Dept of Special Education & Rehabilitation 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.
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