STUDENT OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT
Bachelor of Arts: Social Science- Specialist Teaching Major
Bachelor of Arts: Social Science- Generalist Teaching Major
The Bachelor of Arts Teaching degree in Social Science is designed to prepare
graduates for the professional teaching positions in secondary (grades 5-12) school
classrooms. The Social Science major offers two tracks: the Specialist certifies
candidates to teach 3 content areas; and the second track offers certification in 7 of the
Social Science areas. Both tracks provide students with a solid foundation in core
knowledge and skills for those who choose to teach or those who wish to pursue
advanced graduate degrees in education or one of the social sciences. The faculty is
made of a full-time field experience coordinator/advisor/instructor and 2 faculty members
from departments within the College of Behavioral Sciences. There is no Social Science
Department per se but the program falls under the jurisdiction of the Dean of the College
of Social Behavioral Sciences and the supporting departments.
I. Philosophy of Student Outcomes Assessment
The goal of teacher education at UNI is: To become a reflective, responsible
decision maker in a global and diverse democratic society.
The UNI Teacher Education Standards were designed by the UNI Teacher Education
Faculty and stakeholders to support the above goal and to assist students in achieving the
necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed by today’s teachers. The outcomes
and competencies of the Student Outcome Assessment Plan for the secondary Social
Science majors are subsets of the UNI Teacher Education Standards.
II. Goals for Undergraduate students in UNI Social Science Education Program
The following goals will enable the UNI Social Science Education program to fulfill its vision
and mission by producing future social science teachers who value and promote social studies
literacy and embrace diversity, equity, and respect for all. This will be achieved through
producing preservice secondary social science teachers who:
1. Are knowledgeable in social science content and based on that knowledge can
advance student learning..
2. Model effective social science teaching, which includes technology, and takes into
account all learners based on research and practice.
3. Use creative and critical thinking skills and effective oral and written
communication skills, both in the classroom and in professional dialogues with
stakeholders in the various learning communities
4. Engage in relevant activities and reflective practices that lead to professional growth
and lifelong learning.
5. Upon graduation, are prepared to successfully complete their initial year(s) of teaching.
II. Goals and Competencies
Goal #1: To produce preservice secondary social science teachers who are knowledgeable
in social science content.
Students shall:
Competency 1.1
Demonstrate achievement in social science content knowledge.
Measured by:
Overall GPA and Content Area GPA at the following times: (1)
admission to UNI Teacher Education, (2) application to Student
Teaching and (3) at graduation.
Competency 1.2
Demonstrate accurate knowledge of social science content and
their field experience teaching to advance student learning.
Measured by:
Successful completion of a Teacher Work Sample in 200:128 Field
Experience: Teacher as a Change Agent; Successful completion of
methods (Level 2) field experience with a rating of 3 (Competent)
or better on the cooperating teacher report; Successful completion
of methods (Level 3) field experience with a rating of 3 or better
on the cooperating teacher report and in-person lesson plan
evaluation rubrics; successful ratings on the Secondary Methods
Assessment Rubric.
Goa1 #2: To produce preservice secondary science teachers who model effective social
science teaching, which includes technology, and takes into account all learners based on
research and practice.
Students shall:
Competency 2.1
Demonstrate the ability to make pedagogically sound decisions in social
science classrooms with respect to planning, designing, and
implementing instruction and assessment that is consistent with current
national and state initiatives in education and based on the theories,
methods, and resources for teaching in a secondary classroom setting.
Measured by:
Successful completion of methods (Level 3) field experience with
a rating of 3 or better on the cooperating teacher report and inperson lesson plan evaluation rubrics; successful ratings on the
Secondary Methods Assessment Rubric.
Competency 2.2
Successfully address various contextual factors including identifying
student characteristics and needs and modifying instructional practice
based on these factors.
Measured by:
Successful completion of a Teacher Work Sample in 200:128 Field
Experience: Teacher as a Change Agent; Successful completion of
methods (Level 3) field experience with a rating of 3 or better on
the cooperating teacher report and in-person lesson plan evaluation
rubrics; successful ratings on the Secondary Methods Assessment
Rubric.
Competency 2.3
Be able to select, use, and evaluate innovative instructional materials
and resources (including those that are technology-based involving the
computer or video) in an appropriate manner that is consistent with
current national and state initiatives in social studies education.
Measured by:
Successful completion of 240:020 Secondary Educational
Technology and Design or equivalent; successful ratings on the
Secondary Methods Assessment Rubric.
Competency 2.4
Be able to successfully diagnosis student characteristics and needs
and successfully modify instructional practice as required based
on characteristics and needs of all students
Measured by:
Successful completion of a Teacher Work Sample in 200:128 Field
Experience; successful ratings on the Secondary Methods
Assessment Rubric
Goal # 3: To produce preservice seconday teachers who use of creative and critical
thinking skills and effective oral and written communication skills, both in the
classroom and in professional dialogues with stakeholders in the various learning
communities
Students Shall:
Competency 3.1
Demonstrate proficiency in the use of creative and critical thinking skills
while planning for, implementing, and reflecting upon the practice of
teaching.
Measured by:
Successful completion of methods (Level 3) field experience with a
rating of 3 or better on the cooperating teacher report and in-person
lesson plan evaluation rubrics; successful ratings on the Secondary
Methods Assessment Rubric.
Competency 3.2
Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication in
classroom and other professional settings.
Measured by:
Direct observations of students’ teaching during field experiences and a
rating of 3 or better on the Secondary Methods Assessment Rubric.
Goal #4: To produce preservice secondary social science teachers who engage in relevant
activities and reflective practices that lead to professional growth and lifelong learning.
Students Shall:
Competency 4.1
Demonstrate professional and reflective practices including
participating in professional development experiences.
Measured by:
Successful completion of appropriate professional development activities
in secondary social science teaching methods courses, inclusions in the
Portfolio and a rating of 3 or better on the Secondary Methods
Assessment Rubric; evaluation of teacher candidates’ student teaching
Teacher Work Sample rubric.
Goal #5 To produce preservice secondary social science teachers, who upon graduation,
are prepared to successfully complete their initial year(s) of teaching.
Students Shall:
Competency 5.1
Successfully complete the student teaching experience.
Measured by:
Student teaching evaluation rubrics assessed by Cooperating Teacher and
Student Teaching Coordinator; evaluation of teacher candidates’ student
teaching Teacher Work Sample rubric.
III. Procedures
Sample Group
In order to meet the goals noted above, we intend to extract survey information from a sample of
our majors. The sample will consist of declaring majors in the Spring of their freshmen year and
graduating seniors in 900:190, the “Teaching of Social Studies” methods course. The major
meeting is required of all majors in Social Science . Sampling freshmen from the major meeting
will allow us to “capture” students close to when they begin the Social Science major. Sampling
seniors in 900:190, the methods course required of all majors, will enable us also to collect
relevant data as students prepare to graduate.
Surveys will have two principal purposes: 1) to discover student career goals; and 2) to
ascertain student perceptions regarding the quality and relevance of the UNI major in
Social Science to these career goals.
Methods and Frequency of Assessments
Assessment is a continuous process during the student’s progress towards graduation. The
assessment of academic achievement, overall and in science content courses, will be measured by
GPA. The Student Outcomes Assessment plan will use three benchmarks for academic
achievement: a) overall GPA of 2.50 at admission to Teacher Education, b) an overall GPA and a
major GPA of 2.50 for approval to student teach, and the final overall and content major GPA of
2.50 for graduation.
The primary professional preparation assessments to be used are: (a) the Teacher Work Sample
(TWS) Assessment Rubric; (b) the Secondary Methods Assessment Rubric; and (c) student
teaching evaluations.
The Teacher Work Sample is a document written by the students to help them connect practice
with course work in their content major, teaching methods and the professional sequence. The
TWS shows evidence of a student’s ability to: (a) design and implement standards-based
instruction; (b) assess student learning; (c) reflect on the teaching and learning process; and (d)
provide credible evidence of the student’s ability to facilitate learning in all of their learners. The
TWS is included in the Teacher Education program assessment process and is initiated in Level I,
continued in Level II and in level III methods field experiences. A final TWS is created during
student teaching for evaluation by teacher practitioners and university faculty.
The Secondary Social Science Methods Assessment Rubric is an instrument that enables the
student and methods instructor to assess the student’s preparation to teach in various categories
including: (a) instructional strategies, (b) communication, (c) content, (d) curricula design &
implementation, (e) assessment, and (f) professional & reflective practitioner. This rubric will be
used in all secondary social science methods courses to monitor the student’s progress. The
ratings are on a scale of 1 (unsatisfactory), 2 (emerging competence), 3 (competent), 4 (highly
competent), and 5 (commendable), in which a score of 5 would indicate the competency level of a
master teacher. The Secondary Social Science Methods Assessment Rubric is accessible through
MyUNIverse on the UNITED Assessment System.
IV. Analysis – Interpretation and Reporting of Results
The Social Science Education Faculty will collect data related to our outcomes assessment plan.
The following data will be compiled and tabulated annually:
1. results from yearly survey.
2. results of Teacher Work Samples and Secondary Science Methods Assessment
Rubric scores,
3. review of Teacher Work Sample ratings from the student teaching semester,
4. compilation of aggregate data for student teaching evaluation categories, and
5. student GPAs at admission to Teacher Education, student teaching application and
graduation.
Data from student teaching evaluation categories and student teaching TWSs will be obtained
from the Director of Assessment for Teacher Education. The Social Science Education Faculty
will compile and tabulate data. The Social Science Education Faculty will prepare a summary
report and distribute it electronically to the Dean of College of Social Behavioral Sciences and
department heads in the social science content departments. The data will be used to inform
decision-making on program structure and changes, course changes, advising, and in the
development of strategic planning goals