Teacher Education Program

Vision of the Cedarville University Teacher Education Program:

The vision of teaching that guides the Cedarville University teacher education program is that of the effective and compassionate teacher, preparing to be a reflective practitioner and inquiring professional. Assuming that teachers continue to develop over time cognitively, technically, and professionally, the program emphasizes dispositions which reflect our mission, as well as the continued acquisition of specific skills and knowledge.

Mission of the Cedarville University Teacher Education Program:

The mission of the Cedarville University Teacher Education Program is to prepare compassionate, professional educators who are committed to the integration of faith, learning, and life as demonstrated in teaching competence and Christlike character through leadership and service.

The core value of integrating faith, life, and learning is supported by an understanding and foundation in biblical studies and a liberal arts background. The accomplishment of teaching competence is seen in the mastery of a teaching specialization, and a research based professional education core. Christlike character is developed throughout the Cedarville experience, but especially as it relates to attitudes and dispositions essential to a teaching career. Teaching effectively and serving compassionately in diverse settings, our teachers are ready to contribute to the school and to the community through their leadership and service as they positively impact students’ lives.

The mission statement is the central goal in the Teacher Education Program of Cedarville University for students to become compassionate and competent professional educators whose leadership and service are rooted in Christlike character. All of this is built on the foundation of a biblical worldview, where faith, learning, and life come together to form an integrated whole. This is reflective of the mission of Cedarville University and is a primary task at the heart of all who learn and do at Cedarville. This is accomplished in the Teacher Education Program (TEP), through an integrated curriculum and the concentrated effort of each member of the department to guide each student through teaching and learning activities, readings, assignments and experiences which are designed to help them integrate their faith and learning in each course they take. This is the goal we hope they will make central to their own pursuit of excellence throughout the program.

Each of the five major goals of Integration, Competence, Character, Leadership, and Service represented in our mission statement are crucial to a student’s development as a compassionate professional educator. The goal of competence is subdivided into seven areas which reflect solid research in effective teaching, and the assessment measures by which students will be judged as a beginning teacher. The foundational goal which supports these competencies represents the unique mission of the integration of faith, life, and learning as demonstrated in character, leadership, and service. Also inherent within our program are the goals or state standards as developed by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and those standards published by the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC). These criteria together represent critical aspects of teaching and when mastered should result in a successful and effective teaching career!

Teacher Education Program Licensure Certification Preparation:

The Teacher Education program at Cedarville University offers licensure certification in the following programs:

• Primary (P-5) Education- grades Pre-Kindergarten – grade 5
• Middle Childhood Education- grades 4th – 9th with concentrations in two of the following fields:
• Middle Childhood Math
• Middle Childhood Science,
• Middle Childhood Language Arts,
• Middle Childhood Social Studies.
• Adolescent Young Adult Education- grades 7th – 12th with one concentration in:
• Integrated Language Arts
• Integrated Mathematics
• Integrated Social Studies
• Integrated Science
• Physical Sciences: Chemistry
• Multi-Age Education: grades Kindergarten – 12th:
• Modern Language- Spanish
• Music
• Physical Education
• Physical Education/Health
• Special Education (Intervention Specialist – Mild to Moderate Needs)
• Double Major of Primary (P–5) Education and Special Education (Intervention Specialist) Education
• Endorsements- may be added onto an existing license program:
• TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages)

Teacher Education Program Assessment Plan Overview:

Purpose

The purpose of the Cedarville University teacher education program assessment plan is to ensure that candidates demonstrate integration, competence, character, leadership, and service to the level expected of Cedarville program completers. A further purpose is for the faculty to monitor their own character, leadership and compassionate service as well as their competence in enabling our candidates to meet the goals set for them in our program. Additionally, we want our teacher education program to show continuous improvement and to adapt to meet the needs of new generations of teachers.

Philosophy

We believe that our assessment plan should: 1) evaluate our candidates as they strive for excellence in their preparation for teaching, 2) assess our faculty and curriculum as we strive for excellence in teaching and professional service; 3) inform our faculty and administrators’ decisions which maintain quality teacher preparation programs.

We believe this is accomplished by: 1) setting clear criteria and delineating high expectations; 2) maintaining a system that gives regular feedback to candidates, faculty, and other stakeholders; 3) providing feedback that can be used in both formative and summative ways; and, 4) applying standards in fair and consistent ways, characterized by reason rather than rigidity.

We also believe that the goal of education is to gain wisdom, which is the effective moral application of knowledge and skills. Practical application of knowledge and skills in extensive and well-supervised classroom teaching experiences is one of the primary distinctives of our program; thus, our assessment system is heavily weighted toward performance assessment of the candidate in the preK-12 classroom.

Use of Data

Data is used to: 1) provide feedback to teacher candidates and prospective teacher candidates regarding their progress through the program, and suggestions for improvement; 2) provide feedback to professors, supervisors, and cooperating professionals regarding the efficacy of courses and clinical experiences and how they can be improved; 3) make decisions about the progression of teacher candidates; and 4) make decisions about teacher education program courses, policies, and procedures.

Core Outcomes and Alignments

In order to more clearly define integration, competence, character, leadership, and service for the purpose of assessment, the Teacher Education Program Outcomes were revised and approved by the teacher education faculty and the internal and external advisory councils during the 2012-2013 academic year. The intention is to assess most of the individual outcomes and all of the categories at least once at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.

Our assessment system is aligned with: 1) the five major elements of the conceptual framework—integration, competence, character, leadership, and service; 2) INTASC standards; 3) NCATE standards , 4) Standards for Ohio Educators and 5) HLC Institutional Portrait Statements. Each program area has a similar chart showing alignment among: 1) the teacher education program outcomes; 2) the INTASC standards; and, 3) the standards of the specialized professional associations (SPAs).

The Assessment System

At the individual candidate level, the system features decisions about candidate performance based on multiple assessments made at admission into the program, at appropriate transition points, and at program completion. Program faculty, cooperating teachers, and university supervisors assess candidates’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions through course and field-based assessments at various gates, which we call decision points. We use data from these assessments to make decisions about candidate performance at pre-admission, developmental, and program completion stages. A primary feature of the system is the utilization of unit assessments, linked to the conceptual framework and to the eleven candidate proficiency outcomes, which are required of all candidates regardless of the instructor teaching the course or the program in which the candidate is enrolled. The students’ progress is monitored through the Education Academic Database.

As we designed our assessment system, we planned for multiple internal and external assessments at 3 or 4 major decision points, and benchmarks for remaining in good standing in the programs. These decision points include a) application to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) and admission to methods blocks; b) progression to the upper level clinical methods block c) progression to the internship (all programs); d) application for licensure and program completer.

To be admitted to the TEP, pre-candidates must meet the admission requirements one semester before enrolling in the first methods course or block for their prospective program.

At the time of application to the TEP, pre-candidates must meet requirements listed under decision point 1, complete an application and be referred by their advisor and one external evaluator. If there are questions about the candidate’s fitness, they may also be requested to have an interview with a faculty member.

The following list outlines the transition points or decision points when the unit does a review to determine if candidates are developing the proficiencies and meeting the unit’s expectations this would allow them to continue in the TEP program. The unit’s policies to address candidates who are not meeting the unit’s expectations are described after each decision point:

Decision point 1: Application to the Teacher Education Program

• Minimum GPA requirements (2.75 overall GPA; 2.7 Education GPA with no grade lower than C-; 2.5 GPA in courses required for teaching major, concentration areas, or early childhood/special education content core with no grade lower than C-)
• A measure of basic skills (Passing ACT, SAT, or Praxis Core exams - pass rates vary by year)
• Completion of course prerequisites (TEP core courses)
• Satisfactory completion of early field experiences (EDUC 1050, Preliminary School Involvement; EDUC 2050, Teaching Diverse Learners; EDSP 2100, Exceptionalities and Behavior Field Experience)
• Successful completion of an integration paper outlining how the five core values of the Cedarville University Teacher Education Program (integration, competence, character, leadership, and service) relate to the teaching profession and to the candidate’s developing ability to integrate faith, learning, and life
• Satisfactory performance on TEP unit assessments for decision point 1 (integration paper; diversity field experience reflective journal; exceptionalities and behavior field experience assignment)
• Satisfactory dispositional ratings (faculty and field experience cooperating teachers)
• Valid “no record” background check for state of Ohio and/or FBI check for out-of-state candidates and signed statement of good moral conduct
• Satisfactory recommendation by the student’s advisor and one external evaluator
• Completed application for acceptance into the TEP

The School of Education Dean or designee and the Director of Teacher Education Services conduct a requirement audit for each candidate submitting an application and make one of three recommendations to the faculty. Candidates who have met all requirements are recommended for acceptance into the TEP program; candidates who have met all requirements, but are currently enrolled in prerequisite coursework are recommended for conditional acceptance, and their transcripts are reviewed again at the end of the semester; candidates who have not completed all requirements, or will not have met them by the end of the semester, are recommended for denial into the TEP. Results of the requirement audits are presented to faculty at a weekly department meeting where faculty make decisions regarding candidates. Decisions are documented in department meeting minutes. Candidates denied admittance to the TEP may petition the department for special consideration by submitting, in writing, an explanation for their deficiencies and a plan and timeline for meeting all requirements. Petitions are collected by the Department Chair and shared with faculty at the next department meeting. Decisions of faculty regarding TEP acceptance, delays, denials, and petitions are recorded in the department minutes. Copies of all correspondence are placed in the candidate’s file, and the School of Ed Dean or designee maintains an archive of all e-mail messages sent to candidates. Candidates may petition the department for special consideration if they require a delay in the application of TEP entry-level criteria. If the petition is denied, the candidate may enter the formal complaint and grievance policies and procedures. Petitions that are resolved without moving forward to the formal process are maintained by the School of Ed Dean or designee. The Cedarville University Teacher Education Program Handbook describes the process for formal complaints and grievance policies and procedures. The School of Ed Dean or designee maintains files of formal complaints, grievance appeals, resolutions, and correspondence.

Decision point 2: Progression to Methods II (for early childhood education, middle childhood education, and multi-age special education)

At the end of the classroom portion of the Methods I block, and again at the end of the methods clinical experience(s), candidates are assessed by professors and cooperating teachers before being allowed to progress. In addition, candidates’ TEP assessment transcript must document that they are making the expected progress toward meeting the institutional standards and the candidate proficiency outcomes outlined in the conceptual framework. To maintain regular standing in the TEP, candidates complete and maintain the following requirements:

• Minimum GPA requirements (2.75 overall GPA; 2.7 Education GPA with no grade lower than a C- in all methods courses; 2.5 GPA with no grade lower than C- in courses required for concentration areas or early childhood/special education content core)
• Satisfactory completion of Methods I clinical experience
• Satisfactory dispositional ratings (faculty, supervisor, cooperating teacher)
• Satisfactory performance on TEP unit assessments for decision point 2

Candidates who do not meet minimum expectations (i.e., poor grades, negative dispositional ratings, lack of responsibility or effort, etc.) are placed on the "at-risk list.” At that time, the department determines an appropriate course for remediation following the procedures outlined in the Teacher Education Program Handbook. The candidate is assigned a professor to mentor the candidate and monitor progress through the remediation period. Past remediation plans have included strategies such as independent studies in writing or content area(s), weekly accountability meetings with an advisor, counseling, extended field experience, retaking a course, or redoing a methods clinical experience. Given a candidate’s acceptable performance on remediating the identified deficit, the candidate is allowed to continue on the path toward licensure. Should the candidate continue to perform at an unacceptable level, the professor of record will report to the School of School of Education, and the School of Education faculty will make a ruling regarding the candidate's continuance in the program. Generally, at this time candidates are encouraged to pursue another major.

Decision point 3: Progression to the Internship for all programs

At the end of the last clinical methods block, candidates submit an application for student teaching, and a second requirement audit is conducted to ensure candidates have completed all required coursework and earned the appropriate GPAs to qualify for the student teaching. Candidates’ TEP assessment transcripts must document that they are making the expected progress toward meeting the institutional standards and the candidate proficiency outcomes outlined in the conceptual framework. Each candidate is reviewed by the university supervisor and cooperating teacher during the methods clinical experience. Student Teaching applicants who have met all requirements are officially approved by the School of Education faculty. Candidates are not allowed to progress to student teaching unless they have demonstrated acceptable content, professional, and pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to help all students learn and have taken all required exams. Measures include:

• Minimum GPA requirements (2.75 overall GPA; 2.7 Education GPA with no grade lower than a C- in all methods courses; 2.5 GPA with no grade lower than C- in courses required for concentration areas or early childhood/special education content core)
• Satisfactory completion of Methods I clinical experience
• Satisfactory dispositional ratings (faculty, supervisor, cooperating teacher)
• Satisfactory performance on TEP unit assessments for decision point 3 (unit lesson plans and reflection assignments)
• Completed attempt on all required state of Ohio licensure exams for the program

Decision point 4: Program completer and recommendation for licensure

Candidates must successfully complete student teaching, including evaluation of performance by the cooperating teacher and university supervisor. The candidate must be cleared for graduation with the requisite GPAs. Measures include:

• Minimum GPA and grade requirements (2.75 GPA in Education; C- or above in all methods classes)
• Successful completion of student teaching and seminar requirements
• Satisfactory dispositional ratings (faculty, supervisor, cooperating teacher)
• Satisfactory performance on TEP unit assessments for decision point 3 (Christian World View in Education paper; dispositional assessments)
• Valid “no record” background check for state of Ohio and FBI check.
• Completion of edTPA (if required)
• All requirements for graduation completed; recommendation for licensure contingent upon the posting of the degree on the transcript
• Passing of all required OAE exams- this is not a requirement for graduation. The State of Ohio requires this for licensure. We cannot submit a license application for a student who has not successfully completed all exams.

Data is collected from multiple sources through the use of VIA by Watermark and forms aligned with the data points in our conceptual framework. The university supervisors and candidates then work together to ensure all field-based evaluations are collected. All steps and activities required to maintain candidate data from the four decision points have been mapped for each semester by activity, time, data points collected, data collection instrument, person responsible, and data entry responsibilities. Key assessment data is collected either through VIA by Watermark or through the Education Department Database.

Assessment of teacher candidates is formative and ongoing throughout the teacher education program; however, at these four specific decision points in the program data also becomes summative in nature in that teacher candidates are not allowed to proceed until progress at that expected standard is documented.

Decision Point 5: Follow-up Assessment

These are the processes that the unit uses to insure that the assessments are accurate and consistent:

The unit utilizes a number of assessments to manage and improve its operations and programs:

• exit surveys of student teachers
• university alumni surveys (completed through Alumni and Career Services Offices)
• course and faculty evaluations
• faculty scholarship survey
• Cooperating teacher survey
• Supervisor survey

Each semester, exit surveys are administered to all interns where they are provided the opportunity to rate their program and their preparation on each of the eleven candidate proficiency outcomes; evaluate their student teaching experience; and, rate the quality of supervision they received from university supervisors. Much of this data is presented in standard 1 and is reviewed by programs and by the faculty for revisions to field experiences, methods, clinicals, and student teaching experiences.

Faculty members participate in two forms of yearly evaluation. One is a review directed toward the promotion and tenure process; the other is the course evaluation conducted each semester. Faculty meet each semester with the School of Education Dean to discuss results and set goals for program and personal improvement in scholarship, leadership, and service.

The items and assessments for unit operations include:

• Candidate evaluation of student teaching experience
• Candidate evaluation of program satisfaction from Student Teaching Exit Survey
• Candidate complaints and resolutions
• Informal data gathered by faculty from cooperating teachers and administrators during methods, clinicals, and student teaching experiences
• Course and faculty evaluations
• Cooperating teacher and supervisor surveys
• Faculty scholarship survey (Information regarding faculty participation in presentations, workshops, in-services, and collaborative projects collected on CAPS)
• Number of partnerships among unit and local, state, national, and international constituents
• Number of courses that are delivered in whole or part by technology
• Informal data and recommendations from the Internal and External Advisory Boards

The School of Education Dean, Accreditation staff, and Program Coordinators manage the assessment efforts for unit operations and set the timetable and schedule for the collection and organization of data on candidate performance, program quality, and unit operations. Candidate data from the candidate proficiency outcomes in the assessment system are downloaded at the end of each semester, compiled and summarized. Unit data is shared with faculty and the Internal and External Advisory Boards. Collaborative analysis of the data serves to inform the School of Education and to direct changes in curriculum and procedures with regard to addressing identified concerns, strengthening areas of need, and building on noted strengths.

The assessment system and standards are evaluated annually. Changes are considered at School of Education faculty meetings on an ongoing basis based on suggestions or complaints from faculty, students, cooperating teachers, or cooperating schools. Proposed changes in the assessment system including changes in criteria or standards are reviewed by advisory committees before being instituted.

Ohio Educator Performance Reports