Improvements to the Assessment System
A number of refinements have been made to the TEU Assessment System itself as data has been reviewed. These refinements are illustrated in more detail in exhibit documents. Through meetings with TEHP faculty, M.Ed. Committee, Program Coordinators, the P&P Assessment Sub-committee, P&P and Stakeholders during 2005-06, the following fine-tuning and professional development have occurred:
- Revision and clarification of the course-by-course reporting matrix
- Use of a common format for annual reports at the initial and advanced levels
- Revision of the primary program assessment report to include "a", knowledge, and "b", performance breakdowns on INTASC standards and Dispositions
- Comparison of the TEU Rubric to research by Fischer and Dawson on developmental complexity, for refinement of scale
- Executive Summary overview form developed for the primary assessment report
- Addition of new Praxis II and PLT data to the program assessment reports
- Refinement of, and professional development on, the online access for candidates to view to their individual data as it compiles
- Piloting and subsequent adoption of Mid-term and Final student teaching evaluation forms designed to more directly parallel the 4-point TEU rubric scale
- Inter-rater reliability tests and subsequent transformation of student teaching data from 2004-2005 to the 4-point rubric to allow generation of growth curves
- Refinement of the pre-test, post-tests of impact on student learning to include both a quantitative and a performance oriented option, and reflection on that data
- Summary of documents and data to provide for the system each semester was updated and provided to all those teaching courses in the matrix
- Updates & professional development for methods faculty on use of the TEU rubric, their overall role in the longitudinal data system, and use of the inappropriate dispositions reporting process
- Clarification of communication structures between P&P and Graduate Program Directors involved in programs reviewed by NCATE-decision-making structures already existed with TEAC and Graduate Council
- Reviewed and began refining the overarching format for the varied Graduate Programs reporting to the TEU Assessment System
Other changes have come about due to changes in state or national standards. For example, ELED 361 Observation and Assessment in Early Childhood was added to the Kindergarten Endorsement sequence in response to changes in licensing requirements, and the mathematics program has been considering changing its technology requirement to include more specific to content applications in alignment with NCTM expectations for technology use. One major consideration planned for next year will be to focus the key assessments, as the system currently collects more assessments in some areas than may be necessary to assure comprehensive preparation. The P&P Committee has also indicated a desire to revisit the MSU Dispositions in light of the dispositional factors included in the INTASC Standards and new research in that area.