Accreditors, including CAEP, require that education programs address and assess candidate dispositions throughout their experience—both in the classroom and during field experience. Why do dispositions matter? Because these attitudes, values, and behaviors shape how educators interact with students, colleagues, and families in their work guiding student learning and development. Providing candidates with information about programmatic dispositional expectations can help cultivate positive attitudes and actions before and during clinical experiences, while proactively addressing any negative behaviors to ensure candidate success.
In partnership with the EDA, LLC, a team of researchers from the University of Tampa, we offer education providers a set of instruments to assess candidate dispositions in various types of programs, including traditional educator preparation programs, online programs, and educational leadership programs. As an added benefit, when you use the EDA instruments with Watermark assessment solutions, we can help you simplify the rubric distribution, score collection, and reporting processes – while archiving data for quick reference at any time and increasing data transparency in your program.
Designed to assess the dispositions of candidates in traditional educator preparation programs, the Educational Dispositional Assessment was developed through 700 hours of research over seven years. The EDA consists of dispositions and related indicators explicitly aligned to CAEP standards, InTasc Standards*, and professional dispositional elements found in prominent teacher evaluation instruments.
*It is recommended that institutions align their respective state standards with the InTASC standards identified in the instrument.
Who is the EDA, LLC?
Educational Dispositional Assessment Consultants, LLC is composed of four research professors from The University of Tampa.
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| DR. GINA ALMERICO Director, Educator Preparation Program |
DR. SUZANNE ENSMANN Assistant Professor, College of Social Science, Mathematics, & Education |
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| DR. PATTIE JOHNSTON Director, Master’s in Education Program |
DR. ADRIANNE WILSON Graduate Coordinator/Educational Leadership Program |
The Dispositions of the Online Learner Instrument is designed for candidates participating in educator preparation programs that include a significant online component. It is aligned to ISTE, AECT, and CAEP standards and can be used along with the EDA rubric to capture a holistic view of online student dispositions.
Education leaders require a unique set of dispositions to be effective in their roles as administrators, coaches, and advocates. The Educational Leadership Disposition Assessment includes leadership dispositions for performance based growth and development aligned with NELP and CAEP standards.
All of the Watermark-EDA instruments have been developed in accordance with psychometric best practices and tested by hundreds of in-service professionals. The instruments successfully address each component of the CAEP Evaluation Framework to include:
The instruments are designed to be used at multiple points during a program— from admission to graduation—to collect baseline data and track candidate progress to both highlight exemplary dispositions, and identify when additional support is needed to ensure candidate success. The assessments can be used individually or in tandem to provide institutions with valid, reliable, and meaningful data for continuous improvement, while documenting alignment for accreditation.
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