Common Standard 1 Elements 

Institution Response 

1a) Provide the unit’s research-based vision. Describe how it is clearly represented in the proposed new educator preparation program and how this vision is consistent with preparing educators for California public schools and the effective implementation of California’s adopted standards and curricular frameworks. 

Santa Clara University’s teacher preparation program is rooted in  research that identifies teachers as the most important factor in student learning (e.g., Bartel et al., 2017; Goldhaber, 2002; Marzano, 2000; RAND, 2012; Tan, 2017). This body of literature compels us to ensure our completers have mastered the pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1986), skills, and dispositions most likely to improve student outcomes for all students, including English Learners and students with identified disabilities. Emphasizing the knowledge, skills, and professional practices presented in the California Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs) and Mild to Moderate Support Needs Teaching Performance Expectations (MMSN TPEs), our teacher preparation program creates opportunities for credential candidates to enact and engage with these expectations and standards in their classrooms/schools. Aligned with research-based best practices, the education programs facilitate candidates’ productive reflection on the impact of their expectations (Schon, 1988) and standards-based practices on student learning are hallmarks of our preliminary teaching credential programs, and will be the case for the Education Specialist Credential as well. We strive to realize this vision by using California’s professional expectations and standards as the backbone for our course objectives, course content and assignments and teaching practices aligned to CCSS and ULD that are modeled by our instructors (please view our course syllabi matrix for the integration we have made across our courses), and formative and summative assessments (Black & Wiliam, 1998). University coursework and site-based field experiences candidates are assessed in relation to the professional expectations and standards for all programs and will  also be the case for the Education Specialist program (please see sample formative UTPE, formative MMSN, summative UTPE, and summative MMSN assessment tools that demonstrate this integration). 

1b) Describe how the unit monitors the process by which all programs actively involve faculty, instructional personnel, and relevant stakeholders in the organization, coordination, and planning for each program, including the proposed educator preparation program. 

Santa Clara University's Department of Education has ongoing meetings and professional development to ensure active involvement of all stakeholders for the organization, coordination, and planning of the teacher preparation program and will include the education specialist program. Below is a list of events with participating stakeholders and collaborators (see: List of Collaborators) that the Education Specialist constituents will be involved with:

CTC Review Working Groups (as needed): Department faculty, Staff, Administrators

Teacher Education Department Meetings (monthly): Department faculty, School staff and Administrators 

Field Supervisor Meetings (monthly - forthcoming once program is approved): Department faculty, Field Supervisors

Advisory Board Meetings at both the School of Education and Counseling Psychology (SECP) level as well as the Department of Education level housed in SECP 

Strategic Plan Working Groups (as needed): Department faculty

University Program Review Working Groups (as needed): Department faculty, Staff, Administrators

CCTE professional development (2x/year): Department faculty representative(s) 

Special education professional development: Department faculty  (see sample SPED PD materials here) 

1c) Describe, and provide published policy documents of, how the education unit will ensure that faculty and instructional personnel in the proposed program regularly and systematically collaborate with colleagues in P-12 settings, college and university units, and members of the broader educational community to improve educator preparation. 

•  Advisory Board Meetings 

• Published policy documents outlining service obligations and collaboration can be found on the Department of Education’s Faculty Activity Report (FAR) rubric. These documents outline the expectation that faculty members will engage with community members and organizations applicable to their contexts.  In the case for the add Department of Education, faculty are encouraged and expected to collaborate with P-12 educational and university level colleagues.

• The institution provides the unit with sufficient resources for the effective operation of each educator preparation program, including, but not limited to, coordination, admission, advertisement, curriculum, professional development/ instruction, field-based supervision, and clinical experiences. (See advisory board meeting agendas)

• The Unit Leadership has the authority and institutional support required to address the needs of all educator preparation programs and considers the interests of each program within the institution. (See advisory board meeting agendas)

• MATTC Placement Coordinators meet regularly with Mentor teachers and field supervisors to collaborate on supporting teacher candidates in both general and Education Specialist classrooms. 

• The Office of the Provost’s Faculty Development Program further supports the Department of Education’s faculty through a variety of opportunities and resources.

Faculty also regularly interact with Educational units as part of their service obligation. Please see following link for faculty community engagement 

1d) Describe the recruitment effort to support hiring and retention of faculty who represent and support diversity and excellence for the proposed program. Provide documentation pertaining to recruitment and faculty development activities including strategies that will assist faculty in supporting diversity. 

Recruitment of diverse faculty and faculty development efforts are supported by the university. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion provides training to faculty search committees on inclusive recruitment and hiring processes.

The Office of Diversity & Inclusion also provides ongoing support for new faculty through quarterly faculty development opportunities that are offered by the Faculty Development Office at Santa Clara University. These workshops include teaching and funding opportunities for their scholarship through such sessions as “Anti-Racist Teaching” “Faculty Funding Opportunities”. New faculty also receive a one course release during their first year and are assigned a mentor from their department and one outside of their department.

We are currently conducting a search for a faculty member to join the Education Specialist program. Part of the recruitment process requires candidates to submit a statement demonstrating the candidate’s commitment to social justice, anti-racism, and diversity. The search committee also gives preference to candidates that have experience working with diverse and marginalized communities in K-12 settings. 

Common Standard 2 Elements 

Institution Response 

2a) Provide the admission requirements (via recruitment materials, website, handbook, etc.) for the proposed program that are based on clear criteria that include multiple measures of candidate qualifications. Describe how prospective candidates/applicants will have access to the admission requirements. 

Candidates of the program can learn more about admissions requirements by visiting our Admissions page. Prospective candidates can attend a variety of events to support their interest in the program and their admissions process. Further materials will be housed on the academic program page 

2b) Describe and provide evidence of how and when candidates will receive programmatic and academic information (progress toward completion, deadlines, etc.). 

Candidates are assigned a faculty advisor and with the advisor complete a program plan with assistance from the course sequence document. Candidates also have access to our Student Services Office where they receive guidance regarding credential requirements.

The MATTC Handbook provides further resources and guidance to students completing the program. 

Additional deadlines related to registration, exam deadlines, and graduation / credential requirements can be found through weekly email updates from Student Services.  Student Services also meet with students to complete their credential checklist.

Students are made aware of additional deadlines through the academic year calendar 

2c) Describe how candidates requiring assistance will be identified and receive guidance and support. Provide supporting documentation. 

Candidates requiring assistance are identified by faculty or the field placement coordinator during the academic quarter. Support and guidance may come in the form of individual academic advising,  Multi-tiered  Intervention and Support.

Students that require additional assistance in either their coursework or field experiences are placed on an Educational Professional Review Plan where they receive additional support through meeting time with faculty or additional observation in the field by the Field Placement Coordinator. 

Common Standard 3 Elements 

Institution Response 

3a) Describe how the unit will implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the field experience and clinical practice component of the proposed program. 

Each spring in their Reflective practicum course, candidates are asked to evaluate their placement site, Master Teacher and Field Supervisor. Results of those mentor teacher evaluations are considered in future placement decisions. Effectiveness of the field experience and clinical practice component is also gauged in part by the level of progress made by candidates as documented in their supervisor formative (see formative UTPE and formative MMSN) and summative (summative UTPE and summative MMSN) evaluations of student teachers over the course of the academic year. 

Department-level assessments include surveys of candidates completing programs to obtain feedback on their experiences overall, including this particular element. 

3b) Describe how the institution will ensure that candidates are provided opportunities to experience issues of diversity that affect school climate and that candidates have significant experience in California public schools with diverse student populations. 

By using data from the California School Dashboard and School Accountability Report Cards, designated Field Placement Coordinators select field-experience placement sites that meet the criteria of a diverse school setting in regard to students’ race, ethnicity; socio-economic status; and languages spoken. As described in the Master Teacher expectations, placement sites are also selected in which Master Teachers can provide candidates with experiences in parent meetings, IEP meetings, and SST meetings. 

Common Standard 4 Elements 

Institution Response 

4a) Provide a link to the education unit’s continuous improvement process. Describe how the proposed program will be incorporated into this process. 

Our department engages in an annual Assessment process that is guided and supported by the university’s Office of Educational Assessment. This process feeds into the periodic Program Review process, which our department most recently completed in 2021 (see Program Review Self-Study). The proposed Education Specialist program will be addressed in the annual Assessment Report  alongside all other programs as well as feed into our Continuous Improvement Plan.

4b) Describe how the unit will oversee the effectiveness of the proposed program in relation to the course of study offered, fieldwork and clinical practice, and support services for candidates. 

Candidates in the Education Specialist program will be taught and supervised in their coursework and field experiences with the same rigor and levels of support currently afforded to candidates in our Master of Arts in Teaching + Teaching Credential (MATTC) program. Careful attention will be paid by the Coordinator of the Education Specialist program (new position) to the field experiences of the candidates, to ensure that the Cooperating Teachers are clear about SCU’s expectations and the need to work closely with the Field Supervisors SCU will provide to each of our candidates. For example, candidates in the Education Specialist program will have a four-course sequence of field supervised field experience, starting in the Summer II session (five weeks, August-September) and continuing through Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters (September to June). The program’s Coordinator will be in charge of identifying partner districts, selecting Cooperating Teachers, and recruitment and assignment of Field Supervisors. Similar to the General Education teacher preparation program, candidates will be observed and evaluated up to four times per quarter by both the Cooperating Teacher and the Field Supervisor. Thus, the program Coordinator will have multiple sources of information to assess the progress of every candidate in the program. In collaboration with the department’s Assessment coordinator, the Coordinator of the Education Specialist program review the following: (1) mid-quarter and end-quarter narrative student feedback on each of the 4 core courses in the program; (2) review the SET (Student Evaluations of Teaching) scores in each course; (3) evaluate the field practicum operations and student performance via feedback from Cooperating Teachers and Field Supervisors.

Common Standard 5 Element 

Institution Response 

5a) Describe how the unit will include the proposed program in its evaluation and demonstration that its programs are having a positive impact on candidate learning and competence and on teaching and learning in schools that serve California’s students. 

Department-level assessments to gauge program effectiveness will include student (1) survey, (2) signature assignments, (3) TPA, and (4) formative/summative observations (for examples, see: formative UTPE, formative MMSN, summative UTPE and summative MMSN evaluation forms) of field experience. These four tools will gauge a candidate's sense of efficacy, knowledge, and practice of the MMSN and universal TPEs that guide our efforts to serve California’s students. 

Faculty in the Department of Education will have multiple sources of data to assess the degree to which candidates for the Education Specialist authorization are meeting the program's expectations and demonstrate the desired learning outcomes. The following list presents the sources of data/evidence and how they will be used to assess students' progress and the program's impact on the communities served:

• Mid-Quarter Narrative feedback in each course: The department has a standard practice in which all faculty individually collect mid-quarter narrative feedback from students and make changes on any actionable items mentioned by a substantial number of students. Faculty communicate with the students the week after the feedback was collected.

• End-of-quarter narrative evaluations: The department manager (a.k.a. Senior Administrative Assistant) sends a Qualtrics survey at the end of each quarter (including Summer sessions) to gather feedback from the students about their experiences in the courses they have taken. These data are available to each faculty member and to the department chair, who may initiate a conversation with a faculty member if needed.

• Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET): These surveys are administered by the University's Information Technology office, and reports are sent back to each faculty member. In turn, faculty are required to include these reports in their annual Faculty Activity Reports, which are reviewed by the department chair and a committee of tenured colleagues who are are tasked with issuing a formal evaluation letter that may include specific recommendations to address identified problems with teaching effectiveness.

• Signature Assignments: Each course in the teacher preparation program has a Signature Assignment that has been reviewed and aligned to California Teacher Performance Expectations (TPEs) and to the Mild Moderate Special Needs (MMSN) TPEs.

• Teacher Performance Assessments (TPAs): The department has designated a faculty member to serve as TPA Coordinator, who is in charge of maintaining a site in the university's Learning Management System (LMS) available to every candidate as they prepare their TPA exams. The TPA coordinator also organizes two mandated TPA preparation workshops for the candidates. At appropriate times, the TPA Coordinator reports to the faculty in monthly faculty meetings data on the number of candidates who submitted exams in each cycle, how many passed on their first attempt, how many received condition codes, and how many may still have to pass one or both exams. Most importantly, the TPA coordinator reports to the faculty the specific Rubrics in which our candidates are not scoring as well as we would wish and what corrective actions may need to be taken within individual courses or in the program at large.

• Formative and Summative Observations: The MATTC Program Credential Candidate Handbook (2022-2023) states the following: "We have structured the field experience component of the program to allow each individual credential candidate to assume responsibility for planning, teaching, and assessing student learning at a rate that is appropriate for them. All candidates begin in August with observation and assistance, then progress to supervised student teaching, to daily teaching, and then to daily responsibility for whole-class instruction. However, this gradual assumption of full responsibility may take place in different ways and over different periods of time for each candidate. Each quarter the credential candidate, Field Supervisor, and Cooperating Teacher(s) will work together to design a plan that will work best for the specific circumstances of each placement."

The first decision point is at the conclusion of Fall quarter. Candidates participate in a 3-way Benchmark conference with their cooperating teacher and field supervisor to determine their readiness to advance from observation and assistance to student teaching. The Education Specialist Program Director (SCU faculty member) may also be present at this meeting. There are three possible outcomes: Advancement to Student Teaching, Delayed Advancement to Student Teaching, and Denied Advancement to Student Teaching.  

At the conclusion of Winter quarter, credential candidates participate in a mid-program Benchmark Review conference with the Cooperating Teacher(s) and Field Supervisor to secure approval to continue in student teaching. The Education Specialist Program Director (SCU faculty member) may also be present at this meeting. There are two possible outcomes: Continuation in Student Teaching, and Continuation in Student Teaching with Concerns. All credential candidates are required to complete and file a copy of the Mid-Program Review/Continuation in Reflective Practice Student Teaching Form before the start of Spring quarter.

At the conclusion of Spring quarter, candidates participate in a collaborative Benchmark Review conference with the Cooperating Teacher(s) and Field Supervisor to assess whether they have satisfied all field experience requirements. The Education Specialist Program Director (SCU faculty member) may also be present at this meeting. There are two possible outcomes: Successful Completion of Field Experience Requirements, and Unsuccessful Completion of Field Experience Requirements. Candidates who receive this rating may not be eligible for our recommendation for an Education Specialist authorization.

Impact on the Communities our Graduates Serve: The education Specialist Program Coordinator, a tenured or tenure-stream faculty member of the Department of Education, will be in regular contact with our partner School Districts to collect relevant information about our graduates' performance in the schools where they practice. In addition, the members of our Department of Education Advisory Board will also provide information and insights about the impact that our graduates are having in the schools and districts they work in.

All of the above assessment activities will be in place if/when the Education Specialist program launches in Fall 2023 and be implemented in the 23-24 academic year. The current Five-Year Assessment Plan for the Department of Education also includes the following actions for subsequent years:

• 24-25: Focus on one or two of the Education Specialist Program Learning Outcomes identified by the Department and take any needed corrective actions (e.g. changes in the Signature Assignments within courses). Also, conduct separate analyses of data from the End-of-Program Survey focused on Education Specialist candidates' feedback.

• 25-26: Focus on one or two additional Education Specialist Program Learning Outcomes and take any needed corrective actions. Conduct separate analyses of data from the End-of-Program Survey focused on Education Specialist candidates' feedback.

• 26-27: Evaluate the course content and assignments in all teacher preparation and Education Specialist credential courses to determine if updates are needed.

• 27-28: Gather input and data from partner school districts on the impact that the first four cohorts of graduates from our Education Specialist program are making, and discuss any Professional Development needs they have identified for their teachers.

Data from these tools will feed our department’s Continuous Improvement Plan.