Case Studies: Overview | INTASC | The Framework for Teaching | NBPTS
The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) is a consortium of state education agencies, independent professional standards boards, and national educational organizations dedicated to reforming the preparation, licensing, and ongoing professional development of teachers. Created in 1987, INTASC's primary constituency is state education agencies responsible for teacher licensing, program approval, and professional development.
INTASC focuses on licensing new teachers, but its standards and processes have served as the basis for many systems that evaluate teachers at all stages of their careers. Though INTASC works in many realms of educational policy – including accountability requirements for teacher preparation and professional development for all teachers – this page will focus explicitly on the techniques the organization has developed to assess the performance of teachers for licensing and evaluation.
INTASC has developed model core standards, licensing examinations, and a portfolio development process for evaluating beginning teacher performance. These elements are discussed in more detail below.
Model Core Standards
In collaboration with representatives from 17 state education agencies, INTASC drafted standards to represent a common core of teaching knowledge and skills. These standards are based on 10 core principles.
- The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
- The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal development.
- The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
- The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
- The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
- The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
- The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
- The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social and physical development of the learner.
- The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
- The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and well-being.
This document addresses the knowledge, dispositions, and performances deemed essential for all teachers seeking to master these standards, regardless of their specialty area. These general standards have also been differentiated for the following specific disciplines – Art Standards, Foreign Language Standards, Mathematics Standards, Science Standards, Special Education Standards
Licensing Examinations
INTASC’s Test of Teaching Knowledge (TTK) is a teacher licensing test that assesses teachers’ abilities to meet the core standards listed above. It tests a range of skills including areas such as theories of teaching, diagnostic and summative assessments, and cognitive development. INTASC recommends candidates pass the following three licensing tests before they are issued a permanent license to teach:
- a test of content knowledge (math, science, etc.)
- a test of teaching knowledge (pedagogy, etc.)
- an assessment of actual teaching
The first two tests on content and teaching knowledge should be used by the state at the end of formal preparation as the gateway to receiving a provisional license covering the first few years of teaching. (The number of years varies state to state). The third test, which could be a portfolio, should be used at the end of the first or second year of teaching and serves as the final evidence to issue an ongoing or permanent license.
Portfolio Development
A teacher portfolio is a collection of documents and artifacts that provides a picture of the candidate’s teaching as it develops over a period of time. These documents and artifacts become evidence that demonstrate whether a teacher meets or exceeds the INTASC standards for beginning teachers. Experienced teachers are trained as scorers to examine the evidence in a portfolio and make a judgment about the quality of a candidate’s teaching. The portfolio is a way for teachers to document not only what they and their students do but also how they make decisions as a teacher. The evidence can include but need not be limited to:
- materials used in instruction
- examples of student work
- videotapes of teaching and learning in a candidate’s classroom
- written records of activities and assessments in a candidate’s classroom
- written commentaries that explain a candidate’s thinking about teaching and learning
Additional information on INTASC’s portfolio process.
INTASC is currently in the process of revising and updating the core principles to better reflect what skills are required of teachers in the 21st century. This website provides up to date information on the process and allows users to share feedback.