3 Year Action Plan School of Education Graduate Initial Licensure Programs: MAED Programs and Alternative Certification Program 2014-2017 Lisle, Springfield, and Moser Campuses Mission Statement of the Program/Unit The mission of the School of Education is grounded in Benedictine values and traditions that promote community, concern for the individual and responsible stewardship. The unit makes every effort to create effective practitioners who are committed to scholarship, lifelong inquiry, leadership and social responsibility. Vision Statement The School of Education aspires to develop and enhance an understanding of individual differences so that as educators we can empower school age youth to be self-learners, to achieve their potential and to improve their lives and the lives of others. Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for the Program Academic units: state the Student Learning Outcomes of the program or academic unit. Academic support units: state the intended goals of the unit. Illinois State Board of Education Standards (www.isbe.net) Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS) (www.isbe.net) National Content Standards (www.isbe.net) Based on 2013 program State Annual Unit Reports 12/04/13 Program Goals (1-3 year goals) 1. Curriculum The School of Education will be engaged in curricular redesign and development over the next three years. The redevelopment will be in current graduate programs (Alternative Licensure and MAED Elementary, MAED Secondary, and MAED Special Education programs). New curricular development will focus on programs such the Principal Preparation program, a MED in Teaching and Learning, and a MED in Teacher Leadership. These programs slated, for new development, will be addressed in the 3 Year Plan New Graduate Education Programming. As programs are redesigned and created, a variety of program delivery methods will be implemented, including traditional, blended, and online. Current Curricular redesign and Alignment to new state and national standards MAED Elementary Education Special Education Spanish Education Secondary Education: Math, English-Language Arts, Social Science (History), Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Business Marketing & Computer Science 1
MED Reading Specialist (reported in a separate 3 Year Plan) ELL/ESL Endorsement (reported in a separate 3 Year Plan) Alternative Licensure Secondary Education in Math and Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) New curriculum development: to be planned over the next 3 years MAED Middle School Licensure (Special Education, Spanish Education, Math, English-Language Arts, Social Science (History), Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics), Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) Secondary Licensure (STEM) MED Principal Prep Special Education Director of Special Education Teacher Leader Teaching and Learning Technology The unit will have an explicit process for increasing and utilizing current and new technologies to support teaching and learning of faculty and candidates. Extensive professional development will be provided for faculty and candidates. Assessment The unit is engaged in the redesign of the assessment system that monitors candidates growth toward professional standards and program effectiveness. 2. Collaboration and Partnerships The unit ensures that effective partnerships and high-quality clinical practice are central to preparation so that candidates develop the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to demonstrate positive impact on all P-12 students learning and development. The development and monitoring of such collaborations and partnerships require an extensive commitment by the unit. This work will require onsite meetings, professional development offerings, and research projects in exchange for access to classroom placements and involvement of practitioners in program development and ongoing assessment. 3. Candidate Quality, Recruitment, and Selectivity The unit will develop and implement a plan to recruit and support high quality candidates from a broad range of backgrounds and diverse populations that reflect America s P-12 students. New state education polices will require the unit to revise admission criteria. This plan will include efforts to address community, state, national, regional, or local needs for hard to-staff schools and shortage fields. 2
4. Governance The unit administration and faculty will have clearly defined rights and responsibilities concerning program governance and academic policies. Programs located at Lisle, Moser, and Springfield comprise the education unit. Partners and candidates will have participatory roles in the conduct of program evaluation procedures, policy setting and decision making. 5. Faculty and Support Personnel Resources As current programs are redesigned and new programs initiated, additional faculty and support personnel will be necessary fulfill the requirements for ongoing state approval. 6. Assessment System The assessment system will be redesigned to meet new state and national program approval requirements. AQIP Categories Impacted by Program Goals 1. Curriculum (AQIP 1) 2. Collaboration and Partnerships (AQIP 1,2) 3. Candidate Quality, Recruitment, and Selectivity (AQIP 1,2,4) 4. Governance (AQIP 4,5) 5. Faculty Resources (AQIP 5) 6. Assessment System (AQIP 4,6) Program Goals Action Steps Person(s) Responsible 1. Curriculum The curriculum for all programs will be redesigned which includes syllabi, admission requirements, program completion requirements, assessment, and delivery methods. Additional Resources Required: Stipends for Adjunct Faculty to participate in the revision of curriculum. Cyd Kuck, Director of Graduate Programs Mary Jeffery, Assessment Coordinator Rich Campbell, Licensure Officer Cynthia Sedam, Director of Teacher Education, MeShelda Jackson, Chair, School of Education Timeline (due date) MAED Programs May to December 2014 MED Programs-December 2014- March 2015 New Curriculum Development-April 2015 to December 2015 3
2. Collaboration and Partnerships Arrange meetings with current and prospective partners to provide professional development, to address school improvement plans through action research projects, and to secure internships and school placements Cyd Kuck, Director of Graduate Programs Jan Writer, Director of Placement Cynthia Sedam, Director of Teacher Education, MeShelda Jackson, Chair, School of Education Ongoing Additional Resources Required: 1- Administrative Assistant to manage School Partnerships 3. Candidate Quality, Recruitment, and Selectivity The unit will support the various offices by providing printed information and face to face meetings to discuss changes in program admissions criteria. Additional Resources Required: None 4. Governance The unit will clearly define rights and responsibilities concerning program governance and academic policies. In addition the unit will create organizational structures that align with and support the rights and responsibilities. Admissions and Enrollment Directors Marketing and Communications Institutional Research Cyd Kuck, Director of Graduate Programs Mary Jeffery, Assessment Coordinator Rich Campbell, Licensure Officer Cynthia Sedam, Director of Teacher Education, MeShelda Jackson, Chair, School of Education Cyd Kuck, Director of Graduate Programs Rich Campbell, Licensure Officer Cynthia Sedam, Director of Teacher Education, Ongoing August 2014 4
5. Faculty and Support Personnel Resources Additional Resources Required: None The unit will develop a plan for hiring faculty to support the current and new programs. Additional Resources Required: MAED Programs Special Education Faculty (1) English-Language Learning Faculty (1) MeShelda Jackson, Chair, School of Education Ethel Ragland, Dean, College of Education and Health Services JoAnna Beth Tweedy, Dean of Academic Affairs, Cyd Kuck, Director of Graduate Programs Rich Campbell, Licensure Officer Cynthia Sedam, Director of Teacher Education, MeShelda Jackson, Chair, School of Education Ethel Ragland, Dean, College of Education and Health Services JoAnna Beth Tweedy, Dean of Academic Affairs, New Programs Principal Prep January to August 2014 (2 fulltime faculty) Middle School Teacher Leader Teaching and Learning January to August 2015 These three programs above would be supported by 2 additional faculty members. Current Programs-January to August 2015 5
6. Assessment System The unit will explore viable technologies to support the assessment system in collaboration with Instructional Technology Support Services and other vendors. Additional Resources Required: Stipends for trainers and consultants and additional financial resources for travel and expenses to conferences for training to meet the requirements. Cyd Kuck, Director of Graduate Programs Mary Jeffery, Assessment Coordinator Rich Campbell, Licensure Officer Cynthia Sedam, Director of Teacher Education, Information Technology Office MeShelda Jackson, Chair, School of Education August 2015 6
Year End Report (YER) Program s/unit s Results (The information in the YER will be incorporated into the six-year program review.) List each 1-3 year program goal in the table below and comment on progress made toward the goal. 3-Year Action Plan - Progress Program Goals Action Steps Progress Made Work on the redesign of the Alternative Licensure program is progressing. The curriculum has been redeveloped and the program application is currently being written with planned submission to the IL State Board of Education by September The curriculum for all programs will be redesigned which includes syllabi, admission 2014. 1-Curriculum requirements, program completion requirements, assessment, and delivery methods. The redesign of the MAED programs has not yet begun. A strategic review of these program is currently underway to determine their viability. Once this determination is made and approvals from higher administration received, revisions will be scheduled. Partnerships with various schools have been 2-Collaboration and Partnerships Arrange meetings with current and prospective partners to provide professional development, to address school improvement plans through action research projects, and to secure internships and school placements initiated by the School of Education. Additionally, a partnership with UNO has been developed to support the Alternative Certification program. 3-Candidate Quality, Recruitment, and Selectivity The unit will support the various offices by providing printed information and face to face meetings to discuss changes in program admissions criteria. Strengthened program admissions criteria that are in alignment with new ISBE rules for all alternative licensure programs have been developed and are a part of the program application currently under development. 4-Governance The unit will clearly define rights and responsibilities concerning program governance and The relationship between the School of 7
5-Faculty and Support Personnel Resources 6-Assessment System academic policies. In addition the unit will create organizational structures that align with and support the rights and responsibilities. The unit will develop a plan for hiring faculty to support the current and new programs. The unit will explore viable technologies to support the assessment system in collaboration with Instructional Technology Support Services and other vendors. Education and Moser Center is facilitated by Cyd Kuck and the Graduate Program Committee. It is becoming clearer to all parties that the programs are the responsibility of the School of Education and therefore their operations are accountable to it. As a part of strategic planning for initial licensure programs, staffing and resources are considered as a part of the viability review. The strategic planning for these programs is currently in process. As the programs are redesigned, strong assessment assignments are embedded in every course and effective assessment procedures are delineated. The technology used for programmatic and assessment support is D2L. AQIP Categories Progress Using the AQIP categories from page two, briefly explain how the progress reported in the table above improves the program, department, college or university. AQIP 1 Helping Students Learn: As curriculum is developed, problem-based learning and flipped classroom strategies are used to support student learning processes. These strategies are built into the proposed Principal Preparation Program. As candidates are selected for admittance into a program, their learning needs are considered and instructional strategies will be deployed to support their learning. Data from these changes, upon program implementation, will be used to determine the effectiveness of these strategies. AQIP 2 Meeting Students and Other Stakeholders Needs: Through its collaborative partnerships, the School of Education is embedded in the work of educating P-12 students. By working closely with the partners and through its Advisory Council, the School of Education remains informed as to current and evolving needs of P-12 educators. This, in turn, impacts the structure, delivery models, and content of new education programs at the graduate level. Finally, the careful selection of candidates admitted to graduate programs supports their development as effective teachers and leaders, and meets their learning goals and needs. AQIP 3 Valuing Employees: Faculty resources are critical to continued and effective operation of its graduate education programs. Given the rapidly evolving policy and political milieau that surrounds P-12 education, expansion of faculty and staff, ongoing professional development, and support for partnerships are needed elements to ensure that candidates completing a graduate initial licensure program are prepared to serve their schools and 8
communities well. At this time, there is a hiring commitment for 2 new faculty to support the Principal Preparation program. Current faculty and staff are significantly stretched to maintain P-12 partnerships, engage in program development, and create appropriate assessments to meet state requirements and the SoE s need to determine program effectiveness and support continuous improvement. As new graduate education programs are developed, additional faculty and staff will be required to support these programs. AQIP 4 Planning and Leading: The governance structure of the School of Education includes the faculty, staff, candidates, and programs, regardless of their physical location (Lisle, Moser, or Springfield). This structure must be sufficiently staffed in order to carry out state requirements applicable to programs, assessments, faculty, candidates, and P-12 partners. The leadership of the School of Education typically meets on a weekly basis, and with faculty and P-12 partners on a set schedule. The Director of Graduate Education Program is a liaison between the School of Education and Moser Center. Additionally, the Graduate Education Program Committee facilitates communication, planning, and identifies programmatic opportunities through an extensive analysis of environmental demands and needs. The development of P-12 partnerships provides strong sites to support programs field experiences and clinical practice. Finally in an ever increasingly difficult statutory environment the unit has proactively developed processes and data collection instruments designed to meet all regulatory requirements. AQIP 5 Knowledge Management and Resource Stewardship: The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requires all Schools of Education to develop and maintain an extensive system of assessments. Program assessments must be aligned to state, professional and unit standards, and produce data that are accurate, consistent, and fair. Data from these rubrics are entered into the database and managed by the Assessment Coordinator. In order to meet this demand, this process must be supported by a robust technological and information infrastructure. The fiscal and physical requests for programmatic and unit support are based on and aligned to the unit s strategic plan. AQIP 6 Quality Overview: The ISBE requires all Schools of Education to develop and maintain an extensive system of assessments. This system of assessment gathers data related to programs, candidates and their qualifications, faculty, partnerships, budget, etc. On a set schedule, these data are analyzed and reviewed by faculty, administration, the Advisory Council, and P-12 partners. Based upon their input, areas needing improvement are identified, and strategies and revisions are developed to address the identified areas. Over the past year, the assessment system has seen significant development. As new programs are implemented, data from the assessment system will be used as described above. All MAED graduate initial licensure programs Assessment Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) Progress Report progress on the SLOs connected to 1-3 year program goals listed on page two. 1. Content Knowledge (Scholarship; Lifelong Inquiry) Mean Score 9
Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.41 Portfolio 4.47 2. Human Development and Learning (Scholarship; Lifelong Inquiry) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.41 Portfolio 4.87 3. Diversity (Leadership; Social Responsibility Student Teaching Final Evaluation 3.64 Portfolio 4.50 4. Planning for Instruction (Scholarship; Lifelong Inquiry; Social Responsibility) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.31 Portfolio 4.88 5. Learning Environment (Leadership; Social Responsibility) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.24 Portfolio 4.63 6. Instructional Delivery (Scholarship; Lifelong Inquiry; Social Responsibility) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.19 Portfolio 4.5 7. Communication (Scholarship ; Social Responsibility Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.38 Portfolio 4.60 10
8. Assessment (Lifelong Inquiry; Social Responsibility) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 3.92 Portfolio 4.63 9. Collaborative Relationships (Leadership; Social Responsibility) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.22 Portfolio 4.56 10. Reflection and Professional Growth (Scholarship; Lifelong Inquiry) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.27 Portfolio 4.50 11. Professional Conduct and Leadership (Leadership; Social Responsibility) Student Teaching Final Evaluation 4.41 Portfolio 4.40 All Alternative Certification programs Assessment Mean 1. Teaching Diverse Students Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.38 Portfolio 3.45 2. Content Area and Pedagogical Knowledge Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.34 11
Portfolio 3.33 3. Planning for Differentiated Instruction Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.44 Portfolio 3.66 4. Learning Environment Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.67 Portfolio 3.71 5. Instructional Delivery Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.41 Portfolio 3.71 6. Reading, Writing, and Oral Communication Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.62 Portfolio 3.79 7. Assessment Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.6 Portfolio 3.58 8. Collaborative Relationships Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.70 Portfolio 3.83 9. Professionalism, Leadership, and Advocacy 12
Classroom Observation Final Evaluation 3.70 Portfolio 3.71 As the Alternative Licensure program was redesigned, it was specifically aligned to the following sets of SLOs: IL Professional Teaching Standards IL Reading and Reading in the Content Area Standards for all secondary programs IL Special Education Standards for all secondary programs IL ELL/ESL Standards for all secondary programs IL Social/Emotional Learning Standards National Science Teacher Association Standards for secondary programs National Council for Teachers of Mathematics Standards for secondary programs The Conceptual Framework Each syllabus has 1-2 key assignments assessed by scoring rubrics aligned to the standards listed above. IDEA Group Summary Report (GSR) for the Program Provide average scores and a brief summary of IDEA scores from the GSR (in narrative format). Namely, share reflective thoughts, significant changes in scores, planned improvements, etc. Average Scores (on a 5 point scale) Adjusted Score Progress on Relevant Objective (PRO) 3.9 Overall Excellent Teacher (OET) 4.0 Overall Excellent Course (OEC) 3.7 Summary Evaluation 3.9 When averaging this year s data with last year s scores, our adjusted scores averaged 4.0 and above. The scores have remained consistent with the institution and slightly higher than the IDEA system. Overall, the Excellence of Teacher adjusted score indicated that teaching effectiveness appeared to be superior to other adjusted outcome scores. Please note that the graduate programs were included within the undergraduate results. 13
Using results from above, the program/unit must tell its story. Using qualitative and quantitative information briefly discuss your program s achievements, including any that are not listed above. Also, state what improvements are planned based on the results and analysis of this data. MAED programs: A strategic review is currently being conducted on program demand, size, content, structure, competition, and viability for each of these programs. Once the strategic review is completed, the Graduate Education Program Committee will make recommendations to the Acting Provost and other senior administrators as to which of these programs to keep and which, if any, to discontinue. For programs that will be continued, each must undergo redesign in order to meet new state and national requirements. Alternative Licensure: Because of state-mandated deadlines for program redesign and approval, Benedictine s Alternative Licensure program has been redesigned and the program application is under development. At the same time, the Graduate Education Program Committee is conducting a strategic review and viability study of the program. This committee s recommendation will be forwarded to the Acting Provost and other senior administrators for decision and action. Retention Goals 1. Increased student engagement by utilizing a flipped model for course structure and androgogy 2. Increased field experiences designed to support the linkage between theory and practice as well as the impact on student learning in the classroom. 14