Teacher Education
Do your teacher candidates understand edTPA video requirements?
That’s a difficult question to answer. Requirements can vary depending on a program’s submission software, the subject-specific edTPA handbook being used, and the particular task or artifact. But despite these slight variations, basic edTPA video requirements exist.
To prepare your teacher candidates to submit their edTPA videos, teach your students these five edTPA video requirements.
Video file format matters. There are dozens of video file formats out there, and if your candidates pick one that isn’t comparable with the edTPA scorer’s software. . . they’re in trouble. So instruct candidates to pay attention to the acronyms that follow a saved video file (.mov, .avi, .mp4., etc.).
How do you know which file formats are best? Your submission software should include a list of recommended video file formats to share with your students. For example, if your program uses Pearson for edTPA submissions, they recommend the following video file formats: .flv, .asf, .qt, .mov, .mpg, .mpeg, .avi, .wmv, .mp4, and .m4v.
The second edTPA video requirement to teach candidates about is file size. Your video won’t upload properly—or at all—if it’s too big. While the size of the file can vary depending on the submission program, a good rule of thumb is to keep files between 200MB–300 MB.
To keep video files between 200–300 MB, many candidates will need to strategically use the right settings. Problems usually arise if your candidates use the highest resolution to film (and devices traditionally default to high resolution). And high resolution equals a massive video file. That’s why students should select an appropriate resolution before hitting the record button. To dig into this more, Pearson offers general video setting tips for the most popular cameras.
Even if you use the right settings, some videos will be too big for the 200-300 MB rule of thumb. If that’s the case, teach your students about compression. Video compression is their friend.
There are a lot of resources to learn how to do this. For example, Pearson includes a video compression guide for Mac and PC. Be prepared to share a trusted compression tutorial resource with your candidates.
In addition to the size of video files, candidates must be aware of video length restrictions. Video length and video file size—what’s the difference? Well, video length refers to how long a video is (three minutes, five minutes, etc.).
If interns upload a clip that is longer than what’s outlined in the edTPA handbooks, the scorers will only watch up to the allotted time.
These edTPA videos DO NOT need to be Scorsese. Titles, credits, soundtracks, or special effects are not required. The committee simply wants to see your interns teach and interact with students.
In other words, a quality video includes clear sound and picture with interns and students in the frame. Candidates just need to consider the placement of their camera and ensure good audio (e.g. microphones).
But what if a candidate’s favorite clip has poor sound? Any important dialogue that is unintelligible or requires translation in a short clip can (and should be) submitted with time-coded transcription notes or video captioning.
Remember, video captions should only be used to clarify important dialogue for the scorer. In fact, it’s actually against the rules to use captioning or time-stamped transcription to enhance videos with additional content. Make sure your candidates know how to use video captions or time-stamped transcripts appropriately.
If your candidates have more questions about video captions, refer them to their handbooks. Each specific handbook gives instructions for transcripts and video captions.
The final edTPA video requirement is that all video clips must be continuous. This means that candidates CANNOT edit in good bits or edit out bad bits. When considering the length limitation, make sure your candidates carefully select a continuous video that shows everything they want the scorer to see.
Have your candidates repeat this new mantra: format, size, length, quality, and continuity. These are the five pillars for edTPA video requirements. Armed with these basics, your candidates will be more prepared to tackle edTPA videos.
Interested in edTPA? Check out 9 Simple Ways to Make edTPA Videos Less Daunting.
