2019-06-12 Practitioner Prep Programs Report

Iowa State Board of Education Executive Summary June 12, 2019 Agenda Item: State Board Priority: State Board Role/Authority: Presenter(s): Practitioner Preparation Programs - One-Year Follow-Up Report Improving Teacher and Leader Preparation The State Board of Education sets standards and approves practitioner preparation programs based on those standards Iowa Code section 256.7(3) and Iowa Administrative Code 281 rule 79.5 Lawrence R Bice, Administrative Consultant Bureau of Leading, Teaching Learning Services Kris Kilibarda, Consultant Bureau of Leading, Teaching Learning Services Matt Ludwig, Consultant Bureau of Leading, Teaching Learning Services Attachment(s): One Recommendation: It is recommended that the State Board hear and discuss this information Background: During the 2018-2019 academic year, Iowa Department of Education consultants conducted follow-up reviews on three programs that received full approval from the State Board in 2017-2018: Coe College, Upper Iowa University and William Penn University The attached report provides a listing of compliance concerns, resolutions of the concerns, and follow up review findings Iowa Educator Preparation One-Year Follow-up Reviews Report Academic Year 2018-2019 Programs Reviewed: Coe College, December 14, 2018 – full approval awarded on January 25, 2018 Upper Iowa University, February 11, 2019 – full approval awarded on January 25, 2018 William Penn University, May 13, 2019 – full approval awarded on May 10, 2018 Submitted to the Iowa State Board of Education on June 12, 2019 Lawrence R Bice, Ed D, Administrative Consultant Kris Kilibarda, Ed D, Program Consultant Matt Ludwig, Program Consultant Content of this report: This report provides information gathered during face-to-face, on-site reviews of each program’s documentation of their work to resolve all compliance concerns identified their respective accreditation reports that were presented to the State Board on the dates listed above For each institution, this follow-up report includes, by standard, a brief description of each concern, the initial resolution of the concern, and a description of the follow-up findings related to the concern Each of the three, reviewed programs provided clear documentation of adequate, sustained resolution of each compliance concern Based on these findings, the review team recommends no change to the full approval that was awarded to each of the institutions on the dates listed above Table of Contents Institution Coe College Upper Iowa University William Penn University Page # Coe College (follow-up review December 14, 2018) Governance and Resources concerns and resolution: • 79 10(2) Communication and collaboration with art, music and PE education faculty were not occurring on a regular basis The unit developed a plan to include faculty members from art, music and PE education departments in regular team meetings Based on meeting agenda topics, faculty from other departments as well as adjunct instructors are also included as appropriate • 79 10(3) The conceptual framework presented was dated and not consistent with current unit practices The unit developed a plan for updating and articulating the conceptual framework • 79 10(5) The unit was not soliciting input for program improvement from a stakeholder advisory committee The unit developed a policy for restructuring an advisory committee, methods for sharing assessment date and soliciting input from the advisory committee One year follow up finding: The unit provided documentation of an updated conceptual framework developed collaboratively by unit members The conceptual framework identifies best practices that have been integrated throughout the revised curriculum The unit also provided documentation of regular, purposeful team meetings, advisory meetings, and other collaborations Meetings/collaboration have appropriate membership and functions There were no concerns in the Diversity section Faculty concerns and resolution: • 79 12(2) Some faculty members lacked adequate knowledge, preparation and experience for courses assigned The unit developed a plan that demonstrated how they would align assignments with faculty qualifications • 79 12(3) The unit was not evaluating all faculty using methods that effectively determined teaching prowess and provided direction for professional development on best teaching practices The unit developed new evaluation procedures that provide for more effective feedback to all faculty members in the unit • 79 12(5) The unit did not provide evidence that all faculty members were engaged in 40 hours of team-teaching in P-12 settings during each five-year period The unit responded with additional evidence which showed some faculty member were team-teaching as expected but had not provided the necessary documentation The unit also developed and communicated a policy with expectations for all faculty members to engage in and document 40 hours of team teaching during each 5-year period One year follow up finding: The unit provided documentation of the alignment of faculty qualifications with course assignments The unit also provided documentation that revised policies for faculty evaluation and team-teaching requirements are in place and are being implemented according to the revised policies Assessment concern and resolution: • 79 13(1), 79.13(4), 79.13(7) and 79.13(8) Coe College TEP did not have a well-developed, cohesive assessment system to support candidate development and continuous program improvement The system in place was not implemented consistently or reviewed regularly The unit responded with a plan to develop a comprehensive, well-articulated assessment system for candidate and program evaluation One year follow up finding: The unit provided documentation of a carefully developed assessment system The system is aligned to the unit standards and integrated into the TEP curriculum The unit is working collaboratively to implement this system Because of their quality work and extensive efforts, Coe is a model for other programs seeking advice on the development of quality assessment systems Clinical concerns and resolution: • 79 14(2) Clinical experiences for candidates were inconsistent and dependent on the cooperating teacher’s wishes and expectations The unit evaluated its policies and communication with cooperating teachers and reinforced existing policies to ensure equivalent experiences for all candidates • 79 14(6) Many candidates did not have ample opportunities to practice lesson planning and assessments before student teaching The unit evaluated its policies and communication with cooperating teachers and reinforced existing policies to equivalent practice opportunities for all candidates • 79 14(7) Student teachers were not consistently engaging in a mock evaluation based on the Iowa teaching standards The unit made plans to emphasize this activity as a requirement in the student teaching semester One year follow up finding: The unit provided documentation of updated policies for expectations and communication with cooperating teachers and supervisors The unit is communicating expectations and monitoring clinical experiences to ensure consistency Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions concerns and resolution: • 79 15(3) Not all candidates (especially secondary and art, music, PE candidates) were receiving sufficient instruction regarding integrating reading/literacy strategies into content area learning The unit developed a plan for a stand-alone course in literacy strategies for all secondary, art, music, and PE candidates • 79 15(5) Some elements of the professional core competencies were not systematically being taught or assessed for all candidates The unit developed a plan for increasing the intentionality of course assignments focused on those elements One year follow up finding: Through collaborative planning with the entire unit, the decision was made to integrate content area reading/literacy strategies into methods coursework The unit provided evidence that this integration has been successful The unit will continue to monitor the effectiveness of this curricular revision The unit demonstrates a consistently aligned curriculum, instruction, and assessment system with all professional core competencies Upper Iowa University (follow up review February 11, 2019) Governance and Resources concerns and resolution: • 79.10(1) The team found evidence that human resources were not adequate to maintain a high-quality educator preparation program over time The unit made changes in duties for several positions, splitting administration duties among two positions, added a new position, and moved a part time position to full time • 79.10(2) The team found evidence of a lack of consistent oversight of the program across four separate sites In addition to the changes described in 79.10(1) above, the unit filled the open position of an instructional designer and added an academic specialist to provide communication and • logistical support to instructors across sites Additionally, the unit has created a position of Director of Professional Development to design professional development activities for adjunct faculty to enhance instructional consistency across sites 79.10(7) The team did not find evidence that adequate resources were allocated to the unit as programs continued to be added or expanded In addition to the changes identified in 79.10(1) above, the unit has increased release time for faculty and has added professional staff positions at each site One year follow up finding: The unit provided documentation that the new governance structure is in place and functioning well In addition, new staff have been hired to fill positions at each site The unit also documented equitable budgetary and human resource allocations at all sites to improve program operations There were no concerns in the Diversity section Faculty concern and resolution: • 79.12(2) –The team found that not all faculty members were qualified for their assignments The unit reassigned faculty to ensure all faculty members are teaching courses for which they are qualified The unit has enhanced policies and procedures for analyzing faculty qualifications and making teaching assignments One year follow up finding: The unit provided documentation of policies for faculty assignments and hiring practices to ensure there are faculty members at each site whose qualifications are aligned with the specific courses being taught at each site There were no concerns in the Assessment section Clinical concerns and resolution: • 79.14(7)(a) The team found evidence that some athletes did not complete fourteen consecutive weeks of full-time student teaching due to attendance at athletic events The unit revised and implemented a new student teaching policy that does not allow absences from student teaching due to participation in extra-curricular events, including athletics • 79.14(8) The team found evidence that workshops for cooperating teachers occurred one time prior to the student experience and ranged in length from 1-2 hours The unit has restructured the cooperating teacher workshops One year follow up finding: The unit provided both the documentation of policy regarding student teaching attendance and evidence of monitoring the implementation of the policy The unit has developed a more robust curriculum for the cooperating teacher workshops, including piloting online modules to compliment face-to-face workshop components The unit has also updated their communication methods to ensure attendance and participation at the workshops Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions concerns and resolution: • 79.15(3) Candidates participated in a literacy clinical experience before taking coursework in literacy; the team found this course sequencing negatively impacted elementary education candidates’ opportunity to demonstrate knowledge about literacy in their clinical experiences The unit has adjusted the sequence of courses and clinical experiences to provide opportunities for candidates to learn literacy strategies before practicing them in clinical experiences • 79.15(5) The team found that the elective sequencing of core courses did not provide for sequential learning The unit has reviewed and adjusted the scope and sequence of coursework One year follow up finding: The unit documented significant time spent examining schedules and curriculum They have made appropriate changes to course sequencing and these changes are reflected in advising documents William Penn University (follow up review May 14, 2019) Governance and Resources concerns and resolution: • 79 10(2) The team found evidence of significant differences between face-to-face (FTF) and distance learning (DL) models of program delivery This evidence was found in faculty qualifications as well as in candidate preparation and assessment, clinical experiences, and curriculum The unit developed and implemented a course-mapping and alignment process that required faculty in different delivery models to work together to align curriculum, assessments and teaching practices The unit requires faculty to complete course alignment reports each semester and the unit uses the results of this alignment work as a component of program assessment • 79.10(11) The team found inadequate clerical support for the unit, which led to a lack of uniformity and organization A clerical support position has been added with work that is clearly defined • 79.10(13) The team found little evidence of adequate and current technology for learning The unit received institutional funding to design and build a technology model classroom Technology learning has been integrated into a number of courses and video based instructional modules have been developed and are used extensively One year follow up finding: The unit provided documentation that all plans and changes have been examined, adjusted, and implemented The unit has moved alignment work beyond ensuring equity between delivery models to using the process to identify and strengthen course alignment with InTASC standards and associated assessments Diversity concern and resolution: NOTE: Since this review, this substandard has been moved to the clinical section • 79.11(3) No evidence was provided to ensure that all candidates in all delivery models were receiving uniformly diverse clinical experiences Further, there was no evidence of a monitoring system for clinical placement to check for diverse populations and/or grade levels The unit developed an automated system to track and monitor all clinical placements to more efficiently ensure diverse placements for all students The unit has also implemented a system to discern diversity of partner schools and to use that information in managing placements One year follow up finding: The unit has a policy for, and a system to monitor, diverse placements The student teaching application also includes the list of the candidates’ prior placements and the unit’s policy related to requiring diverse placements Faculty concerns and resolution: 79.12(General) Faculty members consistently had an overload schedule Faculty lines have been added and adequate adjunct faculty have been hired to ensure faculty are not overloaded 79.12 (1) The team was concerned with the lack of faculty knowledge and expertise in reading and in teaching students who are English Language Learners The unit has hired full-time faculty members who are well-qualified to develop, manage, and teach courses in reading and in the English as a Second Language 79.12(2) The team found inconsistent evidence that faculty regularly evaluated their courses and their own pedagogy/effectiveness as instructors There was little evidence of ongoing, systemic, and documented use of evaluation to inform future professional goals and practices The unit has developed and documented a policy for the evaluation of all faculty One year follow up finding: The unit documented appropriate faculty loads The unit has a policy to ensure faculty are qualified to teach assigned courses; this policy includes a vetting process through the Dean’s office The unit implemented a process for faculty evaluations and provided evidence of evaluation results being used to determine professional development needs Assessment concerns and resolution: • 79.13(1) The team finds little evidence of systemic use of assessment to inform, manage, and improve the unit’s operation and programs The unit has developed and implemented a coherent and comprehensive unit assessment system The system includes clear checkpoint for candidate progress through the program • 79.13(2) The team found evidence that candidates received inadequate feedback to determine readiness for student teaching The unit developed a well-defined procedure to evaluate and inform candidates of their progress throughout the program This system includes clear requirements for faculty advice to candidates as well as plans for remediation when necessary One year follow up finding: The unit documented their assessment system, illustrated the alignment of assessments to standards, and described the process used to periodically review and adjust the assessment system The unit provides purposeful and timely feedback to candidates on their progress toward meeting standards The unit is now examining how candidates use feedback to monitor and adjust their own learning The candidate and program assessment system that is currently in place serves as a model for programs of similar size and complexity Clinical concerns and resolution: • 79.14 (4b) The team found evidence that contracts with P-12 schools for clinical experiences were not maintained consistently Contracts with all school in which candidates are placed are current and reviewed annually • 79.14 (10a) The team found that nearly all elementary education majors experienced at least three separate placements during the 14 weeks of student teaching, with some candidates student teaching in an endorsement area for only three weeks The unit changed the policy of allowing candidates to earn more than two endorsements on their initial license This allows for longer duration student teaching placements The unit also requires 16 weeks of student teaching to provide better preparation One year follow up finding: The unit documented updated polices in handbooks and records of clinical experiences before and during student teaching The unit demonstrated their process for reviewing and updating contracts Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions concerns and resolution: • 79.15(2) There was a clear discrepancy between face-to-face (FTF) and distance-learning (DL) coursework, expectations, and assessments The curriculum alignment work described in the governance section has ensured equity between FTF and DL delivery models • 79.15(5,6) Students took EDUC 360; Reading in the Content Area at the same time they were student teaching; therefore, candidates were not prepared to integrate reading strategies in the content areas during their student teaching experience The unit permanently changed the scope and sequence of the program to ensure all preparatory coursework is completed prior to student teaching • 79.15(7) Music education candidates who are being prepared for both the K-8 endorsement and the 512 endorsement took only one methods course, while PE candidates being prepared for both K-8 and 5-12 endorsements had a methods course for each level The institution made an immediate and permanent change add coursework to ensure proper methods preparation at all levels for music education candidates • 79.15(7) Some recent graduates and candidates reported that they learned to use instructional technology during their student teaching placements rather than through their courses at WPU The unit has developed supplemental materials related to various instructional technologies and has integrated learning to use instructional technology into several required courses One year follow up finding: All curriculum changes are in place and documented in handbooks and the university catalog The unit documented instructional technology integration in syllabi ...Iowa Educator Preparation One-Year Follow-up Reviews Report Academic Year 2018-2019 Programs Reviewed: Coe College, December 14, 2018 – full approval... Kris Kilibarda, Ed D, Program Consultant Matt Ludwig, Program Consultant Content of this report: This report provides information gathered during face-to-face, on-site reviews of each program’s... identified their respective accreditation reports that were presented to the State Board on the dates listed above For each institution, this follow-up report includes, by standard, a brief description