“The Hough Post”
April 17, 2015
Volume 2, Number 7
Academic Integrity Panel April 21st
Hope faculty and students will be able to attend the Academic Integrity Council panel discussion Tuesday, April 21st. The session will be held from 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in Glass Hall, Room 101. Dr. Margaret Vandeven, Representative Elijah Haahr, Dr. Maynard Wallace, and Dr. Stephen Kleinsmith will discuss “High Stakes Testing and Integrity in the Educational Arena.”
Staff Leadership Institute
The Dean’s Office will offer a Staff Leadership Institute (SLI) beginning this summer and throughout the 2015 – 2016 academic year. The purpose is to promote better understanding of ways to achieve University and college goals within a professional climate of collegiality, support, and respect. Individuals may apply or be nominated by accessing the following link: https://blogs.missouristate.edu/coe-deansblog/files/2015/04/SLI-application-for-2015-2016.docx
We will accept as many as 12 staff, per supervisor approval. The format will be similar to the faculty leadership institute we sponsored throughout 2014 – 2015. A two-day retreat will be held in late July or early August, followed by monthly seminars from 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Applications are due by May 29, 2015.
Education Majors to Study in Mexico City
Five students will study this summer at Universidad Latina, UNILA, and Mexico City. We thank a number of folk throughout the MSU community for their help in making this available for our students, per the MOU signed a few weeks back. Juan Meraz, Assistant Vice President, Multicultural Services, Division of Student Affairs & Director, Latino Leadership Institute will accompany our students from May 31 – June 6, 2015. The students are:
David Valenciano – Graduate Student, Middle School Math Education
Diana Dominguez – Junior, Secondary History Education
Whitney Cisneros – Sophomore, Early Childhood Education
Karen Quinones – Freshman, Secondary Math Education
Catalina Salas – Freshman, Secondary Spanish Education
Mucho gracias, Juan!
AACTE v. CAEP
Teacher education continues to be a hot topic, and emotions are running high. Following is a copy of a letter from CAEP to AACTE in response to AACTE’s recent voice of concern regarding the validity of measuring teacher performance and quality of preparation programs by measuring P-12 student academic growth:
“Date: April 16, 2015
RE: Open Letter to AACTE Board of Directors
I am writing in response to your recent blog (http://edprepmatters.net/2015/04/update-aacte-board-resolution/) posted on the AACTE website. You invite CAEP to join a subcommittee to work to:
Focus on a commitment to accreditation, with CAEP as the single accrediting body.
Advocate for accreditation processes as the cornerstone of quality within the profession.
Advocate for standards as guides for the field that are enacted locally and measured contextually.
I encourage AACTE to reaffirm publically its strong stance in support of the standards as you did in the recent past: http://aacte.org/news-room/13-press-releases-statements/154-aacte-celebrates-approval-of-new-professional-accreditation-standards. Yes, we must “Focus on a commitment to accreditation, with CAEP as the single accrediting body.” And it would be wonderful if AACTE were to “Advocate for accreditation processes as the cornerstone of quality within the profession.” Will you support national accreditation as a requisite for joining AACTE?
I agree that CAEP must engage in ongoing communication with the field and I welcome your invitation to dialogue. However, that is not the same thing as reviewing the standards with an eye toward revisions. We must not retreat from our conviction to reform teacher education through rigorous standards set by the profession. I hope that you, as President and Chair of AACTE, will make it clear to the public and the profession that it is not your intention or purview to re-litigate the standards we have all worked so hard to develop.
AACTE is an important source of support and assistance to providers who are working hard to meet the high standards CAEP has set. The role AACTE can play in supporting and advocating for colleges, schools, and departments of education that prepare teachers is valuable to the profession. That advocacy role marks the distinction between AACTE and CAEP. CAEP is an accreditation group, not an advocacy group. This is a critical distinction that both the profession and the public must understand and I hope you, and this AACTE initiative you announce in the blog, will work to make that distinction clear to the AACTE membership.
You allude to concerns stated in the AACTE vote that you reference in your blog; these concerns include CAEP’s governance. The NCATE-TEAC Design Team developed CAEP’s governance process. If there are ways to improve it I am sure that the CAEP Board and staff are open to hearing them. Currently the Nominating Committee works very hard to ensure diversity in all its aspects and to make sure that we are including all stakeholders in the work of improving P-12 learning and development. Recruiting top-notch volunteers from our ranks is a critical task that
AACTE could assist in many effective ways.
Unfortunately much of the public have lost faith in what we as teacher educators do; we need to do everything we can to regain it. Teacher education accreditation has been criticized for being “in house” and concerned with meeting the needs of its membership, which is seen by many as a conflict of interest. Having an independent accreditation process is a critical step in restoring the public’s trust.
Of course, all constituencies who are stakeholders in P-12 education and the preparation of teachers need to be heard, as we implement the CAEP standards, and I appreciate your efforts at dialogue and collaboration. The job of enhancing the preparation of the nation’s teachers is a huge job, and any ways that we can reduce duplicative efforts, and support each organization in achieving this goal, should be pursued.
I look forward to further discussions that will achieve our mutual goal of improving P-12 learning through effective teacher preparation.”
Building a Culture of Assessment
Dr. James Sottile, Associate Dean for Accreditation, Assessment & Data Management is working hard to position us as a leader in efforts to build a systemic system of assessment in COE and across the EPPU. As soon as all programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels take full advantage of our new Taskstream system, we will be in a position to provide individual, specific reports to programs. This will not only create a seamless accreditation approach, but it will simplify SPA reporting, annual reports, and even course assessments if faculty so choose. I have asked department heads to work with program faculty and James’ staff to ensure all programs are utilizing Taskstream.
“Keep calm, and assess (sic) on,”