Evidence of Teacher Work Sample Impact on P-12 Student Learning,
Teacher Performance and
Teacher Preparation Programs

SECTION I - CONTENT

The proposed symposium will feature four research reports from teacher educators at four Renaissance Group institutions that have participated in a Title II Teacher Quality Grant since 1999. All four institutions have adopted teacher work samples as a major initiative in their teacher preparation programs and have collected data on the impact of teacher work samples at their respective institutions and from other institutions. Each of the four research reports addresses a different but interrelated area of impact of teacher work samples on teaching and learning.

Statement of the Problems to be Addressed by the Symposium Presenters 
In the late 1990's, teacher educators and researchers from Western Oregon Universit introduced teacher work sample methodology as a viable strategy in teacher preparation programs to provide credible evidence that candidates could facilitate learning of the students they teach (Schalock, Schalock, & Girod, 1997). More recently, the group at Western Oregon University produced Connecting Teaching and Learning: A Handbook for Teacher Educators on Teacher Work Sample Methodology (Girod, 2002). In the above handbook, several chapters are devoted to evidence of the impact of teacher work sample methodology at Western Oregon University as well as the benefits and shortcomings of this innovation (see Schalock, 2002; Girod & Schalock 2002).

While there is ample evidence of the impact of teacher work sample methodology on Western Oregon University programs on teacher candidates, there is little evidence that the concepts of this innovation can impact teaching and learning in other contexts independent of the Western Oregon development team. In 1999, ten Renaissance Group institutions located in nine states applied for and were awarded a five-year Title II developmental grant to improve teacher quality. A key objective in this five-year effort was to introduce and implement teacher work samples as a regular feature of teacher preparation programs. The major evaluation and research question for the
Renaissance Partnership institutions is whether teacher work samples will parallel this claim of Western Oregon University in a variety of settings across the country at institutions of different sizes and settings. The presentations and research reports in the proposed symposium will provide some answers to this question. After three years of development and implementation of teacher work samples, teacher educators from four of the eleven institutions now in the Renaissance Partnership Project will report on data collected at their respective institutions relative to the impact of teacher work samples. At the 2002 AACTE Annual Meeting in New York, two of the researchers from the project reported on the validity and reliability according to methods established by
Crocker (1997) and Shavelson and Webb (1991). The proposed symposium for 2003 will add to that data base by addressing evidence of teacher work sample impact

Content of the Symposia
The symposium will consist of summary presentations from four research papers developed by members of the Renaissance Partnership Project at four of the eleven participating universities. All four presentations will report on the impact of the use of the Renaissance Model Teacher Work Sample (TWS). The actual candidate's product consists of a 20-page teaching exhibit plus charts and graphs produced during student teaching. The Renaissance TWS model addresses seven teaching processes and uses a common prompt (set of performance tasks) as well as a common scoring rubric is used across participating institutions.

Paper 1
Ways Teacher Work Samples Impact the Learning of All Students
This paper will show how teacher work samples provide credible evidence linking assessments of teaching performance and student learning. The presentation will focus on new data with respect to several types of credibility evidence: (1) the technical quality of the student learning assessments provided by teacher candidates in their work samples, (2) the number of students in each teacher work sample who meet the achievement goals for the instructional sequence, (3) the number of students in each teacher work sample who show increased learning (improvement) relative to the achievement goals, and (4) and the types of disaggregation teacher candidates make with respect to the student learning data in their work samples.

Discussion will focus on how teacher work samples increase teacher candidates' abilities to impact the learning of all students and to close the achievement gaps existing along racial, ethnic, gender, and economic lines; while at the same time providing an assessment tool for holding them accountable for doing so.

Paper 2 
Ways Teacher Work Samples Impact Teaching Performance 
This paper will report on the follow-up data on recent graduates in one institution relative to 18 teaching performances targeted by teacher work samples. These include ability to align instruction with state content standards, use of student context to design instruction, design classroom assessments aligned with content standards and analyze student learning. While more long-term data will be required to show credible trends in high levels of performance of graduates, data collected during the first two years of the project show very promising comparative results in favor of the candidates who were instructed to processes addressed in teacher work samples.

Paper 3
Ways teacher Work Samples Impact Teacher Decision Making 
This paper will report on data collected from teacher candidates during student teaching as they implement a standards-based instructional unit. The seven processes of teacher work samples are designed to promote teacher decisions that positively affect P-12 student learning. The presenter has collected data over the past year on instructional decisions made by teacher candidates who have been instructed in the seven processes of teacher work samples as well as the origins and contributing factors of the teacher's decisions. The purpose of this investigation to determine what role 
teacher work sample methodology played in teacher candidate's instructional decisions. An analysis of the results will be shared with participants.

Paper 4
Ways Teacher Work Samples Impact the Content and Process of Teacher Preparation
Programs
This paper will report on data collected across the eleven institutions with respect to significant course and program changes that have been a direct result of introducing the seven processes of teacher work samples and requiring work sample exhibits from teacher candidates. Preliminary results show that more than 100 courses have been significantly modified as a result of introducing teacher work samples as a requirement for student teaching. The nature and extent of course and program changes will be the focus of this paper and presentation.

Contribution
These four papers and presentations will contribute to the knowledge base of teacher education in two significant ways. First, they will provide credible evidence of the potential of teacher work sample methodology independent from the Western Oregon University team effort. Second, they will provide the most credible research evidence to date relative to the impact of teacher work samples on P-12 learning, teacher performance and teacher preparation.

Conclusion
Teacher work samples have become a driving force for positive improvements in teacher preparation that has exceeded original expectations for the Title II Partnership
Project in all four institutions represented in this symposium.

SECTION II - OUTCOMES / METHODS

Objectives/Participant Outcomes
1. Obtain and critique research evidence of teacher work sample impact on P-12 student learning, teacher candidate performance and teacher preparation programs
2. Identify and discuss successes and challenges of using teacher work samples as a part of teacher preparation programs
3. Learn how to network with the Renaissance Partnership Partnership and the project web site http://fp.uni.edu/itg to introduce, develop and/or research teacher work sample concepts and processes

Methods of Presentation/Discussion
After the introduction, the researchers will provide eight-minute PowerPoint presentations that highlight the results of their studies and distribute hard copies of research summaries. This will be followed by an eight-minute critique by the discussant and then opened to audience participants for questions and comments on the research presented. 

Discussion questions for participants might include:
1. How can the research efforts at the four institutions be enhanced to connect teacher performance and student learning?
2. What other research agendas need to be initiated to address the credibility and potential of teacher work samples?
3. What are the key factors that have contributed to the success of teacher work samples in Renaissance Partnership Project institutions?
4. What are the greatest challenges to implementing teacher work samples in larger teacher education programs (programs that prepare more than 300-500 candidates per year)?

References

Girod, G. (2002). Connecting teaching and learning: A handbook for teacher educators
       on teacher work sample methodology. Washington, DC: AACTE Publications.
Girod, G., & Schalock, M. (2002). Does TWSM work? In G. Girod (Ed.), Connecting
       teaching and learning: A handbook for teacher educators on teacher work
       sample methodology (pp. 347-358). Washington, DC: AACTE Publications.
Schalock, D., Schalock, M., & Girod, G. (1997). Teacher work sample methodology at
       Western Oregon University. In J. Millman (Ed.), Grading Teachers Grading
       Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Schalock, M.D. (2002). Assessing teacher work samples. In G. Girod (Ed.),
       Connecting teaching and learning: A handbook for teacher educators on teacher
       work sample methodology (pp. 65-89). Washington, DC: AACTE Publications.