Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 1 of 8 Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level LBNC Concentration Annual Program Report Academic Year 2010‐2011 Person Completing Report: Janet Applin Report Date: March 5, 2012 1. Continuous Assessment Results a. Admission Data Table 1 provides the average admission test scores and admission grade point average (GPA) of Exceptional Education: LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates approved by the Professional Education Council (PEC) for admission into initial teacher preparation programs during this academic year. Before the Office of Teacher Services submits their names for review and approval by the PEC, candidates must meet minimum requirements established by the state and/or the WKU Professional Education Unit. Table 1. Approved Candidate Test Score Averages Program Exceptional Education LBD Graduate UG GPA N Mean 13 3.27 GRE
Composite N Mean N Mean
3 2627 No No Data Data GAP GRE‐V GRE‐Q GRE‐A GRE‐AW N Mean
5
410
N Mean
5
448
N Mean 2 550 N Mean
3
3.50
b. Course Based Assessment Data Table 2 provides the percentage of Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates scoring at each level of proficiency on critical performances within education courses for this academic year. Proficiency levels are based on a scale of 1 – Standard Not Met, 2 – Standard Partially Met, 3 – At Standard, and 4 – Above Standard. Table 2. CP Proficiency Level Percentages Course 1 2 3 4 EXED 419G 0 0 100 0 EXED 515 0 17 33 50 EXED 516 0 0 29 71 EXED 517 0 5 43 52 EXED 518 0 0 36 54 EXED 530 0 0 100 0 EXED 531 0 30 70 0 EXED 532 0 0 39 61 EXED 533 3 9 3 84 Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 2 of 8 Course 1 2 3 4 EXED 534 0 0 100 0 EXED 535 0 0 13 88 EXED 590 0 0 17 83 EXED 610 0 0 17 83 EXED 630 0 0 100 0 Grand Total Table 3 indicates the level of Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates proficiency across critical performances related to the Kentucky Teacher Standards (KTS). Candidates receiving an overall rating of 3 or 4 on a CP are considered to have demonstrated proficiency on the standards associated with the CP. Compared to the unit‐wide results, Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates are typically performing above average. Table 3. Percent of Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level Candidates Scoring Proficient on CPs by KTS Program 1 100 Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2 3 100 100 Kentucky Teacher Standards 4 5 6 7 100 100 100 100 8 9 100 100 10 100 *KTS Key: 1 – Content Knowledge, 2 – Designs/Plans Instruction, 3 – Maintains Learning Climate, 4 – Implements/ Manages Instruction, 5 – Assessment/Evaluation, 6 – Technology, 7 – Reflection, 8 – Collaboration, 9 – Professional Development, 10 – Leadership Table 4 indicates the number of Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates (N = 35) who have scored 2 or lower (below proficiency) on critical performances during this academic year. Table 4. Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level Candidates Scoring Below Proficient on CPs Score Student ID 1 Student Count 2 1
1
2
2
1
2 2
1
1 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 3 of 8 Grand Total 1
1 1
2
1 1 2 1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
7
4
1
35
1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 4 1 42 c. Clinical Experiences Data Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level uses the following courses and experiences to evaluate candidate dispositions: EXED 531 and EXED 590. The program has identified the following courses and experiences where candidates report the diversity of their field experiences: EXED 531 and EXED 590. As noted in the other key data collection matrix, due to the nature of the Exceptional Education graduate program’s service delivery through distance learning, and the fact that students are often full time classroom teachers, field experiences are conducted within the full time teachers’ classrooms. For those students who have not secured a teaching position, an alternate field experience is possible through the completion of EXED 590 as an internship placement. In the event that student are placed in a final clinical experience, efforts are made to place students in settings with diverse populations at 11% or higher which is in keeping with the regional data of diversity percentages in surrounding areas. The EXED program strives to embed culturally responsive teaching methodology and knowledge in to all courses. For example, in EXED 530, which is the Assessment course, students are taught how to recognize biased assessment practices and how Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 4 of 8 to guard against those. To address the needs of those students who are employed in schools with a low percentage of diverse students, one of the core courses taken by all students, EXED 532, includes a module which addresses the social needs of families who have children with disabilities. Within this module students are assigned readings and projects which address the role culture plays in working with families and builds a knowledge base pertaining to issues in responding to diverse cultures within the framework of the special education teacher Table 5 reports how Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates performed on dispositions as they entered and progressed through their program and during their student teaching experience . Students are considered “proficient” who average a 3 or higher on each disposition category. Table 5. Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level Proficiency Rates on Unit‐
Wide Dispositions Period 2010‐2011 Values Learning 100% WKU Professional Education Dispositions Values Personal Values Values Values Integrity Diversity Collaboration Professionalism 100% 100% 100% 100% Over this academic year, Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates reported demographic information on field placements with an average of ethnically diverse students, students on free/reduced lunch, and student with disabilities (based on National Center for Education Statistics and Kentucky Department of Education). This ethnic diversity percentage continues to be well above the average 11% diversity of the schools in the 30+ counties that represent our service area. Table 6 reveals the percentages of field experiences with various characteristics. Note that candidates could choose all the characteristics that applied for any given experience. Table 6. Percentages of Field Experience by Category Types Working with Student With Special Needs % Candidates working with Students with Physical Impairments % Candidates working with Students with Learning Disabilities % Candidates working with Students with Moderate/Severe Disabilities % Candidates working with Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders % Candidates working with Gifted Students % Candidates working with English Language Learners % Candidates working with Students with Visual Impairments % Candidates working with Students with Hearing Impairments % Candidates working with Students with Speech/Language Delays % Candidates working with Students with Development Delays % Candidates working with Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder % Candidates working with Students with Other Impairments Working with Diverse Students % Candidates working with African American Students 40
100
35
58
13
40
15
18
38
35
60
25
83
Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 5 of 8 % Candidates working with Native American/American Indian Students % Candidates working with Latino/Hispanic Students % Candidates working with Asian Students % Candidates working with Students with Special Needs (Aggregate) % Candidates working with Diverse Students (Aggregate) 8
58
18
100
85
Overall, as can be seen in Table 6, in 100% of their field experiences Exceptional Education LBD Initial Preparation Graduate Level candidates reported working with at least one student with special needs and in 83% of their field experiences candidates reported working with at least one student from a diverse ethnic group. d. Culminating Assessment Data In the final semester of course work for the MAE Exceptional Education, prior to and during the 2010‐2011 AY, all students have been required to take and pass a Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Examination provides evidence that students have mastered the content knowledge and skills aligned with professional standards set by the Kentucky Department of Education and the Council for Exceptional Children. In AY 2010‐2011, 100% of those taking the Comprehensive Examination scored a passing grade based upon the departmental rubric and scored by EXED graduate faculty. e. Exit and Follow Up Data The Praxis II exam for Exceptional Education in Learning and Behavior Disorders, administered by the Educational Testing Service, is required for certification by the EPSB for the state of KY. Those in initial preparation programs for Exceptional Education must take and pass the Education for Exceptional Students: Core Content Knowledge and the appropriate exam depending upon certification sought for LBD and MSD. For LBD certification, the Praxis II examination for Mild to Moderate Disabilities is required. Beginning with the 2010‐2011 AY, students were required to pass the Praxis II prior to enrollment in the final internship course. Most recent data indicate that our graduates have a 100% pass rate on the Praxis II in 2010‐
2011. 2. Summary of Results by Kentucky Teacher Standards and Other Key Conceptual Framework Values Students in the Exceptional Education MAE programs were assessed according to the Kentucky Teacher Standards and the standards set forth by the Council for Exceptional Children. Students were assessed through the TWS required in EXED 590 and by meeting proficiency on their Critical Performance Indicators in their coursework. Since students cannot exit the program without proficiency on their TWS and all Critical Performance Indicators, all graduates have exhibited proficiency in each of the KY Teacher Standards and the CEC standards by program completion. In the matrix within the Program Assessment Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 6 of 8 Plan, standards addressed within each course as well as in the culminating EXED 590 are outlined. Overall, from the data collected pertaining to student performance on the KY Teacher Standards as well as the Council for Exceptional Children's Standards, the students in the EXED MAE programs are performing very well. Our students are sought after in the region's school districts for hire and have a reputation of being well prepared. The Table below illustrates the relationship between the KY Teacher Standards and the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Content Standards for professional practice in special education. Graduates of the Exceptional Education MAE programs at WKU are expected to demonstrate their mastery of each standard through the mastery of the CEC Common Core Knowledge and Skills, as well as through the appropriate CEC Specialty Area Knowledge and Skills for which they are being prepared. Table Comparison of Council for Exceptional Content Standards and KY Teacher Standards CEC Content Standards 1. Foundations 2. Development and Characteristics of Learners 3. Individual Learning Differences 4. Instructional Strategies 5. Learning Environments and Social Interactions 6. Language 7. Instructional Planning 8. Assessment 9. Professional and Ethical Practice 10. Collaboration 3. Efforts to Report and Disseminate Results KY Teacher Standards 1. Content Knowledge 1. Content Knowledge 2. Designs/Plans Instruction 2. Designs/Plans Instruction 3. Learning Climate 4. Manages Instruction 2. Designs/Plans Instruction 3. Learning Climate 4. Manages Instruction 5. Assessment 3. Learning Climate 4. Manages Instruction 1. Content Knowledge 1. Content Knowledge 2. Designs/Plans Instruction 3. Learning Climate 4. Manages Instruction 5. Assessment 6. Technology 7. Reflection 9. Professional Development 8. Collaboration 10. Leadership Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 7 of 8 Exceptional Education program faculty members meet on a regular basis during fall and spring semesters of each academic year. One faculty member has been responsible for program area assessment and coordination of data within the program since 2006‐2007. This “Program Assessment Coordinator” reports to the EXED faculty on issues pertaining to program assessment; needed changes; data required from each course; and on overall program assessment matters. In addition, the Program Assessment Coordinator prepares the Unit Action Plan data, Academic Affairs Program Assessment Plans and Reports, and the Academic Program Reviews. In keeping the program assessment to one faculty member, data maintenance is consistent across reports. All reports are reviewed by EXED program faculty before submitting to the department head and other responsible parties within the college and university. Each year, program assessment data is reviewed and evaluated for information that warrants program changes in curriculum mapping etc. 4. Key Discussions and/or Decisions Made Based on Assessment Results a. Assessment or Data Collection Changes Based on Assessment Results In preparing the Assessment Report for the 2010‐2011 AY, it has been noted that quantitative data is lacking in many areas of our program assessment for the MAE in Exceptional Education. While Critical Performance Indicator data and pass rates for Comprehensive Examinations is readily available through the Electronic Portfolio System, other data provided are largely anecdotal based upon faculty reports. While we know from these reports that our graduates are doing well, there is a need to compile this data in a much more systematic manner than in the past and to aggregate the data based upon initial and advanced preparation students. Future program assessment reports will base key program assessment upon quantitative data as well as qualitative data. b. Program Curriculum or Experiences Changes Based on Assessment Results AYU 2010‐2011 has been a transitional year in the curriculum of all Masters level programs in the state of Kentucky due to the state mandate to create MAE Teacher Leader Programs. This provided us the opportunity to examine our initial certification programs more closely and to distinguish them from the advanced preparation programs at the graduate level. The result of this evaluation has been the development of an MAT program for those seeking initial certification in special education at the graduate level. The program used aspects of the current alternate route to certification programs and added in elements to adhere to a framework used across teacher education initial certification master’s programs. It is hoped that the new programs will be available to admit students beginning for fall 2012. c. Decisions about Group/Individual Student Progress Based on Assessment Results Exceptional Education: LBD – Initial Preparation Graduate Level 2010‐2011 Page 8 of 8 In addition to the newly revised programs, future assessment reports will be separated into data from those students seeking initial preparation and those seeking advanced preparation. The program assessment coordinator will review needed program data with all faculty in the program and request that specific data regarding teacher dispositions, field experiences, and critical performance indicators be submitted each semester for all courses. In addition, results of Praxis II examinations taken by our students.