Educator Preparation

Release of updated Guidelines for the Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP)

Upholding our own expectations for ongoing continuous improvement, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Educator Preparation Team is releasing updated CAP Guidelines based on the experiences, feedback and data gleaned during the pilot of the assessment in 2015-16. The changes that we made are not a significant departure from the previous Guidelines, nor do they reflect any major policy shifts. Updates were made to clarify expectations, streamline content and process where possible, and be responsive to the realities of implementation.

Organizations are required to fully implement CAP beginning September 1, 2016 using these updated Guidelines and resources. We have outlined the major updates below. A full summary of the feedback and CAP aggregate rating data will be released later this summer.

Highlighted Updates:

• Restructured the organization of ESE's guidance into two separate documents — the CAP Guidelines and the CAP Implementation Handbook — each of which serves a distinct purpose:

  • The CAP Guidelines detail the what and the why of CAP. This includes the explicit requirements and expectations associated with CAP along with corresponding rationales. We envision faculty and leadership within Sponsoring Organizations using this document most frequently.
  • The CAP Implementation Handbook dives more deeply into each facet of CAP to provide a better sense of the when and the how associated with the process. Essentially, the Handbook includes all the tactical details necessary to implement CAP, including required forms, recommended resources, and suggestions for implementation. The Handbook organizes all relevant forms and resources by step for easy access and use. We envision this being a helpful resource for candidates, supervising practitioners and program supervisors as well as Sponsoring Organization leadership.

• Clarified expectations and rationales for several components of CAP, including:

  • Measures of student learning (Guidelines pg. 13, Handbook pg. 22)
  • The professional practice goal (Guidelines pg. 14)
  • Dimensions of readiness (Quality, Consistency & Scope) (Guidelines pg. 11–12)
  • Student feedback instruments (Guidelines pg. 14, Handbook pg. 44)

• Outlined more fully the implications of CAP on pre-practicum experiences and coursework

• Adjusting forms so that they are more flexible. This includes:

  • Creating one form that can be used for all observations
  • Separating the formative and summative assessment into two forms for easier use

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Candidate Assessment of Performance (CAP) 2015-16 pilot. The feedback we received throughout the academic year helped shape the revisions to the CAP Guidelines and provided valuable information to support ESE is building out resources as we move to the full implementation in 2016-17.

Participate in the CAP Implementation Support Cohort!

In support of your ongoing implementation of CAP, ESE is offering targeted, intensive technical assistance to interested Sponsoring Organizations during the 2016-17 school year. Members of the CAP Implementation Support Cohort will spend Year 1 in creative thought partnership work with ESE, sharing challenges and opportunities with the new performance assessment while receiving direct access to and technical assistance from ESE's Educator Preparation team.

Benefits of joining the CAP Implementation Support Cohort:

• Two 1-day strategic planning sessions facilitated by ESE and national experts

• Direct access to ESE team for time-sensitive technical assistance and creative thought partnership

• Early access to new resources under development and input into targeted resource development

• Ongoing opportunities to share opportunities and challenges with the new CAP model through a structured, two-way feedback platform

For more information, visit EPIC Field Engagement Application: CAP Implementation Support. ESE is accepting applications through August 1, 2016.