Summary of the Case Touro College Graduate Studies in Education Program Teacher Education Program March 12 14, 2013

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1 Summary of the Case Touro College Graduate Studies in Education Program Teacher Education Program arch 12 14, 2013 The Summary of the Case is written by the auditors and approved by program faculty. The Summary reflects the auditors understanding of the case the facultyare making for accreditation. Authorship and approval of the Inquiry Brief: The primary authors of the Inquiry Brief for Touro College Graduate Studies in Education Program (Teacher Education Program) were Laurie Bobley, Jesse Epstein, Sonna Opstad, Alan Sebel, and Howard Weiner, with significant contributions from a number of faculty and staff connected to the identified programs. The Inquiry Brief was approved by the faculty on November 14, Introduction: Touro College began with founder Bernard Lander s vision, described by current president Dr. Alan Kadish as, a great experiment in higher education, blending the best of Jewish and secular scholarship in an atmosphere of personal attention and academic excellence. Lander s belief in the power of critical thinking, life-long learning, and the celebration of individual differences, which led to the creation of the college, continues to guide it to this day. Touro College was chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York in June 1970 and opened with a class of 35 Liberal Arts and Sciences students in Since then, the College has continued to demonstrate dynamic growth, and now has approximately 19,000 students studying at 32 locations in New York, California, Nevada, and other states, as well as campuses abroad. The College operates on the fundamental tenet that education affects every one of life s activities, pursuits, interests and occupations. Therefore, the College has several divisions: namely, an undergraduate division (which includes an education program), a graduate division (of which the Graduate School of Education is an integral part), and several professional programs (medicine, law, pharmacy, health sciences, etc.). The iddle States Commission on Higher Education is currently the accrediting agency for Touro College s branch campuses and instructional sites in the New York area (including the newly acquired New York edical College), as well as for its branch campuses and programs in Florida, Berlin, Paris, Jerusalem, and oscow. The Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges separately accredit Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus. In 1993, Touro s Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) was established on the basis of a firm conviction that education is one of the most important tools for bringing about continuous improvement in the conditions of life for all people. Its goal was, and remains, to offer exemplary programs to participants who will become

2 exemplary educators. In 1995, upon its registration with the New York State Education Department, the School began offering its first teacher education program. Today, it is among the largest schools of education in the state of New York. (Note: In 2009, GSEP was broken into two separate Schools a School of Education and a School of Psychology.) Since 2008, GSE has increased its degree, certificate, and program offerings; expanded its research and development projects; added new highly qualified faculty; enhanced its technology and online course offerings; and widened its community outreach. The Graduate School of Education has won two U.S. Department of Education grants, launched new online/blended teacher education program options, developed and implemented a aster of Science degree in athematics Education, initiated the establishment of an Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects, created an Office of Sponsored Programs, and hosted several high-profile symposia. During the 2009 school year, the total enrollment figure for GSE approached 4,500, placing it among the largest in terms of enrollment in New York State. For the same year, the total number of graduates reached the milestone figure of 2,830. Touro College is now established as one of the major institutions in NYC for teacher preparation and first year placement. Program faculty have developed a significant presence in the New York metropolitan area and contribute to fostering a unique working relationship with local school districts and communities. The Graduate School of Education (GSE) is currently the largest School in Touro s Graduate Division. Its Dean reports directly to the Vice President of the Graduate Division (who reports directly to Touro s President). The Dean oversees all GSE operations, both academic and administrative. He is supported in his oversight and academic administration by three associate Deans, six Program Chairs, seven Deputy Chairs, and several Directors of units or special initiatives. GSE currently offers seven graduate degree programs and four certificate programs leading to New York State certification. All but one of those degrees and certificate programs fall under GSE s Teacher Education Program. The other Program is School Leadership which is presented in a separate Inquiry Brief. In keeping with NYSED and iddle States regulations, prior to 2009 students were permitted to complete only up to 50% of their programs in online format. However, in 2009 the Graduate School of Education received approval from the New York State Education Department to offer several of its program options in a blended/online format. Candidates in the Graduate Education/Special Education, Instructional Technology, Literacy, and Leadership options are now permitted to complete all courses (with the exception of field experience and practicum) in an online/blended format. For each program option in which blended/online formats are available, both face-to face and the blended/online format have the same goals and learning objectives, use the same course syllabi, employ the same course and peer evaluation tools, and, often,

3 are taught by the same professors. In this way, Touro strives to achieve in both face-toface and blended/online formats similar standards of quality for student learning. As registered with the State of New York, Touro s Teacher Education Program is offered at three sites: anhattan, Brooklyn (Flatbush), and Bay Shore. Touro s Graduate School of Education coordinates the accreditation process and program regulatory compliance for the Teacher Education Program. The Teacher Education Program offers candidates comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degrees leading to teacher certification, as illustrated in Table 1 on the next page.

4 Table 1: Current Program Options as Registered by the New York State Education Department Program Title HEGIS Degree Code Awarded Campus* Bilingual Certification/TCHRS Special Ed & 0899 Speech & Language Disabilities Bilingual General Education: ITI Bilingual Special Ed: ITI Bilingual Speech and Language Dis: ITI Childhood Education/Teaching Students with Disabilities, 0808 S, B, F Grades 1 6 c English to Speakers of Other Languages a 1508 English to Speakers of Other Languages 1508 S, F Gifted and Talented Education 8011 Instructional Technology d S, F athematics Education a 0833 S Teacher of Speech and Language Disabilities b 0815 S F Teaching Early Childhood Education/Teaching Students with Disabilities, 0808 S, B, F, B-Grade 2 c Teaching Literacy d 0830 S, F TESOL: ITI Teaching iddle Childhood/Teaching Students with Disabilities iddle Childhood c 0804 S, B, F Teaching Students with Autism & Severe or 0820 ulti Disabilities, B, F Teaching Students with Disabilities (SWD) Generalist, Grades 7-12 ad 0804 S, B, F Special Education: Childhood Education, Grades BS, F Special Education: Early Childhood Education, Birth Grade BS, F

5 a Registered with New York State: athematics Education, January, 2010; Teaching SWD, 7-12, June 2011;, English to Speakers of Other Languages, November, 2011 b Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (formerly Teacher of Speech and Hearing Handicapped) is included in the Teacher Education Program and was registered with the New York State Education Department in The Speech-Language Pathology program was accredited by ASHA in 2002 and reaccredited in (See Appendix G for the letter that verifies the accreditation.) c In 2009, the program was granted permission by NYSED to offer Distance Learning online/blended format that does not have a separate registration d Distance learning format added in * = anhattan *F = Flatbush, Brooklyn *B = Bay Shore, Long Island The programs share a variety of common course rubrics, common student and course surveys, some common core courses, and common requirements and structures. In addition, the programs share one quality control system and overlap some faculty responsibility. Evidence across the programs was aggregated and is presented together. Enrollment continues to draw on the rapidly changing urban community of New York and reflects an extremely diverse student body, including students from all over the world. As such, the program s candidates represent a broad cross-section of the communities served by Touro College. Table 2: Candidate Ethnicity and Gender (Self-reported on admissions applications as of June 2011) ETHNICITY Non-resident Alien 0.03% 0.04% 0.03% No Response 14.95% 14.60% 13.34% Hispanics of any race 8.51% 7.92% 8.27% American Indian/ Alaskan Native 0.26% 0.20% 0.19% Asian 4.53% 4.88% 4.08% Black or African American 11.82% 11.56% 10.63% Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander 0.02% 0.02% 0.08% White 59.79% 60.72% 63.31% Other 0.09% 0.06% 0.08% Total 100% 100% 100% GENDER F 85.30% 85.17% 85.00% 14.70% 14.83% 15.00%

6 Program options are listed in Table 3: Table 3 Touro College Teacher Education Program Options Option Name Level Number of completers in previous academic year ( ) Number of students enrolled in current academic year (2010) Education/Sp. Ed Grad Education/Sp. Ed UG TESOL Grad Reading Grad ath Education Grad 0 20 Technology Grad Program claims: The Touro College Teacher Education Program has identified three claims to demonstrate competence in Quality Principle 1: Evidence of Candidate Learning. The four claims utilized by the programs include: Claim 1: Graduates are competent in the content area that they teach. Claim 2: Graduates demonstrate effective teaching methods for learners with diverse abilities and from a variety of backgrounds. Claim 3: Graduates create dynamic learning environments that are supportive, motivating and caring for all students. Claim 4: Graduates demonstrate the process of reflective practice to facilitate their continuing professional growth and development. In addition, the program faculty affirms that completers demonstrate, in alignment with TEAC cross-cutting dimensions of learning: a) the capacity and desire for lifelong learning, b) that they have learned accurate and sound information on matters of race, gender, ability, and ethnic and cultural perspectives, and c) that they have mastered appropriate technologies in carrying out their professional responsibilities. Evidence supporting the claims In support of the claims, the program has identified ten (10) sources of evidence used in the IB. These sources include: Undergrad GPA from content coursework, NYSTCE exam scores: CST (BEA, ulti-subject, ath, Ed Tech Specialist),

7 Items from Practicum/Student Teaching Observation GPA for pedagogical courses, NYSTCE exam scores: ATS-W Elementary and ATS-W Secondary, NYSTCE exam scores: Applicable CST (ESOL, Literacy, Students with Disabilities), Items from Practicum/Student Teaching Observation Evaluation, Candidate Graduate Ed & Special Ed Program Evaluation survey, GSE Candidate Survey Individual program results and aggregate results are presented in support of the identified claims. Internal audit: The internal audit of the Touro College teacher preparation program was led by the TEAC Accreditation Working Group. In addition, other members of the college were invited to join and eventually 5 faculty members were selected to write the Inquiry Brief. embers of the TEAC Accreditation Writing Group (TEAC-AWG) collected and analyzed the data of the audit probes, and provided an overview of future actions to be taken. The internal audit consisted of probes in the areas of faculty qualifications, admissions, facilities, fiscal and administrative capacity, student support services, recruiting and admissions, curriculum, recruiting and admissions, and student feedback. The internal audit was in sufficient detail to prompt ongoing operational changes within the program. Plans for program improvement As a result of a review of results of the TEAC Internal Audit, the overall conclusion of the TEAC Accreditation Working Group and the faculty was that the Quality Control System at Touro College is functioning as designed. The team noted several findings representing areas in need of improvement. Future, and currently ongoing, actions for improvement include: Revisions to the student admission, registration, and scheduling system. Ongoing review, and revision, of course syllabi, and curriculum Changes in grading policies and procedures Development a systematic process for review of Student End-of-Course surveys Faculty professional development Revision of the student electronic portfolio and assessment process In some instances changes have been made, while in others the changes are pending, and in the process of implementation. Statement regarding commitment and capacity: The faculty concluded that Touro College is committed to the graduate programs included within the Inquiry Brief, and that there is sufficient capacity to enable faculty to offer a quality program.

8 1 The Touro College Teacher Education Program offers options at the undergraduate level in Education/Special Education, and at the graduatelevel in Education/Special Education, TESOL, Reading, athematics Education, and Technology. The state of New York, at its discretion, offers licensure to program completers in these option areas.