Program Evaluation Summary Report

Transcription

1 Counselor Education Department Program Evaluation Summary Report Academic Year Dr. John Patrick

2 2 California University of PA Counselor Education Department Summary of 2012 CED Program Evaluation Report Mission Statement The mission of the Counselor Education Department is to prepare students, primarily from Southwestern Pennsylvania, with appropriate academic preparation and personal growth opportunities to serve as professional Master s degree level counselors in their chosen specialty area. Graduate students are expected to develop a high level of self-awareness, a strong knowledge base, and competent counseling skills in order to practice ethically and professionally within a diverse society. Consistent with these expectations is the emphasis placed upon student growth in exhibiting the dimensions of warmth, empathy, unconditional positive regard, genuineness, and congruence, as well as the values of civility, integrity and responsibility. Faculty are expected to facilitate students development and model appropriate professional behavior. Method In order to determine how well we are fulfilling our mission as a Counselor Education department, we undertook a yearly comprehensive program evaluation during the Summer, To this end, we gathered data from many sources, including: exit surveys completed by graduating students prior to graduation, surveys completed every year by alumni, clinical field experience supervisors, graduating students, and employers. Outcomes assessment documents, which are prepared by the Counselor Education department each year. the performance of Counselor Education students on comprehensive exams, and the performance of Counselor Education students on the National Counselor Exam. Results Preparation of Students Employers, practicum/internship supervisors, alumni and graduating students all believe that we are doing an excellent or very good job in preparing students for entry level community and school counseling positions. Respondents noted many strengths of the CED program, and they also provided many helpful suggestions for improving the CED program. The predominant suggestion is to increase course offerings in more specialized areas including gambling addiction, substance abuse, college counseling, and sports counseling. We currently offer an on-line certificate program in sports counseling % of the alumni

3 3 surveyed (n=42) indicated that the Counselor Education program adequately prepared them for their current position, 14.29% (n=7) did not. Employment: Alumni (n=57) report holding a variety of positions within the counseling profession. Respondents indicated that their current occupations are as follows: Secondary School Counselor (Grades 7-12, n=7) Elementary School Counselor (Grades 1-6, n= 10) School Counselor (n=9) Therapeutic Specialist/Substitute Teacher (n=1) Counselor (n=2) LPC (n=1) D & A Therapist (n=1) Private practice (n=1) Supervisor (n=1) BSC and MT in wrap-around services (n=1) Owner of the Counseling House, Group Psychotherapy Practice (n=1) Teacher (n=2) Behavioral Case Manager & Family Therapist II Private practice (n=1) Therapist (n=1) Nanny (n=1) Vocational/Employment Specialist (n=1) Career Counselor (n=2) Mental Health Therapist (n=1) LPC (n=1) Director of Career & Technical Education (n=1) Fayette County Career & Technical Institute Armstrong School District Metro Nashville Public Schools Intermediate Unit #1 Elementary School Counselor with Penn Trafford School District. Steel Center AVTS Ohio County Schools, Wheeling Park High School, Wheeling, WV Uniontown School District Alliance Medical Services Eagle County School District 82.35% (n= 42) of respondents indicated that their current position is directly related to their degree or certification, with 17.65% (n=9) stating their current position was not directly related to their degree or certification (total n=51).

4 % (n=28) of the respondents took 3 months to obtain a position related to their degree % (n=11) of the respondents took 6 months to obtain a position related to their degree. 5.66% (n=3) of the respondents took 1 year to obtain a position related to their degree. Professional Credentials: 31 of our alumni who responded to this survey item indicated they had obtained the National Certified Counselor certification, 13 have obtained their Licensed Professional Counselor credential; 24 have obtained Elementary School Certification, and 30 have obtained Secondary School Certification. Responses N NCC 31 LPC 13 Elementary School Certification 24 Secondary School Certification 30 Outcomes Assessment: On a yearly basis, we review our Outcomes Assessment document that measures the CED program objectives. In this document, CED program objectives are measured by Practicum and Internship supervisor evaluations of student performance, as well as student performance on the CED comprehensive exam. We have consistently met our stated learning assessment goals. Please see our CED Learning Assessment Report for further information. Comprehensive Exams: In , our students have consistently earned a high pass rate on the NBCE as determined by departmental guidelines (93.47%, n=46). This is consistent with data obtained previously. National Counselor Exam: Regarding the GSA-NCE, the pass rate of our students/graduates has been around 85%. Note that current students may take the NCE on campus, and our pass rate includes alumni as well as students/alumni retaking the exam. Initiatives Completed: Program Evaluation and Development Since our last program evaluation, we have accomplished the following initiatives:

5 5 1. CACREP Accreditation: The Counselor Education Department's Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling Programs master's degree programs continue to be accredited by CACREP. Our CACREP re-accreditation will be in The self-study is in the process of being completed. 2. Sports counseling certificate program: The Counselor Education Department continues to offer an on-line sports counseling program, during summer sessions. The 12-credit graduate program was offered for the first time in Summer Dr. Taunya Tinsley coordinates this program. 3. Changes to School Counseling Curriculum: We implemented the changes to the school counseling curriculum, as required by PDE to include additional specified coursework regarding "accommodations and adaptations for students with disabilities in an inclusive setting" and "must address the instructional needs of English language learners" (22 Pa. Code 49.13(4)(i)). 4. Changes to Clinical Mental Health Counseling Curriculum: The clinical mental health counseling program was extensively revised and implemented during the academic year. The program consists of 54 credits and on the input of all constituents concerned, the following courses were added to the program of study: CED 708 (Substance Abuse); CED 735 (Introduction to Family Therapy); and CED 791 (Crisis Counseling and Disaster Preparedness). Initiatives To Be Implemented: Based on the results of the Comprehensive Assessment of our Clinical Mental Health and School Counseling programs we believe that we are fulfilling our mission quite well. We have taken all of our assessment activities into consideration and are implementing the following initiatives: 1. We are working to secure CACREP re-accreditation for our school counseling and clinical mental health counseling programs. Our CACREP re-accreditation site visit will be in The self-study is in the process of being completed. We are also pursuing continued accreditation of our school counseling program by NCATE and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 2. We will continue to explore the feasibility of additional certificate programs, such as Student Affairs, Gambling Addictions, Clinical Supervision, and Substance Abuse. 3. We will continue to implement the changes to the school counseling curriculum, as required by PDE to include additional specified coursework regarding "accommodations and adaptations for students with disabilities in an inclusive setting" and "must address the instructional needs of English language learners" (22 Pa. Code 49.13(4)(i)). 4. We will continue to implement changes to the clinical mental health counseling program. The process to move this program from 54 to 60 credits has begun. Almost all students from this program now graduate with 60 credits in order to meet various licensure requirements. We are

6 6 proposing to reoffer two courses CED 715 (Advanced Counseling Techniques) and CED 730 (Advanced Counseling Theories). These changes have begun the curriculum review process at the university and hopefully will gain approval during the Spring 2013 semester. 5. We will continue to strengthen our practicum/clinical field programs. Dr. Elizabeth Gruber will also develop a Site Supervisor's manual for Practicum/Clinical Field experiences. 6. We will continue to further develop our relationship with our alumni.