for teacher training in the United States, edTPA’s job is to measure whether any teacher, regardless of where or how they received their training, is ready to enter the classroom.
How do you write the central focus for EdTPA?
1:479:20Standard, Central Focus, and Learning Target for edTPA - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe learning target should be brief. And it should clearly indicate what students should know or beMoreThe learning target should be brief. And it should clearly indicate what students should know or be able to do as a result of the lesson.
What is the central focus of EdTPA lesson?
The EdTPA defines the "Central Focus" as "the long-term goal that unites the learning targets." It does not have to be accomplished within the learning segment. In early forms of the EdTPA, the "Central Focus" was simply defined as a "concept." Central Focus unites learning objectives across learning segments.
Is comprehension a central focus?
Candidates choose either comprehension or composition as the central focus. Comprehension The lists below provide examples and are not inclusive. The skills should be appropriate to grade level, student readiness, and scope of lessons in the learning segment.
What is a math central focus?
lessons. Determine a central focus for your learning segment. The central focus should support students to develop conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, AND mathematical reasoning or problem-solving skills. Write and submit a lesson plan for each lesson in the learning segment.
Can you cheat the edTPA?
edTPA is highly cheatable. The hallmark of inauthentic assessment is that it's easy to cheat, because you don't have to be good at what you're allegedly being judged for-- you just have to be good at the assessment task which, because it's inauthentic, consists of faking proxies for the real deal anyway.
What happens if I don't pass the edTPA?
What if I don't pass the edTPA? If you do not meet your institution's or the state's passing requirements you may register to re-take a single task ($100 fee) or the full edTPA ($300 fee). If you do not pass your edTPA, contact your teacher education program for re-take guidelines.
What is an example of a central focus?
For example, the central focus for a primary grade learning segment might be retelling. The learning segment would focus on the essential literacy strategy (e.g., summarizing a story) and related skills (e.g., decoding, recalling, sequencing).
How many lessons do you need for edTPA?
The edTPA requires three to five lessons from a subject-specific learning segment. Don't feel pressured to create a unit from scratch—but you should certainly adapt it to meet your students' needs and the Common Core State Standards .
What is an essential learning strategy for edTPA?
Literacy Strategy comparing and contrasting firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event, using evidence to predict, interpreting a character's feelings, or drawing conclusions from informational text.
How do you write a lesson focus?
Deciding Your Lesson FocusYour Subject & Standard. Your first decision in establishing a focus for your instructional design project is to narrow your lesson's scope to a grade level, subject, and a specific College and Career Readiness Standard. ... Be Mindful of Scope. ... Your Topic. ... Lesson Goals. ... For example ...
Is there a lesson plan template for edTPA?
There is no required format or template for edTPA learning segment lesson plans, although each lesson plan may be a maximum of four pages in length.
How do you write an edTPA lesson plan?
2:4014:56Modifying Lesson Plans for edTPA Submission - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipMake sure you have learning objectives. You want to make sure that you list informal. And formalMoreMake sure you have learning objectives. You want to make sure that you list informal. And formal assessments. So that means you're going to have to make a change on our lesson.
How do you write a lesson focus?
Deciding Your Lesson FocusYour Subject & Standard. Your first decision in establishing a focus for your instructional design project is to narrow your lesson's scope to a grade level, subject, and a specific College and Career Readiness Standard. ... Be Mindful of Scope. ... Your Topic. ... Lesson Goals. ... For example ...
What is your content and language focus for the learning tasks represented by the active verbs within the learning outcomes?
Language Functions are the content and language focus of learning tasks, usually represented by the action verbs within the learning outcomes. They represent the purposes for which the language is used.
What is an essential literacy strategy Edtpa?
Example strategies for reading include summarizing or retelling, comparing and contrasting firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event, using evidence to predict, interpreting a character's feelings, or drawing conclusions from informational text.
What is the central focus of the EdTPA?
The EdTPA defines the "Central Focus" as "the long-term goal that unites the learning targets."
What is the objective of the EdTPA?
The EdTPA defines an objective as a learning segment of the Central Focus that addresses both basic types of knowledge and conceptual understandings and higher order thinking skills. Basic Types of Knowledge (as defined by EdTPA): Facts, skills, conventions.
What Do I Need to Know About EdTPA?
edTPA is broken into 3 tasks: planning, instruction, and assessment. Typically, each task has five rubrics provided to guide you and help explain how you’ll be scored. You will also be given a handbook specific to your certification area.
How Am I Scored on edTPA?
Generally, each of the three edTPA tasks is broken into rubrics. Each of the 15 total rubrics has 5 scoring levels worth 1 point each, so you can earn between 1 and 5 points for each rubric. The highest possible score you can make on edTPA is 75.
Preparing Yourself for the edTPA
Once you are registered in the official edTPA portfolio system, you will receive a specific handbook. While everyone does very similar tasks, each content area has its own details and guidance.
Getting Started: Context for Learning
This is your opportunity to describe your teaching environment in detail for your scorers. The artifact you submit will include specific information about your school and classroom. Explain the demographics of your class, including special learning needs and accommodations.
Getting Started: Scheduling
When you begin your student teaching experience, talk to your mentor teacher about edTPA. edTPA is relatively new in the education world, so it’s possible your mentor teacher is unfamiliar with it. It is important that your mentor teacher understands you will need 3-5 days to film the learning cycle.
Task 1: Planning
In Task 1, you are expected to plan the instruction and assessment for your learning segment.
Task 2: Instruction
In Task 2, you will put your plans in action! You will video record yourself teaching students in a 3-5 day learning segment. For each of the rubrics in this task, submit video footage and written commentary that explains how the chosen video clips meet the rubric’s standards.
What Is edTPA?
Are you pursuing a career as a classroom teacher? Then you might be wondering about the edTPA: what it is, whether you have to complete it, and how to pass.
What is the task of EDTPA?
Task 1: Planning for Instruction and Assessment. Task 2: Instructing and Engaging Students in Learning. Task 3: Assessing Student Learning. edTPA is subject-specific, meaning that requirements differ depending on what you’re applying to teach.
What is an EDTPA portfolio?
Aspiring teachers will create a portfolio of artifacts that demonstrate their ability to achieve certain goals. edTPA requires artifacts like lesson plans, videotapes, and student assessments. You’ll need to submit copies of your lesson plans, as well as videotapes that show you delivering that lesson. The edTPA scoring committee will use the videotape and student assessments to measure your effectiveness at teaching the skill you outlined in your lesson plan.
How many versions of EdTPA are there?
edTPA is a subject-specific assessment. There are 27 different versions for 27 different teaching fields. In order to pass edTPA, aspiring teachers prepare a portfolio of materials during their student teaching clinical experience.
How long does it take to score an EDTPA portfolio?
Typically, scoring your edTPA portfolio takes around three weeks. Check out the table below for reporting timelines.
What do the founders of EdTPA believe?
The founders of edTPA believe that students deserve excellent teachers from Day 1: students don’t have time to waste waiting for new teachers to become effective at their jobs.
What is EdTPA in education?
Basically, the edTPA is designed to measure whether or not new teachers are ready for the job. The edTPA is the first national performance-based assessment for teachers. Since its inception, around 40 states and 600 teacher preparation programs require teacher candidates to complete an edTPA handbook to quality as hireable. So, if you want to be a teacher, you may have to complete an edTPA portfolio, but you should check with the licensing board where you’re applying first.

What's New in edTPA?
Central Focus Example
- The following is a complete example that has all the elements for success. Feel free to use this example as a guide for writing yours.
Common CORE Standards
- So far, Common Core has been implemented in 42 states. The idea was to create a standard for education that was universal for all U.S. students at the same grade level. If your state has adopted the Common Core standards, ensure that your Central Focus aligns with them. This does not mean you have to rewrite your learning objectives; however, a broader perspective should b…
What Should Be Included in The Academic Language section?
- When I first looked at the description of what the Academic Language section required, I was a bit confused too. Breaking it down into smaller pieces helped me to understand it. Essentially it is the writing or speaking that a student does to let you know they understood what you taught them. So what should the Academic Language section contain? 1. Language functionis the verb used to d…
Academic Language Example
- Look at the learning objective above. The following is what describes it: The language function is to display. The language demand is to graph (a line on a graph). Vocabulary includes slope-intercept formula (mathematics-specific) and equation (general). Adding adjectives such as sixenables efficient assessment of whether students have achieved the learning target. So, the …
Questions & Answers
- Question:Is "conjecture" a language function? Answer:Yes. The term “conjecture” can be used as a language function as long as the language demand is sufficient enough to explain the verb. © 2014 Drew Overholt