Spacer
Assessment : 2013 - 2014 : Educational Programs :
Reading MED (Reading Specialist)

2 Goals    2 Objectives    2 Indicators    2 Criteria    2 Findings    2 Actions


GOAL: Quality And Effectiveness

Objective  
Standards Of Proficiency
Graduate Reading Specialist candidates will meet or exceed the established standards of proficiency in the knowledge and skills required for Texas Reading Specialist Certification.

Indicator  
Candidates' Reading Specialist TExES Scores  
Candidates will successfully pass all domains of the Texas Reading Specialist certification examination, a standardized test developed by Educational Testing Service.
Criterion  
TExES Reading Specialist Scores  
It is expected by the department that 100% of students taking the Reading Specialist exam will pass with a score that exceeds the state mean and achieves a score of at least 80% on each of the four domains.
Finding  
TExES Reading Specialist Score Results  
100% of students in 2013-2014 that took the Reading Specialist exam passed with a score that exceeded the state mean and achieved a score of at least 80% on each of the four domains.
Actions for Objective:

Action  
Quality And Effectiveness  
We will analyze our candidates’ results of the Texas Reading Specialist Certification Examination for the 2014-2015 academic year to determine if course content needs to be changed to increase the percentage in the domain areas.



GOAL: International Reading Association Standards Proficiency

Objective  
Reading Specialist Standards
The proficiencies of the International Reading Association were developed by leaders in the profession and represent the knowledge and skills base needed by Reading Specialists in the field.



Indicator  
Portfolio Rubric  
Candidates create a portfolio that demonstrates their proficiency in each standard through work samples and reflection.  See attached rubric.
Criterion  
Portfolio Scores  
The reading faculty divide the standards among them (two faculty members per standard) to score the portfolios. Candidates must achieve at least a score of 1 (acceptable)  on each standard. 


Finding  
Portfolio Scores  
All students passed their portfolio evauation with a score of 1 (acceptable) or better.
Actions for Objective:

Action  
Portfolio Review  
We will conduct a five year review of our master's program in 2014-2015 and plan to revise all rubrics. Also, we will have students work on their portfolio as a part of each class instead of waiting until the last semester. We believe that these two actions will improve the quality of our students' portfolios.



Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement"

The reading faculty has accomplished all of its objectives for the year. Because all objectives have been met, we feel our program has been strengthened. We will strive towards meeting all of our objectives. The objectives that were met are as follows: All candidates passed the Reading Specialist TExES Exam; and all students scored at least 85% on their Masters Portfolios. For next year, we are going to raise the standard for the Masters Portfolio, so that our goal will be for all students to score at least 90% on their Masters Portfolios. Our goal for the Reading Specialist TExES Exam will be for 100% of candidates to pass the TExES Exam for the Reading Specialist, particularly addressing all Domains so that scores are above the state mean. In addition, faculty will continue  implementing a virtual orientation for new students to cover portfolio requirements, and faculty will incorporate activities and assignments related to Domain IV throughout the sequence of courses
Update on Previous Cycle's "Plan for Continuous Improvement"

While all of our candidates did well on the master’s portfolio the reading faculty realized that reaching a score of 3.7  out of a 4.0 was unrealistic in 2012-2013 and that the scoring criteria needed to be examined. .The grading criteria were changed to 2 (exceptional) and 1 (acceptable). All candidates did achieve at least a 1 (acceptable) for their portfolios this year. We are pleased with our result of all candidates not only passing the state reading specialist examination but scoring above the state mean in all of the four domains. We continue to hold this expectation for all candidates moving into the 2014-2015 year. In addition, faculty will continue implementing a virtual orientation for new students to cover portfolio requirements, and faculty will incorporate activities and assignments related to Domain IV throughout the sequence of courses.

Plan for Continuous Improvement

The reading faculty will undertake a rigorous and evaluative stance in regards to revise the masters in reading course content as well as all scoring rubrics for the 2014-2015 academic year. The faculty will review all course content, including textbooks and syllabi, to ensure our courses are relevant to today’s candidates and meet the new standards of our program.



Sub Content Box

Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX 77341
(936) 294-1111
1-866-BEARKAT