SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2011 - 2012 : Educational Programs :
Library Science MLS
Library Science MLS
2 Goals 2 Objectives 2 Indicators 2 Criteria 2 Findings 2 Actions
| GOAL: Master Texas Educator Standards For School Librarians |
| Objective |
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| Candidates will demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions gained in the Library Science program. |
| Indicator |
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| All candidates seeking school librarian certification must take the TExES (Texas Examination of Educator Standards) for school librarians. This exam directly corresponds to the state content competencies that are designed to measure the candidates' level of mastery as it relates to the field. Results of candidate scores on the TExES test for school librarians determine the pass rate for each testing period. |
| Criterion |
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| Candidates will pass the TExES Exam for School Librarian, and 80% of candidates will succeed upon their first effort. A scaled score of 240 is required for passing. The overall pass rate, with those who have to retake the exam, will exceed 90% of candidates. We will be especially interested to see how well our students achieve in Domain 1: Teaching, Learning, & the School Library Environment; and Domain 3: Librarianship, Information Science, & Technology, weaknesses that emerged in 2010-2011. |
| Finding |
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| Based on the School Librarian TExES 150 test taken within this past year, 81% of candidates succeeded in passing the examination upon their first effort. The mean overall score was 252. The overall pass rate, with those who have to retake the exam was 78% with a mean overall score of 251. The Department is unable to compare scores for all three domains because about halfway through the year, the reporting for the scores changed from a scaled score to a percent correct. However, we were able to find two weaker areas to improve: AASL Standard 2: Literacy and Reading and Standard 5: Program Management and Administration. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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In the future, the Department wants to increase the overall pass rate to 80%.The Department is designing a webinar to provide assistance prior to the current pretest that is required for candidates to pass before they are released to take the TExES examination. We will also focus more intensely on the areas of literacy and reading as well as program management and administration, areas that emerged as weaker although still acceptable. |
| GOAL: Portfolio Demonstrating Mastery Of Standards |
| Objective |
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| Candidates will demonstrate mastery of their knowledge, skills, and dispositions gained in the Library Science program on the final assessment portfolio. |
| Indicator |
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Every graduate program requires a final product for its course of study. The Department of Library Science has determined that the electronic portfolio is currently the best method of providing evidence that the candidate is prepared for the world of school librarianship. The electronic portfolio is designed for candidates to demonstrate through artifacts and reflection their completion and mastery of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Standards. The candidate must meet acceptable or target evaluations of their final assessment portfolio. Professors review the portfolios using rubrics developed by faculty for this purpose. |
| Criterion |
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| All students will obtain an assessment of either acceptable or target as indicated by department rubrics on the final portfolio. The desired ratio is 75% Acceptable and 25% Target, which is the higher score. Since we are using the new American Association of School Librarian Standards (2010), we are anxious to determine how the students will perform on the revised portfolios. |
| Finding |
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94% of candidates who submitted portfolios scored acceptable or target as indicated by Department rubrics. 58% of candidates attained the higher score of target and 42% of candidates attained the score of acceptable. We need to consider raising our criteria. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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The Department has revised the portfolio this past year. The new online format, Live Binders, provides the candidates detailed instructions and a very structured environment where candidates present their portfolios. Faculty will continue to evaluate and revise the format for clarity. We are so pleased with the results this year, we want to set our target pass rate goal for 50% rather than 25% |
| Closing the Loop |
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As indicated in the actions, the Department’s intentions are to move forward with the goals that are in place. The Department is pleased that candidates continue to perform well on the TExES exam. Greater portfolio structure has led to candidate success with a 94% pass rate. We want to set our goal for 50% rather than 25%, with the expectation that we will raise the goal each year. We are working on the instructions and support materials to help candidates with this for 2012-2013.The Department is proud of the accomplishments in the 2011-2012 academic year and expect ongoing progress in the year to come.
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