1. Centrality to University s Mission The Curriculum Specialist Program offers students Master of Arts (MA) degrees. The degree is in compliance with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requirements leading to North Carolina Licensure as a curriculum-instructional specialist. Applicants for the degree must have the pre-requisite of a teaching license, a minimum of three years of successful teaching experience along with outstanding recommendations that attest to their leadership potential, their collaboration skills, their successful teaching experiences, and their ability to work in a variety of educational settings with students and adult learners. This program fits well within ASU s mission to accept our responsibility to be actively involved in addressing the educational, economic, cultural, and societal needs of the changing region, state, nation, and world. Curriculum specialists develop a myriad of skills in order to transform educational settings to meet current needs. ASU is one of seven institutions in the UNC system that works with students to obtain licensure as a curriculum-instructional specialist and only one of five institutions that provide this program at a master s level. The add-on licensure is an option for individuals who already hold a graduate degree and a valid North Carolina teaching license. These students usually complete an average of 15 hours within the Curriculum Specialist program. There are no other programs within the college or university that are similar. 2. Demand Brief Explanation for Five-Year Averages: Degrees Awarded 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 11 4 22 3 25 The program graduates students on two-year cycles. With this is mind, the trend is up 11 to 22 to 25. Eighteen students are scheduled to graduate in 2013. Another 5 to 10 will receive their add-on licensure as a Curriculum Specialist. Enrollment (Main Campus/Distance Education) Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 6 23 5 25 3 24 1 24 1 26 Strategies to Recruit: The program coordinator and other faculty members attend meetings at local school districts to discuss the curriculum specialist program. They also attend invited meetings such as the Winston-Salem Leadership program to discuss the program and recruit students. Email flyers were sent to educational leaders participating in the doctoral program for dissemination within their school districts. Promotional meetings were held in Yadkinville and Hickory.
Identified by GA as Low Productivity Program: No, the program is currently viable with 18 and 11 students in two cohorts. Job Prospects: There is a continued need to design and deliver curriculum specialist courses to meet the employment needs across school districts in North Carolina. Currently many districts are struggling to meet academic growth and have employed instructional coaches to assist schools with lagging test scores. Frequently either during or after a student s program of study, they are promoted within their own school systems. Verifiable Evidence: 3. Quality of the Program Student Learning Outcomes: Students are assessed at targeted gateways. First the admission to the program, second the admission to candidacy after completing 12 hours, and finally the approval for graduation and licensure, which includes the Product of Learning (POL). This POL is a culminating project that demonstrates graduate level candidates competencies to meet standards for the Master of Arts in Curriculum Specialist in the Reich College of Education (RCOE) at Appalachian State University (ASU). The product consists of a series of artifacts from common program and course assignments that document how candidates achieve the standards of this advanced program. All candidates must write and present summative reflections analyzing and synthesizing their growth from these assignments during the graduate program. They must demonstrate proficiency as perspective leaders and advocates for research-verified programs and practices for their future students. The POL is introduced to candidates in a distinct required graduate course entitled CI 5525 Product of Learning (1 Semester Hour.) This course is available to candidates throughout their sequence of required courses and may be taken for a total of three semesters. During the final semester of graduate study, candidates take this culminating course to successfully complete and present their POL. In this capstone course, candidates assemble a POL with guidance from the course instructor. Additionally, artifacts and reflections are designed to explain how the candidate met the five graduate teaching standards and how the program transformed their perspectives and practices of teaching. Indicators to Assess Quality: The Coordinator of the Curriculum Specialist program is dedicated to maintaining a quality program for candidates and uses seven major strategies to ensure that course materials and content is relevant. A Program Advisory Council consisting of university faculty and public school professionals meet on a regular basis to review state and program level standards, the required program of study, class requirement and assignments, and current issues and trends that impact curricular expectations. Program faculty meet regularly to review course materials, requirements, and curricular needs of candidates. Signature assignments for each class are reviewed by faculty to ensure content is relevant and that all course materials are
comprehensive and suitable for future curriculum leaders. Ongoing program evaluations done by the NCDPI also ensure program quality. Candidates complete course evaluations at the end of each semester and their feedback is used to modify course content and assignments as needed. Candidates complete and present their Product of Learning at the conclusion of their program of study. Content included and data collected from these portfolios are aggregated and analyzed to determine that course goals and objectives have been met. Public school professionals attend Product of Learning presentations and share their perceptions of the relevance and up-to-date content included in the program of study. maintain a scholarly agenda that consists of membership in associated professional organizations, attendance at national conferences, numerous publications and presentations associated with the field of curriculum leadership. The Program Coordinator completes an annual report for the Departmental Chair, which is reviewed and provides an avenue for maintaining a quality, rigorous, curriculum. Students also complete the PRAXIS for licensure. Program Accreditation: The Curriculum Specialist program is reviewed every seven years and receives recognition approval by the appropriate bodies at the state level (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction) to meet the advanced competencies as mandated in the North Carolina Excellent Schools Act for Master-level teacher education. Most Recent Revision: During the 2005-06 academic year, the Curriculum Specialist program underwent a NCDPI review. Two major changes in the program occurred in an effort to prepare a profile of the program and to collect and aggregate necessary data. These two changes included the creation of an Admissions Rubric and a Product of Learning Rubric. More recently, the RCOE has updated the Product of Learning Rubric for use beginning this summer. In the near future standards may be adopted and require program modifications and impact has yet to be determined. Program s Average Time-to-degree: Two years including summers. Tracking of Graduates: Graduates of the program are given exit interviews at the time of the POL presentations. For the past 10 years students have had a 100% pass rate on the Praxis II required for licensure: 10410 Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision. Through self-reporting, graduates from the ASU, Yadkin and Hickory cohorts have been employed as literacy coaches, assistant principals and curriculum specialists in the Surry, Mt. Airy, Winston-Salem, Watauga, Ashe, Caldwell, Catawba, and Lincoln School Districts since summer 2008. 4. Involved
Number of Members: Approximately 8-10 faculty members teach in this program. No NTT faculty teach courses for this program. Members for the two Curriculum Specialists cohorts for summer and fall 2013: Melanie Greene 1 2 3 4 Name Courses Taught Relevant Academic Degrees and Course Credits Earned Other Qualifications CI 5055 LSA 5600 B.S., M.A., Ed.S., Appalachian State University; Ed.D., East Tennessee State University Department of Tracy Smith CI 5850 A.B., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; M.A., Appalachian State University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Greensboro Sara Zimmerman CI 5060 CI 5045 CI 5525 LSA 5600 B.G.S., B.S.Ed., M.S., Ph.D., University of Kansas Susan Colby CI 5585 B.S., University of Minnesota; M.A., University of Colorado; Ed.D., East Carolina University John Tashner ITC 5220 B.S. Biology Old Dominion M.S. Education Old Dominion Ed.D. Curriculum and Instruction, University of Virginia George Olson RES 5000 RES 5560 Barbara Howard LSA 5030 B.A., American International College; M.A., University of New Hampshire; Ph.D., Florida State University B.A., Wake Forest University; M.A., Ed.D., Appalachian State University Associate Professor in the Department of Department of Associate Professor & Assistant Chair of the Department of Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Graduate Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Graduate Assistant Department of Leadership and Educational Studies; Graduate
Average Load: 9 hours Additional Resources: Additional faculty resources would only be needed if we grew 50% or more. Number of tenure track faculty: Two faculty members teach in each cohort each semester. 5. Facilities/Equipment Adequate Space and Equipment: have worked collaboratively to create and deliver courses in both hybrid and online platforms. Continued support of distance education via these platforms is needed to enhance this program. 6. Costs Average Enrollment: The average enrollment in classes for the past 5 years has been 12.5 students. (Off campus extension cohorts). Cost of Program for Last Two Years: Cost of program should include program coordinator salary and FTE faculty time (XXXXXXXXXX) Tuition Revenue: Extramural Funding: Revenue in Gifts and Donations: 0 Average Debt at Graduation: 39 hour program X $218.50 per credit hour (Extension estimation) = $8,521.50. Student Debt for 2011-12: Number of Active Cohorts: Yadkinville 18 Hickory - 11 Cost per Cohort: Tuitions Revenue: Consolidation or Elimination: The Hickory cohort completes their program of study summer 2013. Eliminated Cohort Savings: 7. Duplication
Other NC Institutions: Currently there are MA programs that lead to the Curriculum Specialist licensure at Fayetteville State, NC State, UNC-Charlotte (although they are not currently accepting students), and UNC-Wilmington. There are two additional universities that offer a degree toward licensure and they are East Carolina (EdS in Educational Administration and Supervision) and UNC-Chapel Hill (Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction). Differences with Other Programs: We are the only university in the western part of NC offering this program. We also offer the add-on licensure that not all of the universities listed above provide. Program s Objectives be Accomplished by Others: No, we have continued a strong program for Curriculum Specialists in the state. From time to time I receive phone calls from other institutions regarding our program. Courses in the Program Duplicated: We use the graduate core courses for the RCOE in our classes. CI 5585, CI 5045, CI 5040, and RES 5000 are courses that were designed for use in MA level programs. When we offer these courses to our cohorts we always allow other majors (Music, Library Science, Elementary Education, etc.) into the classes. Other Courses to Increase Enrollment: The only other courses would be our technology and educational leadership courses that may be shared to increased enrollment. Uniqueness of Program: We are the only university in the western part of NC offering this program. We also offer the add-on licensure that not all of the universities listed above provide. 8. Future Directions Potential for Growth: Actualization of Program s Potential: 9. Critical Mass Impact if Eliminated: Classrooms, schools, and the communities of western NC would suffer if the program were eliminated. The RCOE would not have the impact on public education that it currently experiences. Current and past Curriculum Specialist students continue to contribute to the field of leadership and educational supervision. Students have received recognition such as the Cratis D. Williams Award for Graduate Student Scholarship, have been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, have received the ASU Graduate Student Service Award, have received job placements in leadership fields in school districts across the state, have delivered presentations at state and national conferences, and have provided ongoing professional
development seminars to school districts. Former student Cande Honeycutt was named to the State Charter School leadership team as a curriculum specialist. Impact with Growth: ASU and the RCOE would continue to be leaders in NC in the field of education. 10. Summary Program in 5 Years: Now that we are present in the 21 st century, we are increasingly aware of the need to integrate 21 st century skills into K-12 classrooms. Leadership is needed in the form of directors of curriculum and instruction, specialty area supervisors, and school-based leaders. These leaders will come from experienced teachers who seek advanced degrees such as the Curriculum Specialist. The transition with this integration and the common core will come in the next 5 years. Program in 10 Years: Education is primed for a critical change in the next 10 years. Once a transition to increased technology use and 21 st century skills has been made, platforms for education such as flipped classrooms, distance education, and more cultivation of learning will take place. Education needs experienced teachers who again will lead this movement to enhanced learning for more effective K-12 classrooms.