Renaissance Teacher Work Samples Consortium

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TWS at Emporia State University

• Our use of Teacher Work Samples (TWS’s) in teacher preparation programs

  It is required of all elementary and secondary interns/student teachers and all candidates in the Alternate Route program.

• How long ESU has been using TWS’s

  It became required of all elementary and secondary interns/student teachers beginning in Spring of 2002. It is required of Alternate Route candidates sine the Alternate Route program began in the summer of 2008.

• How the TWS used at CSU compares to the RTWS

  Emporia State University's TWS does not require a table of contents; narrative length is 25 instead of 20 pages; sections on integrity guidelines, irregularity procedures, and assistance policy are included; rubrics for each section differ. Both the TWS and RTWS require the same content, but the seven factors are not identical and the order of respo9nding to them is not identical.

• How TWS is used as an evaluation tool

  TWS measures the ability to:
  construct and deliver an instructional unit
  construct challenging and meaningful assessments
  adapt instruction to meet student needs
  measure learning gains
  analyze and reflect on teaching decisions and results

• How ESU achieves scoring reliability in judging performance on TWS’s

  Scorers receive training prior to all scoring sessions. Each TWS is scored independently by two scorers, and then scores are compared. If there is disagreement, the two scorers discuss to reach agreement on a score. If agreement is not reached, the TWS is scored independently by a third scorer.

• How TWS’s have impacted teacher preparation programs at CSU

  We now have data on how well our programs are preparing our candidates to effect learning in their students. Specifically, program strengths revealed by the TWS include the following:

  • awareness of classroom context
  • ability to write outcomes and align instruction and assessment
  • use of collaboration
  • use of active learning and inquiry
  • use of multiple learning strategies
  • use of formative assessments

  In contrast, programs are working with candidates to improve their:

  • reflection on professional development plan
  • alignment of objectives, instruction, and assessment

  In addition, the prompts include more specific details, better examples are provided, repetition throughout the TW is reduced, and training tom complete the TWS is infused throughout the curriculum.

• Contact Person

  Key contact is Dr. Ken Weaver, Associate Dean, The Teachers College, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS 66801, kweaver@emporia.edu, 620-341-5552