Santa Clara University

TPA - Teacher Performance Assessment

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Teacher Performance Assessment

This assessment is designed to give you the opportunity to develop, refine, and demonstrate your teaching knowledge, skills, and abilities during your teacher preparation program.

What is the Teaching Performance Assessment?

Senate Bill 2042 (Chapter 548, Statutes of 1998), signed by the governor in 1998, requires all multiple and single subject preliminary credential candidates attending fifth year, intern, or blended teacher preparation programs in California to pass a Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA).

The TPA is imbedded in your coursework and is designed to be both formative and summative in its usage. It is also linked to the California state-adopted academic content standards for students, the California Standards for the Teaching Profession, and the California Frameworks. The TPA is part of a three-year preparation cycle of growth and development for teachers. All teacher candidates must take and pass the TPA in order to be recommended for a Preliminary Teaching Credential. After receiving the Preliminary Credential, and upon employment within a California classroom, you will participate in an approved induction program leading to a Professional Credential. The results of the TPA will inform your Individual Induction Plan (IIP). Completing the TPA will also help you to begin using the California Formative Assessment and Support System (CFASST), or another assessment system, during induction.

Click here to download the TPA candidate handbook.

Completing the Teaching Performance Assessment Process
The Teaching Performance Assessment Process requires completion of four tasks. Information on each of these tasks is provided on the following web pages:

Task 1 Information
Task 2 Information
Task 3 Information
Task 4 Information

SCU School of Education TPA Coordinator
If you have any questions or concerns about the Teaching Performance Assessment process, please contact Charles Perotti, TPA Coordinator, at (408) 551-1611 or cperotti@scu.edu.