Engaging the Arts and Sciences

1. Engaging the Arts and Sciences Working Together to Prepare Quality Educators

2. Session Presenter Rosetta F. Sandidge, Ed.D. Associate Dean for Academic and Student Services NCATE Coordinator College of Education University of Kentucky AACTE/NCATE Institutional Orientation Washington, DC September 2007

3. Overview of Presentation • Overview of NCATE standards that require involvement of arts and sciences faculty • Educator preparation as an institution-wide responsibility at the University of Kentucky • Sample collaborative initiatives among education, arts and sciences, and P-12 faculty at the University of Kentucky • Challenges to effective collaboration • Strategies to ensure arts and sciences involvement in NCATE accreditation process

4. Who is the Professional Community? • Full- and part-time faculty, including clinical faculty, in the professional education unit • Faculty in other units of the college/university • P-12 practitioners • Candidates • Others involved in professional education Glossary of NCATE Terms, Professional Standards for the Accreditation of Schools, Colleges, and Departments of Education, 2006

5. Professional Communityin the NCATE Standards Conceptual Framework “Faculty members in the unit are expected to collaborate with members of their professional community in developing a conceptual framework(s) that establishes the vision for the unit and its programs.”

6. Professional Communityin the NCATE Standards Standard 2 – Assessment System and Unit Evaluation Element: Assessment System “The unit has developed an assessment system with its professional community that reflects the conceptual framework(s) and professional and state standards.” (Acceptable level)

7. Professional Communityin the NCATE Standards Standard 2 – Assessment System and Unit Evaluation Element: Data Collection, Analysis, and Evaluation “Using multiple assessments from internal and external sources, the unit collects data from applicants, candidates, recent graduates, faculty, and other members of the professional community.” (Acceptable level)

8. Professional Communityin the NCATE Standards Standard 3 – Field Experiences and Clinical Practice Element: Collaboration Between Unit and School Partners “The unit, its school partners, and other members of the professional community design, deliver, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice to help candidates develop their knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The unit and its school partners jointly determine the specific placement of student teachers and interns for other professional roles to provide appropriate learning experiences.” (Acceptable level)

9. Professional Communityin the NCATE Standards Standard 4 – Diversity “The unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. These experiences include working with diverse higher education and school faculty, diverse candidates, and diverse students in P-12 schools.”

10. Professional Communityin the NCATE Standards Standard 5 – Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development Element: Collaboration “Professional education faculty collaborate regularly and systemically with colleagues in P-12 settings, faculty in other college or university units, and members of the broader professional community to improve teaching, candidate learning, and the preparation of educators.” (Acceptable level)

11. Professional Communityin the NCATE Standards Standard 6 – Unit Governance and Resources Element: Unit Leadership and Authority “Faculty involved in the preparation of educators, P-12 practitioners, and other members of the professional community participate in program design, implementation, and evaluation of the unit and its programs. The unit provides a mechanism and facilitates collaboration between unit faculty and faculty in other units of the institution involved in the preparation of professional educators.” (Acceptable level)

12. Summarizing… NCATE standards require collaboration in: • Development of the conceptual framework • Development of the assessment system • Collection of data • Design, delivery, and evaluation of field experiences and clinical practice • Improvement of teaching, candidate learning, and preparation of educators • Design, implementation, and evaluation of the unit and its programs

13. Institutional Context:University of Kentucky • Public, land-grant, research university with very high research activity • Enrollment of 27,209 students in fall 2006 with 2,458 candidates enrolled in the unit • Educator preparation programs located in seven different colleges on the Lexington campus • Accredited by NCATE in 1954, the first year NCATE accredited institutions • Located in an NCATE partnership state in which the state (Education Professional Standards Board) conducts program review and the NCATE and State Board of Examiners function as a joint team

14. Educator Preparation as a University-Wide Endeavor • Call for strong content knowledge in areas teachers are required to teach • Development of statewide P-12 curricula and assessments • Requirements for teacher education candidates to pass content examinations • Accountability through Title II reporting and national accreditation

15. Examples of Professional Community Involvement at UK • Program Faculties • Program Faculty Chairs • Outreach faculty appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences • Joint faculty appointments • Intercollegiate Council on Educator Preparation

16. Examples of Collaboration at UK • Course development, e.g., Physics for Elementary Teachers, Geology for Elementary Teachers • Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership (AMSP), grant funded by National Science Foundation

17. Examples of Collaboration at UK • American Legacies: Revitalizing American History in Public Schools, grant funded by USDOE Teaching American History Program • Curriculum Review and Alignment, three-year grant funded through Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant

18. Elementary Education Program Revision Process • Appointment of a 20-member Elementary Education Revision Committee with representation from education, arts and sciences, and fine arts faculty, P-12 practitioners, graduates, and candidates

19. Elementary Education Program Revision Process • Reviewed program data to determine areas of concern • Held focus groups of student teachers and graduates • Met twice monthly as a committee for over a year; faculty work groups met weeks the full committee did not meet

20. Elementary Education Program Revision Process • Course content reviewed to determine alignment with Kentucky’s Core Content for Assessment for Elementary Students, the Kentucky New Teacher Standards, NCATE Standards, and PRAXIS II examinations

21. Elementary Education Revisions Identified key themes to be addressed throughout the program: • Working with students with special needs • Assessment of student learning • Diversity • Technology • Reflective decision making • Inquiry-based practice • Human development and learning theories

22. Elementary Education Revisions Revised program elements include: • Requiring a new course in working with students with special needs • Replacing calculus class with statistics and logic courses • Streamlining art and music course requirements

23. Elementary Education Revisions Revised program elements include: • Providing emphasis on health and fitness in the elementary classroom • Redesigning area of specialization to focus on literacy and mathematics • Requiring common syllabus across sections of Foundations course to emphasize diversity for all candidates

24. Middle School Program Alignment Collaborative work groups comprised of arts and sciences and education faculty in disciplines of English, mathematics, science, and social studies

25. Middle School Program Alignment • Reviewed course syllabi across the four disciplines • Aligned the course content with the Kentucky Core Content for Assessment in Grades 5-8 • Addressed gaps and duplication

26. Challenges to Effective Collaboration • Higher education faculty, particularly in arts and sciences, often not rewarded for involvement in P-12 schools and educator preparation activities • College-level and institutional-level administrators, especially in research universities, may not value collaboration; perceive this work as peripheral to institutional mission • Limited faculty resources hamper collaboration

27. Effective Collaboration Collaboration among education, arts and sciences, and other institutional faculty • Does not occur automatically but requires continued effort • Works best when core of faculty are involved in areas of common interest • Has support and active encouragement of college and university administration

28. Effective Collaboration Collaboration among unit and P-12 faculty • Occurs when genuine, ongoing partnerships are established • Most effective when each benefits from the involvement • Has support and active encouragement of college and university administration

29. Structures for Ensuring Professional Community Involvement in NCATE Accreditation Process • NCATE Steering Committees • NCATE Standards Work Groups • Governance Committees Teacher Education Councils Program Faculties • Dean’s Advisory Councils • Program Advisory Committees • P-16 Advisory Councils

30. Tips for Ensuring Professional Community Involvement in NCATE Accreditation Process • Have regularly scheduled meetings • Host retreats focused on specific topics • Fund attendance at professional conferences and workshops • Establish and communicate timelines well in advance • Send gentle reminders • Involve in preparations for site visit • Document involvement all along the way • And, finally, remember to celebrate and say thank you!

31. Comments and Questions?

32. For more information Rosetta F. Sandidge College of Education University of Kentucky 166 Taylor Education Building Lexington, KY 40506-0001 sandidg@uky.edu 859-257-8847 phone 859-323-3887 fax