STUDENT LEARNING ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
SUMMARY FORM AY 2012-2013
Degree and
Program Name:
B.A. in History with Teacher Certification
Submitted By:
Bonnie Laughlin-Schultz
Please use size 10 font or larger.
Please complete a separate worksheet for each academic program
(major, minor) at each level (undergraduate, graduate) in your
department. Worksheets are due to CASA this year by June
14, 2013. Worksheets should be sent electronically to
kjsanders@eiu.edu and should also be submitted to your college
dean. For information about assessment or help with your
assessment plans, visit the Assessment webpage at
http://www.eiu.edu/~assess/ or contact Karla Sanders in CASA at
581-6056.
The History with Teacher Certification program has three content knowledge goals that are based upon the subjects that program completers will
be expected to teach in most Illinois public high schools. Illinois requires all high school students to take an American history course. Many high
schools also require some type of government class and world history. Social studies elective offerings include specialized history courses, current
events coursework, sociology, psychology, geography, and economics, as well as a range of AP and honors courses. Only specialists in any given
subject can teach AP or honors courses in that area, but social science teaching majors are prepared to and certified to teach all the other courses,
and the three content goals reflect the need to prepare them for this task. Other programmatic learning objectives cover planning of,
implementation of, and reflection upon instruction as well as discussion of classroom diversity and the development of varied strategies to meet
the needs of all learners. These are core elements of secondary teacher training at EIU and good practice for social science teaching. Broader EIU
learning goals of writing, critical thinking, speaking, and global citizenship are incorporated throughout the learning goals for social science
teaching majors, and writing and critical thinking also appear as separate objectives.
PART ONE
What are the learning
objectives?
How, where, and when are they
assessed?
What are the expectations?
What are the results?
Committee/ person
responsible? How are
results shared?
1. Broad Content
Knowledge in History
History with Teacher
Certification majors will
know and understand the
standard content of U.S.
and world civilizations.
Specific content knowledge
is mandated in the Illinois
Core Standards for Social
Science Teachers and
Scores on the History
Common Core, World
History, and U.S./Illinois
history sections of the
Content Area Test for history
(test 114). The CAT is
typically taken the semester
prior to student teaching, and
it has four sections:
1. Social Science Common
Core
A minimum of 90% of
2012-2013 test takers will
pass the History CAT, and
80% will receive a 240 or
higher on the three history
sections. All program
completers must have
achieved passing composite
scores of 240 or higher on
their CAT, but it is possible
to pass the overall test but
100% of test takers passed
the History CAT. ICTS
CAT score results for the
three history sub-tests are as
follows:
 88% of test takers (23/26)
received scores of 240 or
higher on section 2,
History Common Core.
 85% (22/26) of test takers
(23/26) received scores of
Test Score results are
monitored by the
Dean’s Office, CEPS,
and by the Social
Science Studies
Program Coordinator.
Test results are
regularly shared with
the Social Science
Studies Committee
(the major’s program
broad thematic knowledge
is indicated in the National
Council for the Social
Studies (NCSS) Ten
Thematic Strands, and the
core history coursework
that all social science
teaching majors take is
carefully aligned to cover
those content standards.
The alignments are
included as appendixes A
and B.
2. History Common Core
3. World History
4. U.S. and IL History
score below 240 in one or
more of the sub-tests.
240 or higher on section
3, World History.
 96% (25/26) of test takers
(23/26) received scores of
240 or higher on section
4, U.S./IL history.
While the goal was met it is
worth noting that 3 scores
on world history were very
low, well below 200. See
appendix C for full data.
committee).
NCSS ten themes survey data
on history-based themes.
Cooperating teachers of all
2012-2013 student teachers
are surveyed over student
teacher knowledge of each of
the NCSS ten themes. Ratings
are: “does not meet” (1);
“occasionally meets” (2);
“meets” (3); “occasionally
exceeds” (4); and “exceeds”
(5). See appendix B for
description of the themes.
A minimum of 90% of
program completers will
receive ratings of “meets,”
“occasionally exceeds,” or
“exceeds” (3, 4, or 5) on the
NCSS ten themes
evaluation form. (The n
does not always equal the
total number of student
teachers, as CTs of students
teaching non-history
courses often mark N/A
instead of submitting an
evaluation for historyrelated themes.)
Theme 2: 100% (n=16)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 8: 100% (n=15)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 9: 100% (n= 16)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
The Social Science
teaching coordinator
administers and
gathers data for the
NCSS ten themes
survey and shares
data with the Social
Science Studies
program and
curriculum
committees as well as
the History
Department and
CEPS as needed.
Grades earned during the
student’s academic career in
representative required
courses in history: HIS 1500,
HIS 2010, HIS 2020, and
HIS 3555. Course grades are
included here because they
are mandatory proof of
content knowledge for our
accreditation by the Illinois
State Board of Education as
A minimum of 75% of
students will receive grades
of B or higher in each
history course. (Note: To
earn credit toward the
major, all students must
receive a C or above in all
content courses in the
major. Moreover, students
following the 2008 and later
catalogs must maintain a 3.0
The goal was met. Grades
earned by 2012-2013
program completers in core
history courses are as
follow:
HIS 1500
A=13; B=4; C=1; D=0; F=0
HIS 2010
A=5; B=5; C=0; D=0; F=0
HIS 2020
A=9; B=0; C=0; D=0; F=0
The following
individuals or
committees monitor
this assessment: the
program’s
designation advisors;
the Social Science
teaching coordinator;
the Teacher
Education Committee
for Social Science
2. Broad Content
Knowledge in Social
Studies
History with Teacher
Certification majors will
know and understand the
standard content of
geography, economics,
political science,
psychology, and sociologyanthropology as described
in the Illinois Core
Standards for Social
Science Teachers and as
indicated in the National
Council for the Social
Studies Ten Thematic
Strands. Core courses for
all Social Science teaching
majors are chosen to
provide content knowledge
that matches these
standards. (See appendices
A and B.)
well as by the National
Council for the Social
Studies, the SPA which
accredits this program for
NCATE.
mgpa.)
HIS 3555
A=4; B=7; C=1; D=0; F=0
(Note: Numbers may vary
from total “n” of 22 due to
transfer courses taken at
other institutions.)
and History; and the
Certification Officer,
College of Sciences.
These groups and
individuals routinely
share results as
needed.
Scores on the Social Science
Foundations section of
Content Area Tests Scores
attained on the appropriate
Illinois Certification Testing
System (ICTS) Content Area
Tests (CAT), test 114 (HIS).
The CAT is typically taken
the semester prior to student
teaching, and each
concentration includes Social
Science Foundations as the
first section.
A minimum of 90% of
2012-2013 test takers will
receive a 240 or higher on
the Social Science
Foundations subtest (subtest
1). All Social Science
program completers must
have achieved passing
composite scores (240 or
higher) on their
concentration’s CAT, but it
is possible to pass the
overall test but score below
240 in history.
96% of test takers (25/26)
received scores of 240 or
higher on section 1, Social
Science Foundations. See
appendix C for full test
data.
Test Score results are
monitored by the
Dean’s Office, CEPS,
and by the Social
Science Studies
Program Coordinator.
Test results are
regularly shared with
the Social Science
Studies Committee
(the major’s program
committee).
NCSS ten themes survey data
on non-history themes.
Cooperating teachers of all
2012-2013 student teachers
were surveyed over student
teacher knowledge of each of
the NCSS ten themes. Ratings
are: “does not meet”;
“occasionally meets”;
“meets”; “occasionally
exceeds”; and “exceeds.” See
appendix B for description of
the themes.
A minimum of 90% of
social science student
program completers will
receive ratings of “meets,”
“occasionally exceeds,” or
“exceeds” (3, 4, or 5) on the
NCSS ten themes
evaluation form. (The n
does not always equal the
total number of student
teachers, as CTs of students
teaching non-history
courses often mark N/A
instead of submitting an
evaluation for historyrelated themes.)
Theme 1: 100% (n=16)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 3: 100% (n=14)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 4: 100% (n=6)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 5: 100% (n=8)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 6: 100% (n=14)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 7: 100% (n=9)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
Theme 10: 100% (n=14)
earned ratings of 3, 4, or 5.
The Social Science
teaching coordinator
administers and
gathers data for the
NCSS ten themes
survey and shares
data with the Social
Science Studies
program and
curriculum
committees as well as
CEPS as needed.
3. Effective Planning for
Instruction
History with Teacher
Grades earned during the
student’s academic career in
representative required
courses in non-history social
sciences. Course grades are
included here because they
are mandatory proof of
content knowledge for our
accreditation by the Illinois
State Board of Education as
well as by the National
Council for the Social
Studies, the SPA which
accredits this program for
NCATE.
A minimum of 75% of
students will receive grades
of B or higher in each social
science course. (To earn
credit toward the major, all
students must receive a C or
above in all content courses
in the major. Moreover,
students following the 2008
and later catalogs must
maintain a 3.0 mgpa.)
The goal was met. Grades
earned by 2012-2013
program completers in core
social science courses are as
follow:
ECN 2801
A=8; B=5; C=3; D=1*; F=0
ECN 2802
A=9; B=5; C=0; D=0; F=0
GEG 1100
A=13; B=7; C=0; D=0; F=0
GEG 1200
11=9; B=2; C=4; D=0; F=0
GEG 3200
A=9; B=10; C=0; D=0; F=0
PLS 1003
A=8; B=7; C=4; D=0; F=0
PLS 2253
A=10; B=5; C=4; D=1; F=0
PLS 2603
A=10; B=7; C=1; D=0; F=0
PSY 1879
A=8; B=2; C=1; D=0; F=0
PSY 3521
A=10; B=8; C=3; D=0; F=0
PSY 3780
A=10; B=6; C=1; D=0; F=0
ANT 2200
A=8; B=10; C=0; D=0; F=0
SOC 1838
A=7; B=4; C=0; D=0; F=0
SOC 2721
A=14; B=7; C=0; D=0; F=0
* the course was re-taken
The following
individuals or
committees monitor
this assessment: the
program’s
designation advisors;
the Social Science
teaching coordinator;
the Teacher
Education Committee
for Social Science
and History; and the
Certification Officer,
College of Sciences.
These groups and
individuals routinely
share results as
needed.
In SOS 3400 students are
instructed on the development
of lesson and broader unit
90% of students submitting
unit and lesson plans within
the department assessment
92% (22/24) of students
earned scores of 8 or
higher, and 54% (13/24)
The Teacher
Education Committee
for Social Science
Certification majors will
effectively plan for
instruction, developing
objectives that are tied to
appropriate learning goals
and Illinois/NCSS
standards; designing
appropriate materials and
detailing procedures
needed to teach the lesson;
integrating higher order
thinking and active
learning into instruction;
and evaluating student
learning through formative
and summative
assessments.
plans. Lesson and Unit Plans
are then submitted as part of
Department Approval
Portfolio, and they are rated
on the following criteria by
members of the History
Department Teacher
Education Committee:
 formatting
 clear and appropriate
objectives
 lesson that is tied to
objectives
 appropriate and welldeveloped teaching
materials
 inclusion of assessment
 linkage to NCSS themes
and state standards
Each student is given a score
between 5 and 10 by each of
the three members of the
History Department Teacher
Education Committee, and
the average of the scores will
be reported here.
portfolio (DAP) will receive
an average score of 8 or
above, and at least 40% will
earn scores of 9 or 10.
earned scores of 9 or 10.
and History assesses
the portfolios and
communicates
midterm conditional
approval of all
students applying for
student teaching to
CEPS and,
specifically, to
Associate Dean Doug
Bower. All instructors
of SOS 3400 are part
of the Teacher
Education
Committee, and in
assessing portfolio
s/he/they discover
areas in which
students need to
improve and adapt
instruction
accordingly.
4. Competence in the
Classroom (Public
Speaking)
History with Teacher
Certification majors will
demonstrate professional
teaching competency by
planning, organizing, and
effectively presenting
social studies lessons.
Micro-Teaching: Students
enrolled in SOS 3400 teach
two lessons (what we call
microteaching modules)
during the semester. The
instructors use a 20-item
microteaching checklist to
assess the effectiveness of
student presentation skills,
including appropriate use of
technology, incorporation of
A minimum of 90% of
students will receive a score
of 160 or higher (out of
200) on the MT checklist.
This means that
microteaching modules
were presented in a clear,
articulate, and organized
manner and will have used
instructional technology and
research-based strategies.
92% (24/26) of students
earned scores of 160 or
higher.
The Social Science
teaching coordinator
and undergraduate
advisor are the
instructors of record
for this course, and
they communicate
frequently about
problems with any
microteaching. If
problems persist or
effective teaching strategies,
classroom management and
presence, and connection
between goals and lesson
itself as well as a reflective
component.
5. Reflective Teaching
History with Teacher
Certification majors will be
reflective teachers,
understanding diversity in
their classroom, planning
carefully based on the
needs of their diverse
learners, assessing student
learning (formative and
summative), and adapting
become severe, the
Social Science
teaching coordinator
can withhold
approval for student
teaching and
communicates with
Dr. Jim Kestner, chair
of Student Teaching,
and Associate Dean
Doug Bower.
Student Teaching Evaluation:
Student teachers are assessed
for their ability to use diverse
strategies to plan and execute
effective instruction. Student
teachers are evaluated on 18
different elements of
instructional planning in the
“diverse strategies” section of
the student teaching
evaluation form. (Data comes
from Doug Bower)
A minimum of 90% of
social science student
program completers will
receive ratings of “meets”
through “exceeds on the 18
elements of “diverse
strategies” on the Student
Teaching Evaluation form.
Ratings are: “does not
meet”; “occasionally
meets”; “meets”;
“occasionally exceeds”; and
“exceeds.”
On the 18 elements, 96% of
the program completers
(n=24) received ratings of
“meets” through “exceeds.”
See attachment for
complete data for the
student teaching evaluation.
Impact on P-12 Project:
Student teachers complete an
Impact on P-12 Learning
assignment in which they are
expected to address Illinois’s
nine standards for
professional educators and
key aspects of reflective
teaching. CEPS collects this
data within the Student
Teaching Evaluation form
A minimum of 90% of
program completers will
receive ratings of “meets”
through “exceeds” on the
various components of the
Student Teaching
Evaluation form. Ratings
are: “does not meet”;
“occasionally meets”;
“meets”; “occasionally
exceeds”; and “exceeds.”
For most elements of
Student Teaching all
program completers (n=24)
were rated as “meets” or
higher. However, there are
instances where one student
was rated as “occasionally
meets” and these are areas
that SOS 3400 instructors
will pay special attention to
next year. See attachment
Cooperating teachers
and student teaching
supervisors from the
Department of
Student Teaching,
CEPS, conduct the
assessment. The
Chair of the
Department of
Student Teaching, the
Associate Dean of
CEPS, and the
coordinator of Social
Science Teaching
monitor assessment
results.
Cooperating teachers
and student teaching
supervisors from the
Department of
Student Teaching,
CEPS, conduct the
assessment. The
Chair of the
Department of
Student Teaching, the
Associate Dean of
classroom instruction
methodologies/strategies in
response to student
learning needs. In doing
this they also demonstrate
aspects of global
citizenship, particularly
understanding of diversity
and respect for the needs of
all learners.
completed by student
teaching supervisors and it is
then distributed to program
coordinators.
6. Writing
History with Teacher
Certification majors will
demonstrate the ability to
write effectively.
The ability to write clearly is
assessed in the Department
Approval Portfolio for
Student Teaching, completed
by students typically the
semester prior to student
teaching. Students are rated
on a scale of 1-5 by each of
the three members of the
History Department
Committee on Teacher
Education. Scores of the three
reviewers will be averaged
and reported in the data here.
Students submit a Unit Plan
through Livetext for the
CEPS unit assessment, and
SOS 3400 instructors rate the
unit plans on a rubric
developed by the Unit
Assessment Committee in
7. Critical Thinking
History with Teacher
Certification majors will
demonstrate the ability to
think critically and will
incorporate disciplinespecific literacy and critical
for complete data for the
student teaching evaluation
CEPS, and the
coordinator of Social
Science Teaching
monitor assessment
results.
100% of students
submitting unit and lesson
plans within the department
assessment portfolio (DAP)
will receive an average
score of 3 or above, and at
least 50% will earn scores
of 4 or 5.
92% of students (22/24)
earned ratings of 3 or
above, and the two who did
not (earning ratings of 2.33
and 2) were asked to
resubmit the portfolio.
Concerns with
student writing are
first addressed by
asking students to resubmit the portfolio;
this occurred on two
occasions in 20122013, and students resubmitted and
brought scores to the
requisite 3. If
problems persist, the
social science
teaching coordinator
with CEPS and,
specifically, to
Associate Dean Doug
Bower and to Jim
Kestner.
A minimum of 90% of
students will receive ratings
of “meets” through
“exceeds” on the critical
thinking portion of the Unit
Plan evaluation instrument.
100% of students (n=9)
received ratings of “meets”
(1), “occasionally exceeds”
(7), and “exceeds” (1).
58% of students (14/24)
earned ratings of 4 or 5.
The Associate Dean
of CEPS and the
coordinator of Social
Science Teaching
monitor assessment
results. The
coordinator of Social
thinking into their teaching.
consultation with Associate
Dean Doug Bower. Ratings
are: “does not meet”;
“occasionally meets”;
“meets”; “occasionally
exceeds”; and “exceeds.” The
revised Unit Plan rubric
(effective spring 2013) has an
assessment of critical
thinking, and data from
spring 2013 is included here.
8. Professionalism
History with Teacher
Certification majors will
demonstrate professional
dispositions.
Dispositions surveys done as
part of SOS 3400 (Block II
Departmental Methods) and
during student teaching rate
students on 5 dispositions:
• Interaction with students (IWS)
• Professional and ethical
practices (PEP)
• Effective communication (EC)
• Planning for teaching and
student learning
(PTSL)
• Sensitivity to diversity and
equity (SDE)
SOS 3400 instructors are
responsible for completing
the evaluations.
PART TWO
A minimum of 90% of SOS
3400 students will receive
ratings of “meets” through
“exceeds” in all five
components of the
dispositions evaluation
instruments. (Ratings are:
“does not meet”;
“occasionally meets”;
“meets”; “occasionally
exceeds”; and “exceeds.”)
 100% of students (29/29)
were rated as “meets”
through “exceeds” on
three dispositional
elements: IWS, PEP, and
SDE.
 97% of students (28/29)
were rated as “meets”
through “exceeds” on the
remaining two
dispositional elements:
EC and PTSL.
Science Teaching
shares results with the
Teacher Education
committee in the
History Dept, the
undergraduate advisor
for history with
teacher certification
and concentration
advisors, and the
Social Science
Studies committee.
This data comes from
LiveText and is an
integral part of the
CEPS-History
Department-Social
Science Studies
Committee
assessment loop. If
problems exist, the
social science
teaching coordinator
communicates issues
with approval of any
students applying for
student teaching to
CEPS and,
specifically, to
Associate Dean Doug
Bower and to Jim
Kestner, Chair of
Student Teaching.
Describe your program’s assessment accomplishments since your last report was submitted. Discuss ways in which you have responded
to the CASA Director’s comments on last year’s report or simply describe what assessment work was initiated, continued, or completed.
I am new this year to the position as social science teaching coordinator, following Charlie Titus’s retirement. I spent much of the year learning the
ropes of teacher certification in Illinois, state and national accreditation issues, and teaching at EIU. In doing this, I revised the learning goals for
social science teaching for both History with Teacher Certification and for all of the Social Science Studies concentrations. I tried to think both
idealistically and pragmatically, reflecting what the program prepares its graduates to do in Illinois public high school classrooms as well as the
broader goals of EIU education and of reflective teaching practice. I aimed to have multiple points for collecting data and to generally conform to
the best practices in assessment that I learned about at the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis in fall 2012, and I also tried to respond to the
comments in response to the Social Science Teaching SLAP from June 2012, particularly the re-writing of all objectives into measurable learning
objectives connected to coursework. I still incorporated course grades as one data point about social science content knowledge, but I broke down
the coursework and tied them to more measurable learning objectives. Additionally, I include them because they are required submissions in both
state and national accreditation of the social science teaching program, so I will be including them in two more reports to be written in 2013-2014.
Much of the assessment data included above is continuing work, though I have broken down the data differently and added a few additional pieces
to better reflect the new learning goals. Student content knowledge of history, a specific concentration, and the broad field of social science is
assessed with three data points: course grades in pertinent social science and history courses; scores on the Content Area Tests; and evaluation of
student teacher knowledge about the National Council for the Social Studies ten thematic strands by their cooperating teachers. For the Content
Area Tests, I used not only our overall scores (our pass rate, particularly for history with teacher certification majors, is quite high), but I broke
down the scores by the sub-tests to examine student strength in historical knowledge; broad social science foundations; and their specific social
science specialization. This allowed me to see program preparation in a new light. I also added the Ten Themes survey data as another measure of
student learning. In addition to content knowledge, I revised the teaching competency objective, breaking it into multiple components and using
some new forms of assessment to generate data. We aim to prepare future social studies teachers who can plan effectively for instruction (of
diverse learners), who are effective in the classroom, who reflect upon their teaching and make changes based upon their own assessment data, and
who exhibit professionalism. These goals are central to the new mandatory assessment for student teachers that will be fully implemented in fall
2015, the edTPA, and I am working through our assessment program to make sure that History with Teacher Certification and Social Science
Teaching majors are prepared for this high-stakes test. Finally, I worked to incorporate the four EIU goals for undergraduate learning into the
assessment program and learning objectives. They have always been present in the program, but I worked to identify them more specifically and to
identify specific assessments for writing and critical thinking. I will continue to work on the latter especially next year, as critical thinking and
discipline-specific literacy are becoming more and more important in teacher training.
PART THREE
Summarize changes and improvements in curriculum, instruction, and learning that have resulted from the implementation of your
assessment program. How have you used the data? What have you learned? In light of what you have learned through your assessment
efforts this year and in past years, what are your plans for the future?
As a result of assessment prior to and during 2012-2013, a few curriculum changes are being implemented; all have been approved by the Social
Science Studies Program Committee (composed of the chairs of ECN, GEG, HIS, PLS, PSY, and SOC and chaired by the social science teaching
coordinator) and the Social Science Studies Curriculum Committee (composed of the advisors in all of these departments and the social science
teaching coordinator and chaired by the undergraduate advisor for History with Teacher Certification Michael Shirley) and are now headed for
approval in their respective departments, the College of Sciences, and COTE. Social Science Studies—Psychology majors will take an additional
course on child development (PSY 3515), while Social Science Studies—Geography majors will now take ESC 1500G instead of ESC 1300G and
will no longer be required to take GEG 3420. Finally, HIS 2560 will be added to all four Social Science Studies concentrations in order to
eliminate the 300-year gap in world history that students currently face and to boost performance on the history portion of the content test. The
data and conclusions above certainly support all of these changes.
Additionally, there are several changes coming in secondary education, including the addition of a course on content literacy and RTI that will be
mandatory beginning in 2014. This course will require 20 hours of clinical observation/experience, and I am working with Stephen Lucas, Chair of
Secondary Education, and Associate Dean Doug Bower to revise the SOS 3400 clinical experience to somehow incorporate these changes. At
present I have continued to use and develop the PEN-SS internship that Charlie Titus created, and I gathered data from all the participating
teachers reflecting on student performance. I did not include it in the SLAP for a number of reasons, primary of which is the state of transition in
secondary education that creates new constraints (and opportunities) for the internship. Additionally, the data did not yield much. Students in SOS
3400 spoke in course evaluations of their desire for a stronger internship, and creating will continue to be a personal goal that I hope over time will
prove fruitful in assessment as well.
Much broader changes to secondary education stem from changes to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, the adoption by Illinois of the
Common Core Standards, and the upcoming use of the edTPA as a high-stakes, national assessment of student teachers in which students create an
online portfolio in which they include videotaped lessons, assessment of student work, lesson plans, and extensive reflection upon their teaching.
All of the CEPS assessments have been updated to reflect the new Professional Teaching Standards, and their coursework is changing to reflect all
three of these things. I expect to make a number of changes to SOS 3400 assignments and assessments as well as the broader program next year
and beyond to better reflect all of these things. First and foremost, I added a more extensive unit plan to SOS 3400 in spring 2013 as a pilot, and it
will be strengthened and aligned more with the edTPA standards in 2013-2014 and submitted as the culmination of SOS 3400. Next year I will
also incorporate more reflective elements into the unit plan and micro-teaching, and the micro-teaching evaluation instrument/assessment is being
revised to better reflect the edTPA and the broad learning objectives for social science teaching. I have also revised the lesson plans assignment
that is part of the Department Approval Portfolio process to better demonstrate student knowledge of the NCSS ten themes; they will be assessed
as part of the Department Approval Portfolio process and will provide better data for our upcoming accreditation by NCSS. Under the direction of
the social science teaching coordinator, the Teacher Education Committee is working on revisions of the Department Approval Portfolio. Finally
next year I would like to expand the critical thinking learning objective to include discipline-specific literacy and critical thinking; for History with
Teacher Certification students, we would label this “historical thinking,” both integral to and separate from the broader critical thinking. I am
working on creating a measurable goal and form of assessment for this, as it will become more and more important to social science teaching
majors in years to come.
Appendix A. Alignments, IL Core Standards for Social Science Educators
Revised Fall 2012
The competent social science teacher understands
1. connections among the behavioral sciences, economics,
geography, history, political science, and other learning areas.
2. the use of analysis, interpretation, and evaluation.
3. how to use the tools of social science inquiry to conduct research
and interpret findings.
4. basic political concepts and systems.
5. the formation and implementation of public policy in the United
States and other nations.
6. the principles of constitutional government in the United States
and Illinois.
7. the organization and functions of government at national, State,
and local levels in the United States
8. the rule of law and the rights and responsibilities of individual
citizens in a democratic society, with an emphasis on the United
States and Illinois.
9. the purposes and functions of international organizations and
global connections, with an emphasis on the role of the United
States.
10. economic concepts, terms, and theories.
11. various types of economic systems.
12. the components and operation of the United States economy.
13. international economic structures, processes, and relationships.
14. historical concepts, terms, and theories.
15. major political developments and compares patterns of
Aligned Coursework
SOS 3400
All coursework, especially HIS 1500, HIS 2010, HIS 2020, HIS 3555,
and SOS 3400.
All coursework, especially PLS 2253, ECN 2801, ECN 2802, HIS 3555,
GEG 3200, PSY 3780, and SOC 2721.
PLS 1003*: Intro to International Relations
PLS 2253G/2293*: Intro to Comparative Politics
PLS 2253G/2293*: Intro to Comparative Politics
PLS 1003*: Intro to International Relations
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution##
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution##
PLS 2603: State and Local Governments
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution##
PLS 2603: State and Local Governments
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution##
PLS 2603: State and Local Governments
PLS 1003*: Intro to International Relations
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution##
PLS 2603: State and Local Governments
ECN 2801G/2891*: Macroeconomics
ECN 2802G/2892*: Microeconomics
ECN 2801G/2891*: Macroeconomics
ECN 2802G/2892*: Microeconomics
ECN 2801G/2891*: Macroeconomics
ECN 2802G/2892*: Microeconomics
ECN 2801G/2891*: Macroeconomics
ECN 2802G/2892*: Microeconomics
HIS 1500G/1590*: Roots of the Modern World: Religion and Society
HIS 2010G/2090*: The U.S. to 1877
HIS 2020G/2091*: The U.S. 1877-Present
HIS 3555: Modern World History
HIS 1500G/1590*: Roots of the Modern World: Religion and Society
continuity and change in different regions of the world.
16. major social and cultural developments and compares patterns of
continuity and change in different regions of the world.
17. major scientific, geographic, and economic developments and
compares patterns of continuity and change in different parts of
the world.
18. major political developments and compares patterns of
continuity and change in the United States and the State of
Illinois.
19. major social and cultural developments and compares patterns of
continuity and change in the United States and the State of
Illinois.
20. the major scientific, geographic, and economic developments
and compares patterns of continuity and change in the United
States and the State of Illinois.
21. geographic representations, tools, and technologies and how to
use them to obtain information about people, places, and
environments on Earth.
22. how culture and experience influence human perceptions of
people, places, and regions.
23. the physical and human characteristics of places and region.
24. how physical processes and human activities influence spatial
distributions.
25. the role of science and technology in the modification of
physical and human environments.
26. the consequences of global interdependence on spatial patterns.
27. concepts, terms, and theories related to human behavior and
development.
HIS 2010G/2090*: The U.S. to 1877
HIS 2020G/2091*: The U.S. 1877-Present
HIS 3555: Modern World History
HIS 1500G/1590*: Roots of the Modern World: Religion and Society
HIS 2010G/2090*: The U.S. to 1877
HIS 2020G/2091*: The U.S. 1877- Present
HIS 3555: Modern World History
ECN 2801G/2891*: Macroeconomics
ECN 2802G/2892*: Microeconomics
GEG 1200G/1290*: World Regional Geography
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution##
PLS 2603: State and Local Governments
HIS 2010G/2090*: The U.S. to 1877
HIS 2020G/2091*: The U.S. 1877- Present
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution##
PLS 2603: State and Local Governments
HIS 2010G/2090*: The U.S. to 1877
HIS 2020G/2091*: The U.S. 1877- Present
ECN 2801G/2891*: Macroeconomics
ECN 2802G/2892*: Microeconomics
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
GEG 1100G/1190*: Cultural Geography
GEG 1200G/1290*: World Regional Geography
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
GEG 1100G/1190*: Cultural Geography
GEG 1200G/1290*: World Regional Geography
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
PSY 1879G/1890*: Intro to Psychology
PSY 3521: Psychology of Adolescents and Young Adults
PSY 3780: Abnormal Psychology
28. concepts, terms, and theories related to the study of cultures, the ANT 2200G: Intro to Anthropology
structure and organization of human societies, and the process of SOC 1838G: Intro to Sociology
social interaction.
SOC 2721: Social Stratification
29. the process of reading and demonstrates instructional abilities to SOS 3400
teach reading in the content area of social science.
*
Courses with an * are honors sections.
##
Both PLS 1153 and HIS 3600 deal with the American Constitution and government. History concentrators take HIS 3600: U.S. Constitution and
the Nation, while all other concentrations take PLS 1153/1193*: American Government and Constitution.
Appendix B. Alignment of Courses with National Council for the Social Studies Ten Thematic Strands
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
NCSS Thematic Strand
Culture
 elements of culture; similarities and differences among cultural
groups across time and place
 geography, history, sociology, anthropology, multicult. topics
Time, Continuity, and Change
 historical roots
 research methods/historical inquiry
People, Places, and Environments
 geography, regional studies, and world cultures
 location, regions, interaction with environments
Individual Development and Identity
 human growth, behavior, perception
 impact of social, political, and cultural interactions on identity
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
 role of institutions in societies; change over time and cultural
place; individual role in institutional change
Power, Authority, and Governance
 purposes/function of govt
 rights/resp of citizens
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
 economics – production/distrib ?s
 market decisions, scarcity
Science, Technology, and Society
 history, geography, economics, govt
 tech change in history; influence of tech/sci; global access
Global Connections
Course(s) Aligned with Strand
ANT 2200/2290*: Intro to Anthropology
GEG 1100/1190*: Cultural Geography
HIS 2010G/2090*: U.S. to 1877
HIS 2020G/2091*: U.S., 1877-Present
HIS 1500G/1590*: Roots of the Modern World: Religion and Society
HIS 3555: Modern World History
GEG 1100G/1190*: Cultural Geography
GEG 1200G/1290*: World Regional Geography
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
PSY 1879G/1890*: Intro to Psychology
PSY 3521: Adolescent & YA Psychology
PSY 3780: Abnormal Psychology
SOC 1838: Intro to Sociology
SOC 2721: Social Stratification
PLS 1003: Intro to International Relations
PLS 2253G/2293*: Intro to Comparative Politics
ECN 2801G/2891*: Intro to Macroeconomics
ECN 2802G/2892*: Intro to Microeconomics
GEG 3200/ESC 3200: Human Impacts on the Environment
HIS 3555: Modern World History
PLS 1003: Intro to International Relations
HIS 3555: Modern World History
PLS 1153/1193*: American Government & Constitution OR HIS
3600/3690*: U.S. Constitution and the Nation##
PLS 2603: State and Local Govts
Civic Ideals and Practices
 civic ideals; civic participation; democratic ideals;
rights/responsibilities; world public policy
*
Courses with an * are honors sections.
##
Both PLS 1153 and HIS 3600 deal with the American Constitution and government. History concentrators take HIS 3600: U.S. Constitution and
the Nation, while all other concentrations take PLS 1153/1193*: American Government and Constitution.
Appendix C. Content Area Test (HIS, test 114) Data from Test Takers 2012-2013
P/F Exam Date
Total Test
P
6/2/2012
257
P
6/2/2012
261
P
6/2/2012
282
P
7/7/2012
240
P
7/7/2012
240
P
7/7/2012
269
P
7/7/2012
270
P
7/7/2012
260
P
9/8/2012
254
P
9/8/2012
244
P
9/8/2012
275
P
9/8/2012
281
P
9/8/2012
285
P
9/8/2012
270
P
11/10/2012
264
P
11/10/2012
260
P
2/9/2013
267
P
2/9/2013
268
P
2/9/2013
260
P
2/9/2013
278
P
2/9/2013
241
P
2/9/2013
273
P
2/9/2013
243
P
4/13/2013
265
P
4/13/2013
278
P
4/13/2013
265
1 SS fds
275
272
284
255
245
276
279
255
264
239
273
285
285
264
253
263
266
260
253
281
241
269
244
273
282
276
2 HIS cc
251
251
300
200
225
259
259
238
259
245
286
286
286
266
293
251
265
279
258
286
235
279
251
266
286
259
3 world
194
246
268
196
177
269
258
258
248
235
290
290
290
269
246
246
246
268
268
279
232
300
213
248
248
248
4 US-IL
249
256
268
244
257
263
269
294
225
257
263
263
281
288
268
268
281
275
268
262
249
262
243
257
257
257