Sam Houston State University | SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report

Assessment : 2011 - 2012 : Educational Programs :
Secondary Education (SED)

3 Goals 3 Objectives 3 Indicators 3 Criteria 3 Findings 3 Actions

GOAL: Effective Lesson Planning

Objective

Effective Methods Block Lesson Plans

Secondary education candidates will be able to plan an effective lesson.

Indicator

Methods Block Lesson Plans Assessment

During the classes of Methods Block, first semester senior year, the students write multiple lesson plans. Each student selects the best lesson plan in each content area (math, English language arts, science, and social studies) to submit as their best representation of a Lesson Plan in that content area. The lesson plans are scored/evaluated on information documented in stating the lesson goals, objectives, rationale, standards, materials, classroom setting, student needs, focus, procedures, design of implementation, and closure of the lesson. The Lesson Plan assessment allows our candidates to demonstrate their understanding of:
*Establishing a lesson framework;
*Designing a supportive learning environment;
*Incorporating Instructional strategies; and,
*Implementing Evaluation strategies.

Criterion

Methods Block Lesson Plan Assessment Scores

85% of candidates during the 2011-2012 academic year will achieve a score of "3" on the Methods Block Lesson Plan. The lesson plan format is in place and ready to use. From the Findings in Goals 2009-2010, the lesson plan rubric will be adjusted to give not only a score on the four sections of the lesson plan, but also to provide an overall score of 3, 2, or 1.

The Methods Block Lesson Plans will be appropriate format to measure a variety of learning outcomes. The content of the items in this assessment relate directly to the planning, implementation, and assessment of instruction that teachers encounter when teaching.

Using the Findings from 2010-11, instructors will focus instruction more specifically on the requirements for the quality completion of the four parts of the Lesson Plan: Establishing the Lesson Framework, Designing Supportive Learning Environments, Instructional Strategies, and Evaluation Strategies. In addition, more emphasis will be placed on the instruction for Evaluation Strategies, the lowest performing part of the Lesson Plan. This will be monitored regularly throughout the school year.

In addition, since the Pre-Assessment scores on Lesson Plans cannot be disaggregated from the Post-Assessment scores on the Lesson Plans, instructors will no longer have students submit their Pre-Assessment Lesson Plans into TK20.

We anticipate that our increased focus on evaluation strategies, a weakness last year, will have improved the area.

Finding

Pass Rate On Methods Block Lesson Plans

During the 2011-2012 academic year, relating to the four parts of the Lesson Plan, 71.58% have Target scores on Establishing the Lesson Framework while 19.9% have acceptable scores , 71.58% have Target scores on Designing Supportive Learning Environments while 20.16% have Acceptable scores, 74.42% have Target scores on Instructional Strategies , while 17.83% have Acceptable scores, and 60.47% have Target scores on Evaluation Strategies, while 14.73% have Acceptable scores and 24.81% have Unacceptable scores.

Actions for Objective:

Action

Pass Rates On Methods Block Lesson Plans

Using the Findings from 2011-12, instructors will focus instruction more specifically on the requirements for the quality completion of the four parts of the Lesson Plan: Establishing the Lesson Framework, Designing Supportive Learning Environments, Instructional Strategies, and Evaluation Strategies. In addition, more emphasis will be placed on the instruction for Evaluation Strategies, the lowest performing part of the Lesson Plan. A dedicated assessment class will be offered beginning Fall 2012.

GOAL: Certification

Objective

Mastery For Certification

Secondary education candidates will be able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions of effective teaching and learning of secondary students.

Indicator

Certification Examination

All candidates seeking initial certification, advanced teacher certification, or certifications for other school personnel must take one or more of the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES). These examinations directly correspond to the state content competencies that have been identified for the certification desired. These content competencies are aligned with and based on the appropriate state standards and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) statements, which describe the state mandated curriculum for students. Each TExES examination is criterion-referenced and is designed to measure a candidate's level of content knowledge and skills appropriate for educators in the State of Texas. Each test was collaboratively developed by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC), National Evaluation Systems, Inc. (NES), an independent corporation specializing in educational measurements, with additional participation by committees of Texas educators. Individual test items developed to measure the state competencies were reviewed and rated by the various committees of Texas educators to ensure appropriateness of content and difficulty, clarity, and accuracy. These committees also ensured that the test items matched the appropriate competencies and were free from potential ethnicity, gender, and regional biases. The committees also helped prepare scoring rubrics for written response items and training materials for those who would score the tests. Separate standard-setting panels were convened to review statistical data about candidate scores from initial pilot studies of the tests during their development. Recommendations were forwarded to the SBEC, which made the final decisions about establishing passing scores. TExES examinations are centrally administered by SBEC and NES at pre-determined sites and on pre-established dates across Texas similar to many of the national achievement tests. This regime provides for a professional, equitable, and secure testing environment for candidates. Alternative testing arrangements are also permitted for those requiring special consideration. Sites are selected after a careful review of security and accessibility potential, and the quality of overall testing conditions. Tests are scored centrally.

Criterion

Certification Examination Scores

93% of secondary education candidates will meet the minimum score for passing the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Certification Examination the first time.

While the accountability system for the state examines scores for each completer cohort and provides for students to repeat the examination if they are not successful on the first attempt, the analysis of pass rates which will be presented here represent the pass rates on the first attempt for all PPR exams taken in 2010-2011, through May of 2012.

Using the Findings from 2011-12, strategies to increase the percentage of first time exam takers will continue. In addition, those strategies will include more effort to address the lower-scoring areas so as to increase the percentage passing scores of first time exam takers.

Last year the weakness that emerged revolved around assessment. We anticipate that our increased focus in this area will show improvement.

Finding

Weaker Area

Once again, our lowest domain revolved around assessment. We were a little disappointed that our interventions were not as effective as we had hoped.

Actions for Objective:

Action

Pass Rates For All Pedagogy And Professional Responsibilities Examination

Using the Findings from 2011-12, strategies to increase the percentage of first time exam takers will be ongoing. In addition, those strategies will include more effort to address the lower-scoring areas so as to increase the percentage passing scores of first time exam takers. These areas of weakness revolve around assessment, so this will be addressed more vigorously in CISE courses. An assessment course has been added to the secondary program to address this issue.

GOAL: Effective Teaching

Objective

Teaching Quality

Secondary education candidates will demonstrate elements of effective teaching.

Indicator

Teacher Work Sample Assessment

The Teacher Work Sample (TWS), adapted from The Renaissance Partnership for Improving Teacher Quality Project (http://fp.uni.edu/itq), is a performance assessment designed to demonstrate evidence of Sam Houston State University candidates' ability to facilitate learning for all students. This sample illustrates the candidate's ability to plan, implement, modify and assess instruction during their student teaching semester. Prior to the student teaching semester, candidates choose one (12 to 14 week placement) or two (6 to 7 week placements). During the first 6 to 7 weeks of their placement, candidates are required to create and teach a unit as a Teacher Work Sample. After consulting with their mentor teacher about the unit focus, candidates teach a minimum of five lessons from the unit in their mentor's classroom. Additionally, the candidates are evaluated on their unit planning and teaching of unit lessons. They are also required to reflect on their decision-making and teaching practice including their impact on student learning. The Teacher Work Sample (TWS) focuses on seven teaching processes that are crucial for effective/reflective teaching and must be considered when planning for the learning of all students. Each process is defined by a performance standard, specific task, a student prompt and a rubric that identify the desired performance of the candidate related to that process.

Criterion

Teacher Work Sample Scores

75% of candidates in the 2011-2012 academic year will achieve a score of "3" on the Teacher Work Sample. As recommended by the Renaissance Group, each candidate's Teacher Work Sample is blindly scored by a minimum of two trained scorers. Each scorer evaluates and assigns a score of three(target), two (acceptable), or one (unacceptable) to each indicator, Additionally an overall score of three, two or one is given to each of the seven processes as well as and an overall three, two or one to the entire Teacher Work Sample. If the first two scorers agree on the overall Teacher Work Sample score, the scoring process is complete. However, if the two scorers do not agree the Teacher Work Sample is scored for a third, possibly fourth time, until agreement is reached. For this reason, the data presented in the following charts represents the number of scorings not the number of Teacher Work Samples scored. Once agreement is reached on the Teacher Work Sample score, the overall scores are sent to the student teachers.

Using the desegregation of data report on the Teacher Work Sample, the focus will be to adjust the instruction on each of the seven processes of the TWS, addressing the areas of weakness reflected in the disaggregated data report. This will be assessed regularly throughout the school year.

Two weaknesses emerged last year, Assessment Plan and Analysis of Student Learning. We anticipate that our increased focus in these areas will find these areas improved

Finding

% Of Students Scoring A Target-3

Fall 2011-Sp 2012

% 3=58% % 2=38% % 1= 4%

These data indicate a 96% "passing rate" for the TWS when combining acceptable and Target scores together.

Actions for Objective:

Action

% Of Students Scoring A Target-3

Using the disaggregation of data report on the Teacher Work Sample, the focus will be to adjust the instruction on each of the seven processes of the TWS, addressing the areas of weakness reflected in the disaggregated data report. Since the Assessment Plan and Analysis of Student Learning sections still had the lowest overall scores, a particular emphasis during the TWS instructional units will be on assessment and its relationship to the other processes.

Closing the Loop

For the 2010-2011 academic year, the Curriculum and Instruction Secondary Education Program (CISE) was partially successful in reaching its goal. The overarching goal focused on program quality and effectiveness and was underpinned by three objectives: (1) Secondary education candidates will be able to plan an effective lesson, (with the criteria of 85% of the secondary students will receive a score of "3" on the methods block lesson plan), (2) Secondary education candidates will be able to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions of effective teaching and learning of secondary students (with the criteria of 85% of secondary student education candidates will pass the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Certification Examination), (3) Secondary education candidates will demonstrate elements of effective teaching (with the criteria of 75% of Secondary Education candidates will receive a "3" on the Teacher Work Sample.) While gains are evident, we would like to see more substantial gains in all three goals.

While CISE students did not achieve an overall 85% score of "3" on the four parts of the lesson plan, they did achieve “Target” or "Acceptable" on all sections of the lesson plan at a combined average of 90.4%, except Evaluation Strategies. The CISE program educators plan to focus on changes within our own classroom practice to bolster this objective in the future. A much stronger emphasis will be placed on assessment in CISE coursework with the addition of a new assessment course, as the evaluation strategies domain is still the lowest of the four areas on the lesson plan.

It should be noted, however, that some decreases were seen in three of the four domains of the lesson plan, as the "3" (Target) rate changed from 2010-2011 to 2011-2012 in the following ways:

establishing the lesson framework: 77% to 72%
designing supportive learning environment: 81% to 71.57%
instructional strategies: 70% to 74.42%
evaluation strategies: 70% to 60.47%

These changes are most likely due to different evaluators scoring the plans, and, fewer overall candidates.

The CISE program did not meet the criterion set for objective 2. This objective was nearly met, as 84% of SED candidates passed the PPR on their first attempt. The CISE program educators plan to focus on changes within our own classroom practice to increase the passing rates in the future, in particular in the area of assessment.

The CISE program did not exceed the criterion set, as the rate of those making a "3" was below 75%. However, 96% of candidates did submit a combined "Target" and "acceptable" TWS. Even so, it is the belief of the faculty that ongoing emphasis on the components of the TWS during the Methods Block semester (when a modified TWS is performed), along with prompt and extensive feedback on the components and modified TWS will prove beneficial in their preparation for success on the TWS performed during student teaching; as with the above two objectives, the CISE program educators plan to focus on changes within our own classroom practice to bolster this objective in the future. These changes will focus largely on assessment.

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