Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for Performance Assessments

Abstract

Performance assessments have become one way that many teacher education programs use to
evaluate the effectiveness and readiness of pre-service teachers. These assessments allow
teacher candidates to demonstrate their ability to plan, instruct, assess, and reflect. Teacher
education programs can make changes to the curriculum and provide various support structures
that allow teacher candidates to successfully complete a performance assessment. This article
describes the support systems that one university has initiated for teacher candidates submitting a
performance assessment, the improvement the assessment has made on the program, and the
impact it has made on the teaching effectiveness of graduates.