Wells College
Education Program Assessment Plan
September 24, 2007
Our Mission
The
Wells College Teacher Education Program is dedicated to the philosophy
that teaching is a creative, collaborative, rigorous, and intellectually
exciting enterprise.Our purpose is
to prepare our students to teach diverse populations of children responsibly
and effectively; and create inspired and responsive educators who will
engage in the challenging work of reforming education for the 21st
century.
Education
Program Goals and Major Objectives:
NOTE:The
first two objectives apply across all goals.There
is clearly additional overlap but for practical purposes the remaining
objectives have been listed under specific goals.
1.Wells’
pre-service teachers will understand that learning is an active process
of constructing meaning from information and experience.
They
will develop the skills necessary to:
·Consistently
engage students in varied, rigorous and meaningful learning experiences.
·Assess
student learning using multiple, varied tools including performance and
authentic tasks
Specifically
they will . . .
a.Engage
in collaborative and individual inquiry about teaching, learning, and schools,
and effectively communicate their understandings.
b.Critically
analyze current educational theory in order to translate these understandings
into responsive, effective practice.
c.Apply
varied technology to enhance curriculum, instruction and assessment.
d.Develop
a variety of active learning experiences and authentic performance tasks
for students across content areas.
2.Wells’
pre-service teachers will understand that although basic principles of
learning, motivation, and effective instruction apply to all learners (regardless
of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, socioeconomic status
etc.) learners differ in their preferences for learning mode and strategies,
the pace in which they learn, and unique capabilities in particular areas.
They
will develop the skills necessary to:
·Identify
and analyze a range of students’ instructional needs.
·Provide
effective instruction responsive to the individual and developmental needs
of students within an inclusive environment.
Specifically
they will . . .
-
Engage in
collaborative and individual inquiry about teaching, learning, and schools,
and effectively communicate their understandings.
-
Critically
analyze current educational theory in order to translate these understandings
into responsive, effective practice.
-
Research
and analyze concepts and issues underlying classroom diversity in order
to develop inclusive classroom practices.
-
Analyze,
explain and apply strategies for differentiating instruction.
3.Wells’
pre-service teachers will understand that effective teaching is a reflective,
decision-making process based on what we know about teaching, learning
and our students.
They
will develop the skills necessary to:
·Research
and critically analyze effective teaching practice.
·Create
thoughtful instructional and curricular plans.
·Self-assess
their instructional and curricular decisions.
·Modify
their classroom practice as a result of their reflection.
Specifically
they will . . .
-
Engage in
collaborative and individual inquiry about teaching, learning, and schools,
and effectively communicate their understandings.
-
Critically
analyze current educational theory in order to translate these understandings
into responsive, effective practice.
-
Create short
and long-range instructional and curricular plans.
-
Reflect
thoughtfully on their work, performance, decision-making process and on
the general practice of teaching.
4.Wells’
pre-service teachers will understand that schools function within the broader
contexts of society, culture and politics.
They
will develop the skills necessary to:
·Work
successfully within school communities.
·Implement
local, state and national learning standards
·Work
to understand current educational issues and reform education across all
levels.
Specifically
they will . . .
-
Engage in
collaborative and individual inquiry about teaching, learning, and schools,
and effectively communicate their understandings.
-
Critically
analyze current educational theory in order to translate these understandings
into responsive, effective practice.
-
Analyze
the New York State and National Learning Standards and apply their understanding
of these guidelines when developing learning opportunities and assessments.
-
Collaborate
effectively within school communities in order to meet the learning needs
of students.
-
Recognize
injustices in the education system and develop strategies fro addressing
them.
5.Well’s
pre-service teachers will understand that academic and ethical growth is
heightened when individuals participate in respectful, caring, well-managed
communities that support student autonomy and social interactions.
They
will develop the skills necessary to:
·Build
a sense of community within classrooms
·Manage
a classroom effectively.
Specifically
they will . . .
-
Engage in
collaborative and individual inquiry about teaching, learning, and schools,
and effectively communicate their understandings.
-
Critically
analyze current educational theory in order to translate these understandings
into responsive, effective practice.
-
Analyze,
develop and apply cooperative learning, team building and class building
activities.
-
Develop
the knowledge and skill base necessary to organize and manage a democratic
classroom effectively.
6.Well’s
pre-service teachers will develop the rich content understandings necessary
to support effective instruction.
They
will develop the skills necessary to:
·Utilize
their rich, subject matter expertise in the context of instruction.
·Critically
analyze content materials.
·Extend
and refine their subject matter expertise throughout their teaching career.
Specifically
they will . . .
-
Engage in
collaborative and individual inquiry about teaching, learning, and schools,
and effectively communicate their understandings.
-
Critically
analyze current educational theory in order to translate these understandings
into responsive, effective practice.
-
Collaborate
with content experts in order to develop “content-rich” learning experiences.
-
Analyze,
develop and apply effective literacy practices across all content areas.
Student Assessment Activities
Students
will engage in a variety of assessment activities including. . .
·Discussing
and evaluating educational theory and pedagogy as they relate to specific
course content
·Researching,
analyzing, and evaluating current educational topics and trends
·Discussing,
analyzing, evaluating and implementing a range of instructional and assessment
strategies
·Designing
and implementing effective lesson plans and instructional units
·Observing
and analyzing teaching experiences
·Applying
the skills of a reflective practitioner through dialogue and writings
Students
will develop the knowledge, declarative and procedural, and thinking skills
that will enable them to be effective, responsive and reflective classroom
teachers.Assessment will be on-going
and an integral part of classroom instruction.Learning
will be demonstrated through multiple validations including:
Products
-
Journal
entries
-
Reading
response papers
-
Research
papers
-
Lesson plans
-
Curriculum
units
-
Assessment
plans and analysis
-
Portfolios
Process
-
Reflections
-
Classroom
discussions and participation
·Student
conferences—feedback and planning
-
Cooperative
learning exercises
Performance
· Individual
and team presentations
The culminating, summative assessment for certification students will be
both a performance and product demonstration. The
performance will be in the form of two student teaching experiences (15
weeks). The product will be
a portfolio. Both assessments
are designed for students to demonstrate competency in the areas designated
by the New York State Teaching Standards.
Please see attached
course outlines for specific assessment information and criteria.
Program
Assessment Activities
The
Education Program uses a variety of tools to assess its effectiveness.These
include:
-
Course evaluations
(collected every semester)
-
Field Experience
Evaluations completed by cooperating teachers (collected every semester)
-
Cooperating
Teachers Exit Interview following completion of student teaching (collected
every semester)
-
Student
Exit Interview following completion of the Program (collected annually)
-
Assessment
of Wells College Education Program, a survey for Program completers after
they have been teaching for at least one year (collected every two years)
-
Assessment
of Wells College Education Program, a survey for principals and mentor
teachers who have supervised a Program completer for at least one year
(collected every two years)
-
Collaborative
review of student work (reviewed every three years)
Please
see attachments.
Data
from the assessment activities will be analyzed in depth on a rotating
basis.
Year
One: Collaborative review of student work
Year
Two: Data from students and cooperating teachers participating in the Wells
Program (example—field evaluations, exit interviews, NYS Assessment scores)
Year
Three: Data collected from sources following participation in the Wells
Program (example—survey for program completers in the field, survey for
principals and mentor teachers)
Course Alignment & Assessment Tools
275 Book Review Rubric
275 Genre Project Rubric
405
Midterm Lesson Analysis Rubric
105, 315,
325, 405, 406, 408, 410 Assessment
275, 301, 302, 331,
332 Assessment
Data Analysis
Program & Student Evaluation