New York’s board of regents last week approved changes to its teacher-certification process, including lowering the passing score on its licensure exam.
It is one of more than a dozen states that uses the Teacher Performance Assessment, or edTPA, as its licensure test. For the edTPA, candidates submit videos and portfolios to demonstrate their teaching skills and knowledge, rather than answering multiple-choice questions. States set their own passing scores for the exam, and New York has received criticism for having one of the highest.
Candidates currently need to score a 41 on the edTPA to pass, while in some states it’s closer to 35. Starting next year, the passing grade will drop to 38 and eventually ramp up to 40 by 2022. Several other states have used a phase-in method to increase their cutoff scores.
