The State Board of Education (SBOE) Committee on School Initiatives met Thursday, June 16, 2022, unanimously rejecting a rule that would make edTPA a required teacher certification exam in Texas. The committee’s vote is a preliminary one, with a final vote by the full board scheduled for Friday.

The SBOE is considering a rule adopted by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) that would replace the current Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) exam with the Pearson-administered edTPA portfolio assessment.

ATPE joined the majority of public education stakeholder organizations giving testimony Tuesday in opposition to the rule change, suggesting instead that SBEC consider requiring educator preparation programs to integrate a formative portfolio assessment based on Texas standards into their programs.

Members of the five-person committee on Thursday intensely questioned Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff over the agency’s claims that instituting edTPA would not negatively impact the teacher pipeline as it has in other states that used edTPA as a high-stakes licensure exam.

TEA staff attempted Thursday to present edTPA as the only viable solution for improving the rigor of educator preparation programs (EPP), over which SBEC has broad authority. TEA’s presentation to the committee came after a lengthy pitch Wednesday by Education Commissioner Mike Morath, in which he took the unprecedented step of accusing stakeholders of misleading members about edTPA.

Committee members Thursday chastised agency staff for failing to work with and ultimately dismissing the concerns of stakeholders in TEA’s pursuit of designating edTPA as the required exam. The committee then voted 5-0 to recommend that SBOE veto the SBEC rule.

The full 15-member board will hold a formal vote on the edTPA rule Friday. If the board votes to veto the rule, it will be returned to SBEC to restart the process. ATPE has offered to work in good faith with SBEC and TEA staff to develop a Texas solution that improves EPP quality while protecting the teacher pipeline.