Beyond Assessment: Performance Assessments in Teacher Education (Report‪)‬

Introduction Over the last decade, teacher performance assessments (TPAs) have begun to find appeal in the context of teacher education programs and teacher licensing for their innovative ways of assessing teacher knowledge and skills but primarily for their potential to promote teacher learning and reflective teaching. Studies of pre-service teachers who have completed a TPA, portfolio assessments in particular, have examined learning outcomes for teachers and have generally found positive effects on their learning (Anderson & DeMeulle, 1998; Lyons, 1996, 1998a, 1998b, 1999; Snyder, Lippincott, & Bower, 1998; Stone, 1998; Whitford, Ruscoe, & Fickel, 2000).