Stephen Sawchuk:

The developers of a new performance-based teacher-licensing test have a clear message for states that want to use it: Set the passing bar high, but not too high.
Striking that balance will be among the key decisions states must now make about the edTPA, which had its official launch at a press conference today in Washington. Where states set the cutoff score will determine which candidates will be granted or denied a teaching license; as such, it’s the major “stake” attached to the performance-based test.
In development since 2009, the edTPA includes a 15-minute videotape of each candidate’s teaching skill. Seven states—Hawaii, Washington, Minnesota, New York, Tennessee, Georgia, and Wisconsin—have formally committed to using the edTPA for certification, or to gauge the quality of teacher-preparation programs; four other states are considering adopting it. (Twenty-two other states and jurisdictions have individual programs that have piloted the test.)
A technical report issued today by the Stanford Center on Assessment, Learning, and Equity, or SCALE, recommended that states not set a passing bar higher than 42 out of 75 total points—a cutoff point that would allow only 58 percent of candidates to pass on their first try. The figure is based on field-test data collected over the past year.
States that chose a different cutoff point would have a different yield: A passing score of 37 would boost passing rates up to 78 percent of candidates.