Undergraduate Assessment Plan

Data collected within the programs is organized into two categories: Performance of Candidates and Performance of Program Graduates. A description of the types of data collected in each of these areas follows.

Performance of Candidates

There are four types of data collected on the performance of candidates in the program: Objective Tests, Authentic Application Assignments, Portfolios, and Observations.

• Objective Tests: Measure students' acquisition of factual knowledge and rudimentary application of concepts and skills. Examples of objective tests include multiple choice and short answer tests, precision teaching fluency timings, and scripted out lesson segments for teaching specific content.
• Authentic Application Assignments: Class assignments in which students perform a specific task that is required in professional settings. The task may be simulated in class such as teaching role plays, or may require conducting the actual task in their practica, e.g., eligibility assessment, mathematics curriculum based assessment, behavior change project, or functional behavior analysis project.
• Portfolios: There are two types of portfolios: Practicum Portfolios and Student Teaching Portfolios. Portfolios are semester long projects in which students demonstrate competence in individual areas as well as integration across areas. For example, in the Student Teaching Portfolio, students demonstrate competence in the individual areas of standardized assessment, curriculum-based assessment, and individualized educational plans. Integration of these three individual tasks is critical as students interpret the results of an eligibility assessment (standardized tests).
  Using the results of the standardized test and additional information available in the school setting, the student teacher develops and administers curriculum-based assessments to collect further information for instructional purposes. With the results of the curriculum-based assessments, the student participates in developing an individualized education plan. Following the process from assessment to instructional planning demonstrates mastery of individual tasks as well as integration across tasks.
  The Student Teaching Portfolio is comprised of eleven areas that align with CEC/NCATE National Standards: Philosophy of Education, Administration of a Standardized Test, Administration of Curriculum-Based Assessment, Behavioral Observation, IEP Development, Implementation of Instructional Programs, Functional Behavior Assessment, Behavior Change Project, Training of Professional or Other Staff, Consulting with Teachers, and Consulting with Parents. Each area includes a general rationale that is linked to the Philosophy of Education statement and documentation of performance in each area of evaluation.
  
• Observation Data: Data collected on the performance of candidates in the Special Education Programs. The student's University Supervisor and Cooperating Teacher each provide observation data. These data are compiled using objective observation forms that evaluate the student's performance in the areas of instruction, classroom management, assessment and organization, and professional.

Performance of Program Graduates

There are two types of data collected on graduates of the Early Childhood program during the induction years: ESCE Survey & Employer Evaluation of Alumni

• ESCE Survey: Completed by graduates of the Early Childhood endorsement program. Graduates are asked to rate the content of each course taken in the program using a Likert scale ranging from Not important to Essential. Graduates also answer open-ended questions about the usefulness of the seminars and practica.
• Employer Evaluation of Alumni: Data collected on graduates during the induction year. This evaluation has three parts. The first part asks the employer to rate the teacher's preparedness in sixteen areas. The second part asks the employer to compare the teacher to other staff members with the same position and experience. The third part is an open-ended format with questions eliciting perceived strengths and weaknesses, recommendations, and additional comments/concerns.

How Data is Used to Make Decisions

The Department has various procedures in place to examine data and make decisions based on it. First, we have meetings of the undergraduate and graduate programs and of the general faculty every other Friday. We also have an annual, three-day retreat. Further, special meetings and mini-retreats are held periodical on an as-needed basis to resolve issues and make program decisions. At these meetings, we review student data as well as data from employer surveys, placement data, enrollment data and other information pertinent to needs assessments. Further, there are annual meetings of our advisory boards in which program data is presented, reviewed and used to make decisions. Based on the various forms of data we routinely collect, we have continuously revised our special education curriculum, our doctoral program curriculum and our rehabilitation counseling program curriculum. We have also periodically altered the content, procedures and assignments in our practica, added and improved our use of technology, re-created our web site to make it more useful and consumer friendly and improved the articulation of our courses to make our programs more programmatic.