|
Unit vision and mission. The College of Education and
Human Development (COEHD) faculty and its partners reflected on
the Mission and Vision Statements of the institution to establish
a model framework to prepare candidates who will set the standard
for excellence through best practices. Mission: The COEHD
exists to serve the regional, state, national, and global
communities by developing effective professionals through
implementing innovative and progressive programs. Vision:
The faculty of the COEHD prepares candidates to become effective
professionals who set the standard for excellence through best
practices
(Exhibit
CF 1).
Unit philosophy, purposes, goals, and institutional standards.
Through a thorough process of self-reflection and analysis, we
hold our programs up to state and national standards, the
scholarly literature, and the realities of our changing world.
Our purpose, to prepare effective professionals who will
positively impact the lives of students, families, and
communities, is reflected in our curriculum, our instruction, our
field experiences, and our assessment of candidates. The
Conceptual Framework (CF) provides the structure that is necessary
to accomplish this goal. Our model is built upon four structural
elements or components that, when taken together, are necessary
for candidates to become effective professionals. As our
institutional standards, the CF components include knowledge of
learner, strategies and methods, content knowledge, and
professional standards. Diversity and technology are included in
the structural design as themes that are integrated throughout all
programs in the unit. The CF is based on current research about
effective teaching and learning for both novice and accomplished
teachers and for educational leaders. It is a living document
that continuously evolves as opportunities and challenges emerge
to more clearly articulate institutional standards. The
CF Comprehensive Report provides a detailed
explanation, and
Exhibit CF 2
is a glossary of terms. School Counseling
and Speech-language Pathology programs embrace a CF recognized
within their own respective accrediting agencies recognized by
NCATE.
Knowledge of Learner (KL): Candidates’ understanding of the
learner which is necessary to provide effective and equitable
instruction. The educational unit prepares candidates to
demonstrate and value sensitivity to the needs of all learners.
Candidates acquire an understanding of learners as individuals and
incorporate this knowledge as they progress through their
educational experiences at Southeastern. As effective
professionals, they continue that practice throughout their
careers. We believe that KL strongly impacts student
learning. In the Department of Teaching and Learning (T&L), the
Effective Educator understands the learner, learning, and the
complexity and diversity of the two. A variety of methods and
activities are designed to teach candidates about individual
student diversity and fairness. Candidate knowledge is assessed
in multiple ways that are aligned with institutional,
professional, state, and national standards. As Effective School
Leaders, advanced candidates in the Department of Educational
Leadership and Technology (ELT) acquire an understanding of
learners as individuals and incorporate this knowledge in
educational experiences and in practice. Candidates capitalize on
diversity to create a school culture that promotes respect and
success for all students.
Strategies and Methods (SM): Strategies and methods appropriate
to each program within the educational unit which are necessary to
develop effective professionals. The effective professional
demonstrates best practices through inquiry, creativity, and
reflective thinking. Constructive and reflective problem-solving
processes require the effective professional to consider and
integrate complex information. Because of the complexity of
learning, the diverse needs of learners, and the differing social
contexts of schools, we believe Effective Educators must have a
large repertoire of materials, modes of interacting, and ways of
organizing classrooms. In diverse settings, they continue to
develop professional competence in working collaboratively with
mentor teachers, colleagues, administrators, and parents.
Candidates demonstrate knowledge of pedagogy appropriate to
specific content areas as they plan lessons. Various types of
assessment are used to improve teaching and learning, and they
apply best practices for effective classroom management of time,
space, and resources. The Effective School Leader demonstrates
best leadership practices through inquiry, creativity, and
reflective thinking. Field experiences (FX) and clinical practice
activities include reaching out to diverse populations, sensitive
and responsive conferences with parents, and technology
application.
Content Knowledge (CK): Candidates’ thorough understanding of
the content appropriate to the area of specialization.
Candidates exhibit depth of knowledge in their area of
specialization and breadth of understanding of general subjects
within the educational unit. The Effective Educator knows and
presents content area concepts in ways that will positively impact
student achievement. Our candidates have a solid content
background with skills in infusing technology into teaching and
learning. They use assessment and reflection to determine
instructional strategies. Required content courses are taken in
partner colleges. Literacy instruction is integrated across the
curriculum, content area lessons are interrelated, and candidates
facilitate the development of critical, analytical, and reflective
thinking in their students. They recognize how to connect content
to students’ lives and know how to concrete the abstract for
students to be able to truly construct their own understanding.
The Effective School Leader has CK for leading
school improvement and is provided specific knowledge of literacy
and numeracy as preparation for working with school improvement
efforts and families.
Knowledge bases and policies. Professional Standards (PS):
Established criteria that guide effective professionals in each
discipline area. The educational unit is based on
professional standards, enabling candidates to develop the
knowledge, skills, and dispositions to become effective
professionals. University course objectives and learner outcomes
are aligned with national, state, and institutional standards.
Candidates incorporate professional standards as they progress
through their educational experiences at Southeastern and continue
that practice throughout their careers. The Effective
Professional is a reflective practitioner who
understands how learners process information, and provides
learning opportunities that support cognitive, social, and
physical development. Such wisdom of practice is demonstrated
through candidate performance outcomes at several levels within
courses and the assessment system. The
Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium
(INTASC) standards were
adopted by T&L for initial certification programs; T&L advanced
programs adopted the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS); and advanced
programs in ELT adopted standards from the Educational Leadership
Constituency Council (ELCC) and
International Society of Technology in Education Standards (ISTE).
Exhibit CF 3 shows standards alignment with the CF.
The components of the CF along with the two integrated themes of
diversity and technology are supported by established theoretical
perspectives and research-driven practices (CF
Comprehensive Report: References and Theoretical
Support). The CF reflects the Unit’s commitment to preparing
effective professionals who will support learning for all
students. The Unit addresses professional standards of a number
of professional organizations and councils as shown in our reports
for Standards for Professional Associations (SPAs).
Candidate proficiencies. The high expectations for
candidates at the initial and advanced levels are mirrored in the
high expectations of qualified faculty at Southeastern and their
commitment for a positive impact on student achievement. The CF
is the foundation for identifying the knowledge, skills, and
dispositions expected of candidates, and assessment is
accomplished through our fully implemented assessment system. The
COEHD has adopted candidate dispositions which can be grouped into
four major categories: Professional Attributes and Professional
Characteristics, qualities representative of effective
professionals; Professional Relationships, positive interaction
with faculty, peers, students, families, other school personnel,
and community members; and Fairness, equity in practice at
every level within the Unit and in field and clinical experiences
(Exhibit
CF 4). Additionally, we believe professional
development should be ongoing and continuous throughout an
effective professional’s career. We provide support to candidates
identified with deficiencies through the
Teacher Development Program.
The effective professional
draws from multicultural and global perspectives and has a
conceptual understanding of how knowledge, skills, and
dispositions related to diversity are integrated across the
curriculum, instruction, FXs and clinical practice, and
assessments. Opportunities are provided for candidates to
experience and understand the role of fairness and equity in the
teaching and learning process through assignments that focus on
learners’ individual needs, FXs in diverse settings, and
professional development opportunities. Undergraduate and
advanced level courses have been designed to address diversity.
Technology is emphasized in
all programs and is infused and assessed in coursework to support
and improve candidate and student learning at every level of
instruction. The online PASS-PORT assessment system is used to
submit electronic portfolios, and in-service opportunities in
technology are offered on an on-going basis. Southeastern and the
COEHD offer many distance education courses, and a high percentage
of on-campus courses use Blackboard.
Assessment system.
Cohesion is a vital part of programs throughout the Unit and is
demonstrated by candidates completing courses in sequence which
build on an integrative focus. Candidates’ experiences build from
introduction to application and include introductory, developing,
and competency levels in initial certification programs and
emerging, proficiency, and capstone levels in advanced programs.
To assure fairness, syllabi contain specific course expectations
and assessments, and program handbooks are available online. The
CF served as a foundation for developing our Unit electronic
assessment system,
PASS-PORT. Each candidate’s progress is documented and
assessed, and portals within the system ensure candidates have
successfully achieved expectations before advancing. The
electronic portfolios contain artifacts that support the
achievement of skills with connected standards and reflective
writings. Assessment results are used for improvement on multiple
levels–by candidates to guide and refine learning; by instructors
to identify strengths and weaknesses in individual course
instruction and candidate learning; by departments to show overall
strengths and weaknesses, institutional reporting, and program
assessment; and by the Unit for needs assessment, program review
and revisions, and accountability.
Changes in the CF. The
CF Comprehensive Report and
CF Minutes provide detailed information of the CF
development. After the 2002 NCATE
visit, several concerns were identified: 1) the CF did not
represent the entire Unit, 2) CF components were difficult to
understand, 3) the role of diversity was not clearly articulated,
4) the integration of technology was not stressed, and 5) advanced
programs were not included. A self-study was designed, piloted by
the CF team, revised, and administered to faculty.
Exhibit CF 5 contains the surveys, and results are
indicated in
CF Survey Results. Outcomes have included revisions to
the Unit’s mission and vision statements, the CF components and
descriptive statements, a revised graphic,
Exhibit CF 6, and
a list of terms,
Exhibit CF 2. For example, the term, Effective
Educator, was replaced with Effective Professional and
more accurate candidate descriptors: Effective Educators
(T&L) and Effective School Leaders (ELT). Of
particular note is the conclusion that diversity and technology
should not be additional components, but rather become themes
integral to each component.
As the CF has evolved into a
more comprehensive guide, full implementation of revisions has
been accomplished throughout the Unit. An exciting collaborative
outcome is the
CF PowerPoint presentation used to present the CF to
candidates, faculty, partner colleges, and school partners.
University supervisors are
now designated liaisons to supervising teachers in the field.
Survey data indicate components are clearly understood and areas
of concern have been addressed (CF
Survey Results). Input has further indicated
considerations for the next cycle, such as additional information
on bookmarks and further analysis of the Unit’s beliefs about the
role of fairness. The CF team continues to lead efforts to inform
partners, candidates, and outside examiners about Unit purposes
and goals established by the CF. As the CF evolves, we recognize
that together, the four components and the integration of
diversity and technology complete the framework that provides
direction for us to prepare candidates to become Effective
Professionals who will continue to set the standard for excellence
through best practice. |
