FAQ

What is the purpose of the Capstone Instructional Unit?  

The Capstone Unit enhances student teachers’ ability to accomplish the following: 

1. Plan assessments and instruction appropriate for the contextual factors 

2. Design challenging learning goals 

3. Create assessments aligned to learning goals 

4. Design challenging and meaningful instructional experiences 

5. Analyze student data, and 

6. Demonstrate and reflect upon performance on identified Kentucky Teaching Standards.  

How long should the Capstone Instructional Unit (completed during student teaching) be? 

WKU teacher candidates are required to plan a unit of study between 3 and 10 days in length. (Note: In some cases/ programs, the amount of time may be adjusted at the discretion of the instructor.)

What are the performance levels included in the Capstone Instructional Unit ? 

For each criterion, there are four levels of performance: Beginning, Developing, Proficient and Exemplary. 

Beginning: The teacher candidate provides little or no evidence of the indicator. 

Developing: The teacher candidate provides limited evidence of the indicator.

Proficient: The teacher candidate demonstrates clear, consistent, and convincing evidence of the indicator. The teacher candidate meets the standard for the prompts and Kentucky Teacher Standards. 

Exemplary: The teacher candidate demonstrates the Proficient Level with minimal support on the first attempt AND demonstrates above and beyond the Proficient Level including evidence of research, clear connection of theory to practice, or demonstration of originality, sophisticated discussion of potential impact of the work, and whether scholarly precedents and contributions have been accounted for.