Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education

Measure 3: Candidate Competency at Program Completion

Purpose And CAEP Alignment

The University of Toledo’s Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) use multiple measures to ensure that candidates completing initial and advanced programs are well prepared to teach P–12 students and positively impact their learning and development. Evidence of candidate competency at completion includes licensure examination results, performance‑based assessments during clinical practice, and externally scored measures aligned to state and professional standards.

This page presents outcomes aligned to CAEP Standard R3.3 (Initial Programs) and RA3.4 (Advanced Programs), with publicly reportable data drawn from validated, externally and internally evaluated measures.

Data reflect the academic year (September 1–August 31) and are reported using official score reports provided through Pearson ResultsAnalyzer.

Overview: How We Know Candidates Are Ready

At program completion, candidate competency is demonstrated through the following measures:

• Content knowledge licensure exams (Ohio Assessments for Educators – OAE)
• Foundations of Reading licensure exam (where applicable)
• Pedagogical knowledge assessments (edTPA and OAE Assessments of Professional Knowledge – OAE APK)
• Clinical performance assessments during student teaching internships (CPAST)
• Program‑specific expectations aligned to Ohio standards and professional benchmarks

Together, these measures provide evidence that candidates meet program expectations and are prepared to positively impact P–12 student learning.

I. Content Knowledge At Program Completion

UToledo teacher candidates demonstrate strong content‑area knowledge through performance on required state licensure examinations.

Our candidates consistently achieve moderate-high pass rates on the Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE), a required licensure exam for teachers in Ohio that evaluates content-area expertise and professional (pedagogical) knowledge. For more details, see OAE Requirements by Licensure Area & Grade Level. Assessments are aligned to licensure area, measuring subject‑specific teaching competence for initial-licensure and leadership knowledge and skills for advanced-licensure programs.

OAE pass rates provide evidence that UToledo completers possess the subject‑matter knowledge necessary to design accurate, standards‑aligned instruction for P–12 learners.

Content-Specific OAE Results By Initial- Licensure Area

Content-specific assessments ensure educators have the necessary content expertise and instructional proficiency to teach in their designated subject areas.

OAE Content Assessment	AY 2024-2025		AY 2023-2024		AY 2022-2023
	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT
#055 Primary (PK-5)*	47	91%	44	98%	N/A	N/A
#012 Early Child Edu. (PK-3)*	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	41	98%
#043 Interv. Specialist (K-12) Special Edu.	11	82%	17	100%	22	95%
#028 Middle Edu.(4-9) Eng. Lang. Arts	6	83%	7	100%	8	75%
#029 Middle Edu.(4-9) Science	N<5	-	N<5	-	7	100%
#030 Middle Edu.(4-9) Math	N<5	-	7	100%	8	88%
#031 Middle Edu. (4-9) Soc. Stu.	7	57%	9	78%	6	83%
#020 AYA (7-12) Eng. Lang. Arts	11	73%	7	71%	N<5	-
#027 AYA (7-12) Integrated Math	N<5	-	12	92%	9	100%
#025 AYA (7-12) Integrated Soc. Stu.	20	80%	N<5	-	7	86%
#024 AYA (7-12) Integrated Science	N<5	-	N<5	-	N<5	-
#007 AYA (7-12) Biology	N<5	-	N<5	-	N<5	-
#009 AYA (7-12) Chemistry	N<5	-	N<5	-	N<5	-
#035 AYA (7-12) Physics	N<5	-	N<5	N<5	N<5	N<5
#032 MULTI (PK-12) Music	N<5	-	N<5	-	N<5	N<5
#006 MULTI (PK-12) Art	8	75%	7	86%	N<5	-

 

*Primary Education P–5 (#055) data are reported beginning in AY 2023–2024, reflecting the launch of the revised licensure pathway. Primary Education P–3 (#012) data conclude with the phase‑out of the licensure pathway following statewide realignment.

Content-Specific OAE Results By Advanced- Licensure Area

Leadership assessments ensure licensed educators have the necessary knowledge and skills in school leadership competencies, including instructional leadership, organizational management, and professional ethics.

 

OAE Content Assessment	AY 2023-2024		AY 2022-2023		AY 2021-2021
	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT
#015 Educational Leadership	N<5	=	6	100%	8	88%

Initial and advanced-program results are reviewed annually by licensure area to monitor trends and identify program‑specific improvement opportunities.

II. Reading Content Knowledge: Foundations of Reading Assessment

Candidates in programs requiring the Foundations of Reading licensure exam demonstrate competency in evidence‑based reading instruction aligned to Ohio’s Science of Reading requirements.

The Foundations of Reading exam evaluates knowledge of reading development, instructional practices, and assessment of reading proficiency.

UToledo candidates have demonstrated strong pass rates, including participation in Ohio’s statewide audit of preparation programs. External analyses identify first‑attempt pass rates as a key indicator of preparation quality, with The University of Toledo performing at or above statewide averages among audited institutions.

• A deep dive into first-time pass rates on Ohio’s Foundations of Reading licensure exam

 

OAE Foundations of Reading	AY 2024-2025		AY 2023-2024		AY 2022-2023
	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT
#190 Foundations of Reading**	72	73%	83	89%	N/A	N/A
#090 Foundations of Reading **	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	21	81%

**The Foundations of Reading licensure exam transitioned from OAE #090 to #190 on January 9, 2023. #190 includes the same content as #090, with the addition of science of reading components. Results reflect the applicable test code in use during each reporting year.

III. Pedagogical Knowledge and Instructional Practice

Pedagogical Competency: edTPA Performance-Based Assessment

The edTPA is a national, performance‑based assessment completed during student teaching that evaluates candidates’ ability to plan instruction, engage students in learning, assess student understanding, and reflect on instructional effectiveness. All University of Toledo edTPA submissions in 2024–2025 were externally scored by Pearson‑trained evaluators, providing a standardized and validated measure of instructional readiness.

Because edTPA requires candidates to analyze student work and instructional outcomes across planning, instruction, and assessment tasks, it provides direct evidence of candidates’ readiness to positively impact P–12 student learning.

UToledo teacher candidates achieved an overall pass rate of 86.2% during the first year of externally validated Pearson scoring.

Faculty received a detailed, program‑disaggregated summary, including overall and mean task, rubric, and total score performance, in October 2025. Together, they reviewed the data to identify areas for growth and inform preparation for candidates completing edTPA in Spring 2026.

Clinical Performance Assessment: CPAST

In addition to edTPA, candidates are evaluated during student teaching using the Clinical Practice Assessment System for Teachers (CPAST). CPAST provides supervisor‑based evidence of candidate performance in authentic classroom settings and is used alongside edTPA results to confirm readiness at program completion.

88.3% of initial-licensure teacher candidates improved their CPAST performance score during their student teaching internship throughout AY24-25.

The score is based on candidate performance in 21 competency dimensions organized into two categories, pedagogy and dispositions.

OAE Pedagogy Assessment Pass Rates for Initial Teacher Licensure

The OAE Assessments of Professional Knowledge (APK) evaluates candidates’ understanding of instructional strategies, classroom management, student development, and educational best practices. These assessments provide evidence of foundational pedagogical knowledge necessary to create effective learning environments.

OAE Pedagogy Assessment	AY 2024-2025		AY 2023-2024		AY 2022-2023
	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT	# Taking	%Pass UT
#001 APK Early Childhood PK-3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	44	95%
#057 APK Primary Edu. PK-5	15	100%	49	100%	N/A	N/A
#002 APK Middle 4-9	N<5	-	17	94%	14	86%
#003 APK AYA 7-12	8	100%	22	95%	29	97%
#004 APK Multi-Age PK-12	11	64%	27	100%	31	94%

Beginning in the 2024–2025 academic year, The University of Toledo transitioned to using externally scored edTPA results as the primary measure of pedagogical competence for initial licensure, consistent with Ohio licensure policy. As a result, fewer candidates completed the OAE-APK, since a passing edTPA score may be used in lieu of a passing pedagogical score for licensure.