Preparing Your ELCC Assessments for NCATE Accreditation

1. Preparing Your ELCC Assessments for NCATE Accreditation Missouri Professors of Educational Administration Conference October 10, 2008

2. NCATE Accreditation Process • Unit Review • School, College, or Department of Education • Assessment System as a Whole – many programs. • Makes Accreditation Decision • Program Review • Specific Discipline Area (Math, Science, Ed Adm) • Makes Specific Program Recognition Decisions • Program Assessment System tied to Unit

3. NCATE Unit Standard 1 • Candidates preparing to work in schools as other school personnel know the content of their fields, demonstrate professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions and apply them so that students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards.

4. Program Reviews Since 2004 • NCATE conducts program reviews through electronically submitted program reports using ELCC trained reviewers. • ELCC designed assessments measure candidates’ content knowledge, professional skills, and their effects on student learning (provide an environment supportive to learning). (This aligns to NCATE Unit Standard 1)

5. Assessment System Design • Program Assessment System must be congruent with Unit Assessment System and Unit’s Conceptual Framework. • Tracking candidate progress. • Data collection and reporting system. • Remediation system. • Generic Assessments aligned with SPA standards.

6. Program Review Structure • ELCC Team (2 member) • One practitioner or professor w/practitioner experience • One educational leadership faculty from university or college (preferably NCATE accredited) • Responsible for initial review and makes program recommendations to Audit Committee • ELCC Audit Committee • Five member NPBEA board w/representation from Two professor groups (ncpea, ucea); two practitioner groups (ascd, nassp); and another NPBEA group (ccsso). • Has oversight responsibility for ensuring fairness, unbiased reporting. Makes final program recognition decisions. May overturn team recommendations when necessary

7. Program Review Decisions • For Programs Not Previously Recognized • National Recognition contingent on unit accreditation • National Recognition with Conditions • Must submit Response to Conditions Rept within 18 months • Have 2 opportunities within 18 months to attain national recognition. If unsuccessful status changes to Not Recognized • Further Development Required • Have 2 opportunities within 12-14 months to attain national recognition or conditional. If unsuccessful status changes to Not Recognized.

8. Program Review Decisions • For Programs Currently Recognized • Continued National Recognition status • Continued National Recognition with Conditions • Must submit Response to Conditions Rept within 18 months • Have 2 opportunities within 18 months to attain national recognition. If unsuccessful status changes to Not Recognized • National Recognition with Probation • Submit Revsed Rept or New Rept within 12-14 months. • Have 2 opportunities within 12-14 months to attain national recognition or conditional. If unsuccessful status changes to Not Recognized.

9. Conditional Report Decisions • Conditions may include one or more of following: • Lack of alignment between assessments, scoring guides, and/or aggregated data tables • Are poorly designed and do not show sufficient alignment to ELCC standard elements (e.g. 3.1, 4.1) • Insufficient amount of data • Insufficient number of SPA standards are met • Does not meet 80% pass rate on state exam

10. Alignment to ELCC Standards Definition of Alignment • The concepts addressed in the ELCC standard elements are visible in the assessment and scoring guide to the same degree of depth, breadth, and specificity. • Does not mean the exact wording in the standard element needs to be contained in the description of the assessment or the scoring guide. However, same concepts must be there. Be sure to Align Assessment tools to ELCC Standard ELEMENTS (e.g., 3.1, 2.4, 1.5) where appropriate

11. ELCC Assessments • 3 Content Assessments to measure candidates’ content knowledge of specific ELCC standard elements (paper and pencil type activities). • 3 Professional Skill Assessments to measure candidates’ application of knowledge and specific skill development (must show candidates’ performing tasks – gaining leadership skills). • 1 Assessment to gather outcome data that demonstrates – Effects on Student Learning – (different expectation from other SPA’s). How do your candidates create supportive learning environments school/district systems level not at classroom level).

12. Assessment Descriptions • Assessment may include one activity from one course or many activities (e.g., grouped within a single assessment) from some courses across the program. • Each activity is clearly delineated as it would be communicated to students – NOT a brief description or summary of the required expectations for reviewers. • Activity(ies) must show clear alignment to specific ELCC standard elements (e.g., 1.2 or 3.2, or 5.1).

13. New Content Assessment #2–Course Grades • Beginning Fall 2008 all SPA’s will accept course grades as measure of content. • Must be course(s) required for all candidates. • Must include grade policy or definition of grades. • Must be disaggregated by program level. • Syllabi cannot be submitted. • Submit chart listing course(s) and which SPA standards are addressed with brief description • Must submit course grades – means and ranges

14. Format for Submitting Course Grades • Part 1: Description and rationale for selection. • Part 2: Matrix for showing alignment to standard elements (e.g. 1.2 or 3.3 etc.). • Part 3: Grading policy and minimum expections. • Part 4: Data table that shows grade distributions and mean scores (Attach A) • Program advising sheet that shows transfers into program (if applicable).

15. PRS System – Spring 2008 • Section 1 – Charts and graphs not permitted in any text section. Submitted separately. • Section 1 – each response no more than 4,000 characters except question 2 – 8,000. • Section V – Word count limit is 12,000 characters – no charts or tables. • Entire Report - no more than 20 individual attachments and no larger than 2 MB. • NCATE must be notified no less than one month in advance of submission. • Section IV assessments submit as one file per assessment – preferably 5 text pages each • Attachments allowed in Section I & IV only

16. Amount of Data NCATE Requires Programs Submitted Data Required Spring 2008 One year Fall 2008 Two years Spring 2009 Two years Fall 2009 Three years

17. Where to Find Help • To find ELCC Standards and Program Report Templates: http://www.ncate.org/institutions/programStandards.asp?ch=90 • Guidelines and Procedures for the NCATE Web-Based Program Review System: http://www.ncate.org/institutions/guidelinesProcedures.asp?ch=90 • Electronic Reporting or Submission- Robin Marion: Robin@ncate.org or 202-466-7496 • ELCC Standards or Assessment Design– Honor Fede: fedeh@principals.org. or 703-860-7207