Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT)

By Jennifer Gambrell, Assistant Director, OEQA

The move towards more authentic measures of teacher candidate professional knowledge and skills began with the adoption of the PPAT (Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers) by the Commission of Educational Quality and Accountability (CEQA) in the Spring of 2019. A two-year phase-in plan was created to allow time for the retirement of the Oklahoma Professional Teaching Exam (OPTE) in September of 2021 and for candidates in educator preparation programs and alternative pathways to prepare for the expectations and nuances of the new assessment.

The PPAT is a performance-based assessment, designed to seamlessly integrate into the teacher’s classroom practice. The assessment was developed by educators for educators, for the purpose of measuring entry-level teacher candidates’ readiness to effectively impact student learning. The assessment assesses the examinee’s understanding of how to gauge their students’ learning needs, interact effectively with students, design and implement lessons with well-articulated learning goals, and to design and use assessments to make data driven decisions to inform teaching and learning. Examinees are provided feedback identifying their strengths as well as areas where there are opportunities for additional professional development.

The assessment consists of four tasks whereby examinees submit artifacts and respond to prompts addressing Knowledge of Students and the Learning Environment, Assessment and Data Collection to Measure and Inform Student Learning, Designing Instruction for Student Learning, and Implementing and Analyzing Instruction to Promote Student Learning.

The Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) continues to provide multiple professional learning opportunities for educator preparation programs and P12 districts so that they may adequately assist their teacher candidates with the new assessment. A cadre of PPAT Support Providers has also been created and is available to individual candidates upon request. Districts interested in learning more and/or providing professional learning opportunities for their teachers can contact Jennifer Gambrell, Assistant Director, OEQA, at jennifer.gambrell@oeqa.ok.gov.

Additional information about the PPAT can be found at:

www.ets.org/ppa/states/teachers/about

www.ok.gov/oeqa/Certification_Testing/PPAT_ Information/index.html

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