Educator Preparation

Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) Training Resources

To:	Sponsoring Organizations with Teacher Preparation Programs
From:	Elizabeth Losee, Assistant Director for Educator Preparation and Educator Assessment
Date:	September 10, 2015

In our continued effort to prepare effective teachers in Massachusetts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) with support and guidance of an advisory group of external stakeholders, has developed the Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) to assess the overall readiness of teacher candidates prior to program completion. This performance assessment will be piloted by teacher preparation programs in the 2015-16 academic year and will fully replace the Pre-service Performance Assessment (PPA) by September 1, 2016. During the 2015-16 academic year, Sponsoring Organizations (SO) with approved teacher preparation programs are required to participate in the CAP Pilot.

In support of successful CAP implementation, ESE is working to develop a system of support and resources that will aid SOs in the training and communication of program supervisors (PS), supervising practitioners (SP), and candidates. SOs are responsible for communicating with candidates and partners about CAP and are accountable for the training and support provided to program supervisors and supervising practitioners. Forthcoming ESE-developed resources include:

Resource	Description	Available By
CAP Tutorial Intended Audience: supervising practitioners, program supervisors, candidates	In-depth tutorial that outlines the 5-step cycle and its connection to the practicum experience. Presentation will be available in two formats: 1) guided (i.e., narrated presentation) and 2) raw presentation materials (i.e., slides) that can be adapted by providers for their own context.	End of September
Skill Development Workshops Audience: sponsoring organizations (train the trainer model)	Suite of materials including presentations and facilitation guides that help support implementation of: (1) high-quality observations and feedback and (2) evidence collection and decision-making using the CAP rubric.	Feedback & Observations: early October Using the CAP Rubric: end of October
Audio Deep-Dives Audience: sponsoring organizations	A series of short, targeted audio clips that are embedded within the CAP Guidelines in order to provide more nuanced context, rationale, and/or explanation related to components of CAP.	Late November
CAP Office Hours Audience: sponsoring organizations	In-person support so that providers can get real-time answers to pressing questions regarding CAP implementation. Each Sponsoring Organization is invited to attend Office Hours at one of the three locations. Detailed registration information is forthcoming. Please mark your calendars.	Tuesday, October 27^th, 10:00am–12:00pm Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater Friday, October 16^th 2:30 – 4:30pm Worcester State University, Worcester Thursday, October 22^nd 2:30pm – 4:30pm ESE 1st floor Board Rooms, Malden

These materials will be posted on the CAP website along with the currently available resources (CAP Guidelines , CAP Overview Webinar, etc.). Additionally, as CAP is based on the MA Educator Evaluation Framework we encourage SOs to review the extensive suite of resources available at Educator Evaluation, including some exciting new and upcoming materials such as:

Transforming Educator Evaluation in Massachusetts (TEEM) Video Series: concrete documentary-style video snippets that highlight aspects of the 5-Step Evaluation Cycle as well as examples of transformative evaluation systems across a diverse set of MA districts.
Forthcoming! Video Resource to Support Evaluator Calibration: In October, ESE will launch a compilation of over 40 videos of instruction in elementary and secondary classrooms. These videos will be accompanied by sample calibration training protocols and related resources sourced from national experts, ESE staff, and MA districts.

ESE will communicate with Sponsoring Organizations as additional resources are added but continue to encourage providers to check the CAP website periodically for updates.

For questions or comments regarding CAP, please email us at edprep@doe.mass.edu .

Last Updated: September 10, 2015