Teaching Performance Assessment

California law requires potential teachers to complete a Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) as one of the steps to earning a teaching credential. This assessment — made up of four individual tasks — is designed to measure how well a candidate meets the state's Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs), which define what teachers should know and be able to do. Details regarding the TPA and TPEs are available from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Biola University includes the TPA tasks within its Teacher Preparation Program coursework. Passage of all four TPA tasks are required in order to receive formal recommendation from the University for the preliminary multiple subject or single subject teaching credential. Specifics of each TPA task will be covered in teacher preparation coursework as follows:

  • TPA Task #1
    ($50.00 fee, subject to change)
    • LEDU 341/SEED 541: Methods of Teaching Linguistically Diverse Students (3 units)
  • TPA Task #2
    ($50.00 fee, subject to change)
    • LEDU 420/SEED 520: Elementary Reading/Language Arts (3 units) for multiple subject candidates
    • LEDU 425/SEED 525: Secondary Content Area Reading (3 units) for single subject candidates
  • TPA Task #3
    ($50.00 fee, subject to change)
    • LEDU 430/SEED 505: Elementary Curriculum (4 units) for multiple subject candidates
    • LEDU 435/SEED 506: Secondary Curriculum (4 units) for single subject candidates
  • TPA Task #4
    ($60.00 fee, subject to change)
    • LEDU 440/442 or SEED 512/513: Elementary Student Teaching (12 units) for multiple subject candidates
    • LEDU 450/452 or SEED 514/515: Secondary Student Teaching (12 units) for single subject candidates

Please contact Professor Janet Brazeal, TPA coordinator, at with any further questions.