Performance Assessment and Accreditation in Iranian Teacher Education

Teacher education is pivotal to transforming any education system. In Iran, Farhangian University has launched the Evaluation of Teachers' Professional Competencies (ETPC) project to ensure EFL student teachers meet national certification standards. This book addresses a critical gap by developing and validating two core ETPC assessment tools: a Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA) framework and a Teacher Knowledge Test (TKT). Through comparative analysis, document review, stakeholder interviews, and empirical piloting with 58 candidates, the research established a robust TPA rubric across six domains-Professional Knowledge, Instructional Planning, Delivery, Learning Environment, Assessment, and Professional Practices-and a 140-item TKT covering Grammar, Vocabulary, Methodology, Testing, Research, Reading, and Linguistics. Rigorous validation confirmed both instruments as reliable and contextually valid. This work offers Farhangian University and national curriculum designers an evidence-based model for assessing teacher readiness, strengthening the link between teacher education, professional competence, and quality assurance in Iranian EFL teacher certification.