Understanding the Impact of Higher Education Coursework on Teacher Preparation

1. Understanding the Impact of Higher Education Coursework on Teacher Preparation Leigh Kale D’Amico, Ed.D. Tammy Pawloski, Ph.D. Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty Francis Marion University

2. TCOP Standards • Teaching Children of Poverty Standards • Six Standards

3. TCOP Attitudes and Beliefs Survey • Developed in 2005; redesigned in 2009 • 13-item survey administered at end-of-course • Explores student perceptions related to three areas: • Course (7 items) • Instructor (4 items) • Preparedness (1 item) • High correlation among three constructs • No significant correlation among constructs and # of courses with TCOP standards completed

4. TCOP Attitudes & Beliefs Survey Sample Items Scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree) • This course improved my understanding of teaching children of poverty. (Course Item) • I would recommend this course to other students interested in teaching children of poverty. (Course Item) • The instructor effectively presented material related to teaching children of poverty. (Instructor Item) • I am better prepared to teach children of poverty as a result of this course. (Preparation Item)

5. TCOP Attitudes & Beliefs Survey Fall 2009 (n=407 students; 20 courses) *Scale: 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree) Spring 2010 (n=433 students; 25 courses)

6. TCOP Attitudes & Beliefs Survey Sample Faculty Report

7. TCOP Longitudinal Survey • Developed in 2006; redesigned in 2009 (maintained intent of seven original items) • 14-item survey administered at beginning of Fall & Spring semesters: nine items use Likert scale, three items use yes/no, two items request demographic information • Explores students’ perceived • knowledge • skills • confidence • preparation • ability to use diverse instructional methods • ability to accommodate instructional barriers

8. TCOP Longitudinal Survey Sample Items Scale of 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) • I have the knowledge I need to teach children of poverty. • I am confident in my ability to effectively teach children of poverty. • I am prepared to teach using diverse instructional methods for children of poverty.

9. TCOP Longitudinal Survey

10. TCOP Longitudinal Survey

11. TCOP Mastery Assessment • Developed in Spring 2009 by assessment experts with input from content specialists • 48-item, multiple-choice assessment • 8 items per standard • Majority of items are at application level of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy • Administered via LiveText on the final day of student teaching seminar

12. TCOP Mastery Assessment Descriptive Statistics: 48 items, 1 point per item

13. TCOP Mastery Assessment Bookmarking • Items within each standard ranked by difficulty • Faculty members individually ranked items from easiest to hardest • Items were averaged to determine final rank • Meetings occurred to determine final ranking; areas of disagreement were discussed and explored • Bookmark placed at level at which one would deem a student proficient in material • Statistics were provided related to percent of students deemed proficient based on bookmark level

14. TCOP Mastery Assessment

15. TCOP Student Teacher Focus Group • Conducted annually with random sample of students • Spring 2009 • 53% of student teachers selected to participate • 41% of those selected participated

16. TCOP Student Teacher Focus Group • Spring 2010 • 62% of student teachers selected to participate • 42% of those selected participated

17. TCOP Student Teacher Focus Group Findings • Use common lesson plan format and more closely aligned ideals in all certification areas • Provide more site-based experiences (e.g., observing and working in actual classrooms and/or simulation) • 2010 student teachers indicated need for more preparation related to working with students with special needs • 2009 student teachers indicated need for a better screening process for supervising teachers

18. TCOP Teacher Focus Group • Conducted at the 2010 Summer Institute; 2 sessions • 12 participants (4 at first session, 8 at second session) • 5 current teachers • 1 former teacher • 2 administrators • 3 pre-service teachers • 1 higher education faculty member • Themes analyzed across both sessions

19. TCOP Teacher Focus Group Findings • Include more hands-on, classroom-based experiences in pre-service programs • Engage in student teaching process earlier • Increase intensity/length of student teaching • Prepare students for realities of teaching: time management, negative dispositions of colleagues, challenging family situations, communication with families, student assessment • Facilitate more collaborative relationships between higher education faculty and PK-12 schools/teachers

20. Future Evaluation Ideas • Survey faculty members who embed TCOP standards • Track retention of Francis Marion University graduates and non-FMU graduates at schools in Pee Dee region • Interview principals related to teacher preparation and student/school needs • Survey teachers related to perceptions of preparation • Explore PASS/MAP scores of randomly selected FMU graduates and control group of non-FMU graduates in same grades and schools • Issues: PK-12 preparation; participation in professional development

21. Utilization Focused Evaluation What does a high-quality, effective teacher education program look like? How do we evaluate it?