Program Assessment

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Program Assessment

• CCAC Conference
• 2007

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Program Assessment

• Where does it fit?
• Program Assessment is completed in Year 4 of the
  Accreditation Cycle
• ?This used to be part of the Site Visit, but in
  the revised system Program Assessment has been
  shifted to a different time in the continuing
  accreditation process.

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Program Assessment

• Program Assessment asks institutions/program
  sponsors to report on their ongoing alignment
  with the standards and improvement efforts at the
  program level.
• Institutions/program sponsors mirror the
  reflective practices that are taught to
  candidates.
• Program Assessment asks institutions/program
  sponsors to consider how they measure candidate
  competence and how those measures inform
  instruction, assessment and program
  design/implementation.

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Program Assessment Document

• 3 parts
• Part I begins with the program document already
  approved by the CTC and incorporates all
  significant program modifications that have been
  made since approval.
• Reviewers need to know how the program has
  changed since the approval and whether those
  changes are still in line with the standards.

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Part I

• It may also outline why the changes were made.
  Was there evidence of candidate competence that
  indicated a need to change? Were there changes
  in faculty that necessitated changes?

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Ideas for ways to complete Part I

• Document describing the current program and how
  it meets the adopted standards.
• Approved program document with updates embedded,
  but highlighted in some way so reviewers know
  what has changed.
• Other ideas?

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Part II

• ?Part II includes current course syllabi as well
  as updated vitae for program faculty.

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Part III

• Part III is documentation that supports the
  programs Biennial Reports. It includes
• assessments that are used to determine
  candidate competence, including
• rubrics,
• training information and
• calibration activities that the program
  reports on in the Biennial Report.

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Part III

• Part III will include only those assessments used
  at key points in the program in order to
  determine whether candidates can move to the next
  step or need remediation.
• When and if candidates are ready to assume
  fieldwork,
• How well candidates do in fieldwork,
• When candidates can be recommended for the
  credential

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Part III

• What should we say about the TPA?
• If a teacher preparation program is using the
  TPA there will not be a need to give the
  background on the development of the exam,
  validity and reliability information, etc.
• ? However, it will be important to note how
  assessors are trained in the particular area, how
  often the scoring is calibrated and the
  information as to how the TPA is administered.

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Part III

• What about other types of assessments?
• If observations are used, how does the
  institution/program sponsor ensure that each
  observer is using the feedback form in the same
  manner?

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Part III

• If rubrics are used, how are faculty trained to
  use the rubric? How often are they calibrated?
• If course assignments are used, how does the
  institution/program sponsor ensure that each
  section of the course is using the assignment and
  grading it in the same way?

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Program Assessment

• How will Program Assessment documents be
  reviewed?
• Team of trained reviewers, with expertise in the
  program areas
• Protected timetraining, then reading time

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Program Assessment Review

• What are reviewers looking for?
• Input factorswhat candidates are taught and how
  they are assessed. Parts I and II of the Program
  Assessment document
• Output datawhat data indicates about candidate
  competence. Biennial Reports and Part III.

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Program Assessment Review

• Programmatic changeswhat is the data-based
  rationale for changes? How have the changes
  impacted (or are expected to impact) candidate
  competence? Biennial Reports and Part I
• Alignment with program standardsHow are the
  changes linked to the standards? Parts I and III.

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Program Assessment Review

• What happens if reviewers cant find something or
  need more information?
• CTC staff will communicate with an institution or
  program sponsor

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Program Assessment Review

• A professional dialogue between program sponsors
  and reviewers (facilitated through CTC staff) in
  order to get the most complete sense of candidate
  competence and the ongoing program improvement
  efforts that are made. This dialogue will help
  provide clarity and assist the reviewers in
  coming to a preliminary finding.

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Preliminary Findings

• After a thorough review, the reviewers make a
  preliminary finding on all Program Standards.
  Findings can be
• Met
• Met with concerns
• Not met

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After that?

• Preliminary findings are reported to the
  institution and to the Committee on Accreditation
  (COA).
• Preliminary findings determine the focus of the
  Site Visit. Will additional reviewers, or those
  with particular expertise be needed?
• ? Preliminary findings will be confirmed by the
  site visit team.

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Program Assessment

• Yellow Cohort (first ones through) selected
  submission dates
• October 2007,
• January 2008 or
• March 2008
• Whichever date they selected, reviewers need to
  come to a decision about the Program Standards by
  January 2009.

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Resources

• http//www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/accred-impleme
  ntation.html
• BIR applications available at the website.
• Sign up for PSD News
• psd-news-subscribe_at_lists.ctc.ca.gov