Fund History and Purpose

In addition to tuition costs, teacher education majors face charges for edTPA, a nationally scored portfolio assessment showcasing their ability to plan for instruction, teach a group of students in a content-specific area, and perform assessments of student performance. Each teacher candidate is also required to take and pass Pedagogy Content Tests in order to become a licensed teacher. Our teacher education graduates will enter the workforce expecting to earn a salary that is lower than salaries earned by most college graduates. Many of our candidates will leave college with loan debt, as well. We hope you will consider contributing to the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers Student Support Fund to help offset the financial burden for those students with need. 

Ball State University made the decision to require the completion of the edTPA portfolio because it provides value to our student teachers as a summative assessment. The completion and submission of the edTPA portfolio is a program requirement that is completed during student teaching. All Ball State University students seeking initial certification will need to meet this requirement as well as pass content-specific licensure tests. These assessments represent an additional cost to regular course fees, and students cannot use their finances to pay for them.  edTPA costs $300, and licensure tests cost approximately $275.                                                                                                          

Expenditures for this fund are to be used to assist teacher candidates with financial need to offset costs associated with edTPA portfolio submission, teacher licensure Developmental (Pedagogy) and Content Area tests, and related expenses.