The UAF SOE Initial Teaching Licensure Programs

- Elementary, Music Education, Secondary & Special Education -

CAEP Annual Measures 2018-2019

Measure 1

Impact that completers’ teaching has on P-12 learning and development

The impact of our graduates on their P-12 students is being studied through a robust case-study which began in the Fall of 2019. Results will be shared by Spring 2021.

Over the 2017-18 academic year the UAF School of Education completed a comprehensive case study of the effectiveness and impact of initial licensure graduates in the workforce. The case study included the following data collection tools, and involved seven participants in the elementary, secondary and special education programs.

A link to the summary findings from the case study can be found here. A link to case study methodology can be found here. For a copy of the comprehensive case study, please contact the UAF School of Education. The findings from the case study were examined in January 2019 by UAF faculty, in conjunction with an analysis of data collected in the 2017/18 NExT surveys of program completers, graduates in the workforce, and alumni. The data were also summarized and shared with the UAF School of Education External Advisory Committee in Fall 2018.

Measure 2

Indicators of teaching effectiveness

Graduates

The effectiveness and satisfaction of UAF initial licensure graduates in the workforce is assessed through the following tools:

  • Case study of graduates
  • NExT exit survey of candidates at the point of program completion
  • NExT graduate survey of alumni in the workforce completing their first year of teaching
  • NExT employer survey of supervisors of UAF graduates completing their first year of teaching

Data and narrative responses from these four data collection tools are aggregated and organized according to the four main strands of InTASC standards: Learners, Learning and Diversity; Content Knowledge; Instructional Practice; Professionalism. Detailed data and analysis from 2017-2018, organized indicator by indicator, can be found in this document.

The effectiveness of our 2018-2019 graduates with their P-12 students is being studied again through a case-study which began in the Fall of 2019. Data, narrative responses and analysis from the four data collection tools will be shared in Spring 2021.

Interns/Student Teachers

The teaching effectiveness of our interns/student teachers is documented in two ways: a field observation instrument and a culminating planning, teaching and assessment task. Both of these are aligned with the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standards: Learner Development, Learning Differences, & Learning Environment (Learning and Learning); Content Knowledge & Application of Content (Content Knowledge); Planning for Instruction, Instructional Strategies, & Assessment (Instructional Practice); and Professional & Ethical Practice and Leadership & Collaboration (Professional Responsibility).

Field Observation

Mentor teachers and university supervisors use the Skills of Teaching Observation Tool (STOT) that was created by the North Dakota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NDACTE) to document field observations and provide feedback to interns/student teachers. The teaching effectiveness of our student teachers/interns is reviewed by mentor teachers and university supervisors multiple times during the culminating student teaching experience.

The charts below show the percentage of the final STOTs for each semester scored at each level of achievement for each InTASC category. Improvement in most areas is evident as students move from the first semester to the second semester of the internship year. To successfully complete the initial licensure program, interns must score at the Proficient level (3.0) or higher with no areas rated Underdeveloped/Underdeveloped Plus.

Culminating Assessment Task

The Alaska Teacher Culminating Assessment Task (ATCAT) intended to assess beginning teacher knowledge of planning, teaching, assessment and reflecting on practice. It includes the submission of plans, video/narrative of instruction, analysis of assessment data which includes student work samples and reflections on practice. Interns/student teachers complete the ATCAT during the final month of their internship. The ATCAT is pass/fail, and interns/student teachers must score at the Proficient with Revisions level or higher to pass the assessment. Interns are given the opportunity to revise at least once if expectations are rated Underdeveloped in any area.

The chart below shows the percentage of interns/student teachers who scored at each achievement level of the ATCAT. Areas of strength for this cohort were in the areas of teaching: Literacy Integration & Academic Content Knowledge, Communicating with Students, and Classroom Management. There were less than five interns/student teachers who needed to revise initial submissions to reach the Proficient with Revision level.

Measures 3 and 4

Surveys of Employers and Graduates

In the Fall of 2018, the UAF SOE partnered to work with the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research (CAEPR) at UAA to conduct surveys of graduates and alumni employers through the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) at North Dakota State University (NDSU). The survey instrument is aligned with the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Standards.

Respondents are asked to what degree they agree that the UAF initial licensure programs prepare graduates to be successful in the areas of instruction practice, working with diverse learners, creating a positive learning environment, and professionalism.

Respondents are asked to what degree they agree that the UAF initial licensure programs prepare graduates to be successful in the areas of instruction practice, working with diverse learners, creating a positive learning environment, and professionalism.

Survey Scale:

1 = Disagree;

2 = Tend to Disagree;

3 = Tend to Agree;

4 = Agree.

“Unable to Respond” responses were excluded from the mean calculation

Measure 3

Spring 2018 NExT Employer Survey Summary Results

Measure 4

Summary of findings on Graduate Satisfaction with Profession from 2017/18 case study:

Strengths

  • Most graduates reported feeling well prepared for their teaching position. They lauded the benefits of the year-long internship and the rigor of the expectations in their programs.
  • Graduates reported feeling like they had had good exposure to professional resources (Elem)
  • Employer and graduate surveys showed a high level of satisfaction with preparation in areas related to professionalism, and also in their satisfaction with their program and with the teaching profession.
  • The mean observational score in professionalism on on-site observations of graduates was a 3.93 out of 4, demonstrating a very high level of graduate proficiency in this area
  • Comments from on-site observations in these areas reflected graduates engaged in outside professional development activities, and in multiple instances of collaboration with colleagues and families in their schools.

Areas for improvement

  • One graduate reported wishing she had had more time in the classroom and exposure to a range of subject areas during her internship, and was glad that more content area knowledge was now required in the program she had completed.
  • Graduates reported wishing they had more strategies for working with parents and encouraging parent involvement in the classroom
  • Graduates reported wishing they had more direct instruction in understanding student rights and responsibilities in the school, particularly in regards to legal rights

The most recent robust case-study began in the Fall of 2019. Results will be shared by Spring 2021.

Spring 2018 NExT Graduate Survey Summary Results

Measure 5

Graduation rates from preparation programs.

The overall number of graduates may also include students who completed student teaching prior to Fall 2018 but didn’t graduate until Spring 2019.

Measure 6

Ability of completers to meet licensing (certification) and any additional state requirements.

All completers of UAF teaching licensure programs must meet Alaska State Basic Competency Exam and Content Area Exam requirements prior to graduation.

Measure 7

Ability of completers to be hired in education positions for which they were prepared.

70% of graduates from 2019 have been identified teaching in schools in Alaska.

  • Of this group, 61% are teaching in the urban school districts of Anchorage, Mat-Su, Kenai and Fairbanks.
  • Of this group, 39% are teaching in the following rural districts around Alaska: Alaska Gateway Schools, Annette Island Schools, Bering Strait Schools, Kodiak Island Borough Schools, Lower Kuskokwim Schools, Mount Edgecumbe, North Slope Borough Schools, and Northwest Arctic Borough Schools

Measure 8

Student loan default rates and other consumer information.