College of Education
PO Box 5774
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5774
(928) 523-2611
Page Status: DRAFT
Last Update: 7/26/06
Contact: Kathy Hildebrand
This page contains information regarding NAU's progress and plans related to meeting or exceeding the NCATE unit-level standards. While academic programs, departments, and the university as a whole will need to demonstrate progress towards unit-level standards, individual candidates are also responsible for meeting certain unit-level standards. Candidates' progress towards unit-level standards will be measured at four "transition points" throughout their academic program.
Standard 1—Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions
Candidates preparing to work in schools as teachers or other professional school personnel know and demonstrate the content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards.
Element 1: Content Knowledge for Teacher Candidates
Acceptable Benchmark: Teacher candidates know the subject matter that they plan to teach and can explain important principles and concepts delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Eighty percent or more of the unit's program completers pass the academic content examinations in states that require such examinations for licensure.
Information Source(s): Coming from SPA and OAA Reports; OAA will aggregate data based on initial programs and advanced programs for teacher candidates separately; COE will use aggregated data report to write unit level report)
Element 2: Content Knowledge for Other Professional School Personnel
Information Source(s): Coming from SPA and OAA Reports; OAA will aggregate data based on other professional school personnel programs; COE will use aggregated data report to write unit level report
Element 3: Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teacher Candidates
Acceptable Benchmark: Teacher candidates have a broad knowledge of instructional strategies that draws upon content and pedagogical knowledge and skills delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards to help all students learn. They facilitate student learning of the subject matter through presentation of the content in clear and meaningful ways and through the integration of technology.
Information Source(s): Coming from SPA and OAA Reports; OAA will aggregate data based on initial programs and advanced programs for teacher candidates separately; COE will use aggregated data report to write unit level report
"Integration of Technology" ---- find assessment in ETC447 for Elementary Education students and a methods course for Secondary Students; applies to all initial preparation programs
Element 4: Professional and Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills for Teacher Candidates
Acceptable Benchmark: Teacher candidates can apply their professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards to facilitate learning. They consider the school, family, and community contexts in which they work and the prior experience of students to develop meaningful
learning experiences.Information Source(s): Coming from student teacher evaluation data --- need to identify questions from student teaching evaluation form with this Element
Information Source(s): Coming from SPA and OAA Reports; Identify the assessments from SPA and OAA Reports that align with this element, as they are received --- report this information to Kathy (especially if we find holes); OAA will aggregate data based on initial programs and advanced programs for teacher candidates separately; COE will use aggregated data report to write unit level report
Element 5: Professional Knowledge and Skills for Other School Personnel
Information Source(s): Coming from SPA and OAA Reports; Identify the assessments from SPA and OAA Reports that align with this element, as they are received --- report this information to Kathy (especially if we find holes); Check to see if we need to request data from accredited programs to include; OAA will aggregate data; COE will use aggregated data report to write unit level report
Element 6: Dispositions for All Candidates
Acceptable Benchmark: Candidates are familiar with the dispositions expected of professionals. Their work with students, families, and communities reflects the dispositions delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards.
INFORM PROGRAMS/REQUEST ASSISTANCE
Survey data that is collected from all students at post admissions and exit from student teaching or a capstone courseElement 7: Student Learning for Teacher Candidates
Acceptable Benchmark: Teacher candidates focus on student learning as shown in their assessment of student learning, use of assessments in instruction, and development of meaningful learning experiences for students based on their developmental levels and prior experience.
Information Source(s): Coming from student teacher evaluation data --- need to identify questions from student teaching evaluation form with this Element
Information Source(s): Coming from SPA and OAA Reports; Identify the assessments from SPA and OAA Reports that align with this element, as they are received --- report this information to Kathy (especially if we find holes); OAA will aggregate data based on initial programs and advanced programs for teacher candidates separately; COE will use aggregated data report to write unit level report
NOTE: MAKE SURE THAT DEMONSTRATING STUDENT LEARNING IS PART OF THE OAA TEMPLATE.
Element 8: Student Learning for Other Professional School Personnel
Standard 2—Program Assessment and Unit Capacity
The unit has an assessment system that collects and analyzes data on the applicant qualifications, candidate and graduate performance, and unit operations to evaluate and improve the unit and its programs.
Element 1: Assessment System
Acceptable Benchmark: The unit has developed an assessment system with its professional community that reflects the conceptual framework(s) and professional and state standards. The unit’s system includes a comprehensive and integrated set of evaluation measures that are used to monitor candidate performance and manage and improve operations and programs. Decisions about candidate performance are based on multiple assessments made at admission into programs, at appropriate transition points, and at program completion. Assessments used to determine admission, continuation in, and completion of programs are predictors of candidate success. The unit takes effective steps to eliminate sources of bias in performance assessments and works to establish the fairness, accuracy, and consistency of its assessment procedures.
Element 2: Data Collection, Analysis, and Evaluation
Acceptable Benchmark: The unit maintains an assessment system that provides regular and comprehensive information on applicant qualifications, candidate proficiencies, competence of graduates, unit operations, and program quality. Using multiple assessments from internal and external sources, the unit collects data from applicants, candidates, recent graduates, faculty, and other members of the professional community. The unit maintains a record of formal candidate complaints and documentation of their resolution. These data are regularly and systematically compiled, summarized, and analyzed to improve candidate performance, program quality, and unit operations. The unit maintains its assessment system through the use of information technologies.
Element 3: Use of Date for Program Improvement
Acceptable Benchmark: The unit regularly and systematically uses data, including candidate and graduate performance information, to evaluate the efficacy of its courses,
programs, and clinical experiences. The unit analyzes program evaluation and performance assessment data to initiate changes where indicated. Candidate and faculty assessment data are regularly shared with candidates and faculty respectively to
help them reflect on their performance and improve it.
Standard 3—Field Experiences and Clinical Practice
The unit and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates and other school personnel develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn.
Element 1: Collaboration between Unit and School Partners
Acceptable Benchmark: The unit, its school partners, and other members of the professional community design, deliver, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice to help candidates develop their knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The unit and its school partners jointly determine the specific placement of student teachers and
interns for other professional roles to provide appropriate learning experiences.Element 2: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Field Experiences and Clinical Practice
Acceptable Benchmark: Field experiences facilitate candidates’ development as professional educators by providing opportunities for candidates to observe in schools and other agencies, tutor students, assist teachers or other school personnel, attend school board meetings, and participate in education-related community events prior to clinical practice. Both field experiences and clinical practice reflect the unit’s conceptual framework(s) and help candidates continue to develop the content, professional, and pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions delineated in standards. Clinical practice allows candidates to use information technology to support teaching and learning. Clinical practice is sufficiently extensive and intensive for candidates to demonstrate proficiencies in the professional roles for which they are preparing.
Criteria for clinical faculty are clear and known to all of the involved parties. Clinical faculty are accomplished school professionals. Clinical faculty provide regular and continuing support for student teachers and other interns through such processes as observation, conferencing, group discussion, email, and the use of other technology.
Element 3: Candidates’ Development and Demonstration of Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions to Help All Students Learn
Acceptable Benchmark: Entry and exit criteria exist for candidates in clinical practice. Assessments used in clinical practice are linked to candidate competencies delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Multiple assessment strategies are used to evaluate candidates’ performance and effect on student learning. Candidates, school faculty, and college or university faculty jointly conduct assessments of candidate performance throughout clinical practice. Both field experiences and clinical practice allow time for reflection and include feedback from peers and clinical faculty. Field experiences and clinical practice provide opportunities for candidates to develop and demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions for helping all students learn. All candidates participate in field experiences or clinical practice that include students with exceptionalities and students from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups.
Standard 4—Diversity
The unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. These experiences include working with diverse higher education and school faculty, diverse candidates, and diverse students in P–12 schools.
Element 1: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Curriculum and Experiences
Acceptable Benchmark: The unit clearly articulates the proficiencies that candidates are expected to develop during their professional program. Curriculum and accompanying field experiences are designed to help candidates understand the importance of diversity in teaching and learning. Candidates learn to develop and teach lessons that incorporate diversity and develop a classroom and school climate that values diversity. Candidates become aware of different teaching and learning styles shaped by cultural influences and are able to adapt instruction and services appropriately for all students, including students with exceptionalities. They demonstrate
dispositions that value fairness and learning by all students. Assessments of candidate proficiencies provide data on the ability to help all students learn. Candidates’ assessment data are used to provide feedback to candidates for improving their knowledge, skills, and dispositions.Element 2: Experiences Working with Diverse Faculty
Acceptable Benchmark: Candidates interact in classroom settings on campus and in schools with professional education faculty, faculty from other units, and school faculty from diverse ethnic, racial, and gender groups. Faculty with whom candidates work in professional education classes and clinical practice have knowledge and experiences related to preparing candidates to work with students from diverse cultural backgrounds, including students with exceptionalities. The affirmation of the value of diversity is shown through good-faith efforts made to increase or maintain faculty diversity.
Element 3: Experiences Working with Diverse Candidates
Acceptable Benchmark: Candidates interact and work with candidates from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups in professional education courses on campus and in schools. Candidates from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups work together on committees and education projects related to education and the content areas. The affirmation of the values of diversity\ is shown through good-faith efforts made to increase or maintain candidate diversity.
Element 4: Experiences Working with Diverse Students in P–12 Schools
Acceptable Benchmark: Field experiences or clinical practice in settings with exceptional populations and students from different ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups are designed for candidates to develop and practice their
knowledge, skills, and dispositions for working with all students. Feedback from peers and supervisors helps candidates reflect on their ability to help all students learn.
Standard 5—Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development
Standard 6—Unit Governance and Resources
Send note to Ed Tech faculty and SPA representative to find out what to do about the verification of teacher license.
