Blending General and Special Education Assessing Candidate Learning

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Blending General and Special
EducationAssessing Candidate Learning
CTQ

• John Somers
• University of Indianapolis
• November 2, 2006

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University of Indianapolis

• Independent University
• Initial preparation programs at Undergraduate and
  Graduate levels
• Advanced programs in CI and Educational
  Leadership
• Graduating Class-2006 160 candidates

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The Challenge

• To gain the publics confidence, teacher
  preparation programs must demonstrate efficacy in
  developing teachers who positively influence
  student learning (Darling-Hammond).

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Analysis of Candidate and Student Learning

• The Plan

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Linking Candidate and Student LearningUindy UAS
Benchmark 2

• Juniors Field experiences
• Student learning profile
• Pre-assessment data of students
• Sequence of complete lesson plans
• Feedback from mentor teachers and university
  supervisors
• Data-based instruction project with struggling
  readers and exceptional needs students
  (Elementary)
• Products and experiences assessed by multiple
  rubrics
• Math and reading field experiences (Elementary)
• Science and Social Studies (Secondary)

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Blending General and Special Education

• Elementary Majors
• 8 hours of special education coursework as part
  of professional program
• 40 hours of shared field experiences
• 8 additional hours of special education
  coursework
• 50 hours of field experiences

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Junior Year Elementary
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Blending General and Special Education

• Secondary Majors
• 10 hours of special education coursework as part
  of professional program
• 60 hours of shared and independent field
  experiences
• 6 additional hours of special education
  coursework
• 40 hours of field experiences

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Junior Year Secondary
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First Steps Mini-PortfolioFocus on Secondary

• Field experience Literacy/Learning Strategies
• TaskStream
• Standards
• Custom lesson plan template
• Accommodations
• Differentiation procedures, assessment,
  instruction
• Assessment Rubric Individualized
• Self-Reflection Student Teacher
• Analysis of student work contrast between
  Student A and B

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Examples of Courses

• Intro to Learners with MD
• Teaching Learners with MD
• Assessment Instruction
• Family Collaboration
• Positive Behavior Support
• Developmental Literacy
• Special Education Secondary

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Linking Candidate and Student LearningUindy UAS
Benchmark 3

• Exit from Program Portfolio
• Two student teaching placements
• Elementary 2 semesters
• Secondary 1 semester
• Exit portfolio for general education and special
  education majors
• INTASC rubric for student teaching and portfolio
• Teaching video
• Reflections
• Analysis of student learning

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IntroductionNCATE Standard 1 2

• Determine how to document candidates impact on
  student learning
• Data-based Instruction Project
• Received STEP grant from AACTE
• Expand scope to graduates of Teacher Education
  Program
• Use multiple measures to determine if graduates
  were having an impact on student learning

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Guiding Questions STEP Grant

• What constitutes high quality evidence that the
  students of graduating teachers are successful
  learners who meet particular K-12 standards?
• What is the evidence that links instructional
  practices and content knowledge of the new
  teacher to the students progress in reaching
  particular standards?
• What serves as evidence of the link between the
  teacher preparation program and the instructional
  practices and content knowledge of the new
  teacher?

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Student-Friendly Translation

• Are our graduates effective teachers?
• What makes them effective?
• What components of the program influence teacher
  quality?

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Data-Based Instruction

• Data-based instruction focuses on the direct and
  continuous measurement of student progress toward
  specific instructional objectives.
• Mercer Mercer, 2005

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Student Profile-Brooke

• 5th Grade
• Analytical Reading Inventory
• Independent Level Primer
• Instructional Level Level One
• Frustration level Level Two
• DIBELS ORF 54 wpm
• NWEA RIT 194
• ISTEP LA 412 (pass447)
• Disabilities CD, LD, ED
• Strengths Greater ability to cope in gen. ed.
• Challenges Inattention, mistrust of others, poor
  comprehension of reading selections

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Pre-Assessment

• Informal Reading Inventories
• Analytical Reading Inventory (Woods Moe)
• Developmental Reading Assessment (Beaver)
• Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI) (Lauren
  Caldwell)
• DIBELS
• Attitude Interest Inventory
• Writing Sample and Analysis

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Case Study--Brooke

• Learning Targets
• Consistency of Retelling Fluency
• Increase Sight Vocabulary
• Identify Literary Elements/Text Structure

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Improving MotivationBrookes Intervention
Strategy

• RAP Strategy
• Read the paragraph
• Ask yourself What were the main idea and details
  in the paragraph?
• Put the main idea and details in your own words

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Progress Graph

• Baseline
• Progress Formula
• Aim Line
• Decision Points

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Tracking Learning
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Tracking ORF RTF
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STEP Research Grant

• Analysis of the candidates GPA, Praxis scores,
  and the number of years of teaching against
  students (NWEA) scores.
• Development of a classroom observation protocol
  to assess context of teaching learning
• Initial development of a Data Based Instruction
  model for mathematics

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Analyses

• Praxis scores I/II GPA years of teaching
  NWEA Scores
• Praxis scores I/II GPA in content area years
  of teaching NWEA Scores
• Praxis scores I/II GPA in content area GPA
  in education courses years of teaching NWEA
  Scores
• Praxis scores I/II GPA DBI years of
  teaching NWEA Scores

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Sample

• Elementary Education graduates from 20012005
• N120

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Control Group

• Virtual comparison control group derived from the
  NWEA Growth Research Database
• The GRD contains information that spans more
  than
• 1600 school districts
• 10,000 schools
• 45 states
• 9 academic years
• Match student sample population to the NWEA GRD
  on grade, SES, gender, ethnicity, etc.

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Initial Challenges

• Tracking gradsincomplete database
• Return of informed consents
• Complexity of informed consent
• Number of schools/grade levels using NWEA
• Incomplete return forms contact information,
  NWEA school?
• Teachers changing schools, grade levels

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Formative Lessons Learned

• Start with superintendents
• Buy-in with principals
• FEAR FACTOR Schools on protective mode
• Consult with DOE

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Challenges

• Why is it difficult to find the link between TE
  programs and student learning?
• Studies take time (1-3 years of pilot studies)
• Dependence on the validity and reliability of
  in-house developed instruments
• Demographic and contextual variables contribute
  to variances in student learning outcomes

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Challenges Continued

• Heavy dependence on test scores as a reflection
  of teacher quality (What about democratic and
  social skills? Confidence? Social justice?)
• Difficulties organizing data in a way that will
  affect program improvement
• Worry that researchers and policy makers will use
  program assessment results as a weapon rather
  than a tool for improvement

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Questions
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