Wiechman, Jeffery P.2013-08-022013-08-022013-06https://hdl.handle.net/11299/154983University of Minnesota Ed.D. dissertation. June 2013. Major: Educational Policy and Administration. Advisor: Dr. Jean A. King. 1 computer file (PDF); vi, 115 pages, appendices A-C.Teacher preparation is a hot topic in the world of education today. Performance assessments mark one way that colleges may prove the readiness of their pre-service teaching candidates for a career in the classroom. This study used methods to evaluate one college's effort to implement such an assessment, to integrate assessment tasks into its program of teacher education, and to determine the effectiveness of these features - as well as the completion of the assessment itself - in improving the professional practice and reflexivity of pre-service teaching candidates. The evaluation showed that proper implementation of the performance assessment was an issue for the college as a result of Minnesota's "fast track" status and the college's difficulty in keeping up with constant changes from the state Board of Teaching. This affected student perception of the assessment negatively. They viewed it as a "hoop to jump through" for their institution rather than as a task for professional development. The evaluation also suggested that the college's successful curricular integration of performance assessment skills aided students in their ability to be successful in tasks involving planning, instructing, and reflecting, but that more thorough integration was needed in the areas of assessment of student work and familiarity with academic language. Finally, the evaluation documented that TPA was perceived as successful in helping teaching candidates develop professionally and improve their reflective practice for a future career in the classroom.en-USThesis or Dissertation