85% of the Secondary Education students will receive a score of "3" on the Methods Block lesson plan.

During the classes of Methods Block, first semester senior year, the students write multiple lesson plans. Each student selects the best lesson plan in each content area (math, English language arts, science, and social studies) to submit as their best representation of a Lesson Plan in that content area. The lesson plans are scored/evaluated on information documented in stating the lesson goals, objectives, rationale, standards, materials, classroom setting, student needs, focus, procedures, design of implementation, and closure of the lesson.
The Lesson Plan assessment allows our candidates to demonstrate their understanding of:
*Establishing a lesson framework;
*Designing a supportive learning environment;
*Incorporating Instructional strategies; and,
*Implementing Evaluation strategies.

85% of candidates during the 2008-2009 academic year will achieve a score of "3" on the Methods Block Lesson Plan. The lesson plan format and rubric are in place and ready to use. The Methods Block Lesson Plans will be appropriate format to measure a variety of learning outcomes. The content of the items in this assessment relate directly to the planning, implementation, and assessment of instruction that teachers encounter when teaching.

During the 2008-2009 academic year, relating to the four parts of the Lesson Plan, 64.79% scored a "3" (Target) on Establishing the Lesson Framework while 22.47% scored a "2" (Acceptable), 61.05% scored a "3" on Designing Supportive Learning Environments while 24.72% scored a "2", 58.05% scored a "3"on Instructional Strategies , while 26.97% scored a "2", and 47.19% scored a "3" on Evaluation Strategies, while 28.09% scored a "2". Therefore, although 85% of the Secondary students did not earn a "3" on the four parts of the Lesson Plan, they did achieve "Acceptable" on all sections of the Lesson Plan except one (Evaluation Strategies).


As a point of information, in the past, instructors in the Methods Block used TK20 as a database to collect Pre-Assessment as well as Post-Assessment scores on the Lesson Plan. At the beginning of the semester, before instruction even began on the Lesson Plan, candidates were asked to complete a Lesson Plan as a Pre-Assessment. Then, toward the end of the semester, after the Lesson Plan instruction, they were once again asked to complete a Lesson Plan. All submissions were made into TK20. Since TK20 cannot disaggregate the Pre-Assessment Lesson Plans from the Post-Assessment Lesson Plans, the percentages provided include ALL data, including the scores from the Pre-Assessments that were completed BEFORE any instruction was presented on the Lesson Plan.

Using the Findings from 08-09, instructors will focus instruction more specifically on the requirements for the quality completion of the four parts of the Lesson Plan: Establishing the Lesson Framework, Designing Supportive Learning Environments, Instructional Strategies, and Evaluation Strategies. In addition, more emphasis will be placed on the instruction for Evaluation Strategies, the lowest performing part of the Lesson Plan.


In addition, since the Pre-Assessment scores on Lesson Plans cannot be disaggregated from the Post-Assessment scores on the Lesson Plans, instructors will no longer have students submit their Pre-Assessment Lesson Plans into TK20.

85% of secondary education candidates will pass the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Certification Examination.

All candidates seeking initial certification, advanced teacher certification, or certifications for other school personnel must take one or more of the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES). These examinations directly correspond to the state content competencies that have been identified for the certification desired. These content competencies are aligned with and based on the appropriate state standards and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) statements, which describe the state mandated curriculum for students. Each TExES examination is criterion-referenced and is designed to measure a candidate's level of content knowledge and skills appropriate for educators in the State of Texas.

Each test was collaboratively developed by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC), National Evaluation Systems, Inc. (NES), an independent corporation specializing in educational measurements, with additional participation by committees of Texas educators. Individual test items developed to measure the state competencies were reviewed and rated by the various committees of Texas educators to ensure appropriateness of content and difficulty, clarity, and accuracy. These committees also ensured that the test items matched the appropriate competencies and were free from potential ethnicity, gender, and regional biases. The committees also helped prepare scoring rubrics for written response items and training materials for those who would score the tests.

Separate standard-setting panels were convened to review statistical data about candidate scores from initial pilot studies of the tests during their development. Recommendations were forwarded to the SBEC, which made the final decisions about establishing passing scores. TExES examinations are centrally administered by SBEC and NES at pre-determined sites and on pre-established dates across Texas similar to many of the national achievement tests. This regime provides for a professional, equitable, and secure testing environment for candidates. Alternative testing arrangements are also permitted for those requiring special consideration. Sites are selected after a careful review of security and accessibility potential, and the quality of overall testing conditions. Tests are scored centrally.

85% of secondary education candidates will pass the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Certification Examination. While the accountability system for the state examines scores for each completer cohort and provides for students to repeat the examination if they are not successful on the first attempt, the anaylsis of pass rates which will be presented here represent the pass rates on the first attempt for all PPR exams taken in 2008-2009.

During the 2008-2009 academic year, of the secondary education candidates taking the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities 8-12 Exam, 88% passed on the first attempt. Of those secondary education candidates taking the EC - 12 Exam, 94% passed on the first attempt.

Using the Findings from 08-09, strategies to increase the percentage of first time exam takers will continue. In addition, those strategies will include more effort to address the lower-scoring areas so as to increase the percentage passing scores of first time exam takers.

85% of SED candidates will receive a "3" on the TWS

The Teacher Work Sample (TWS), adapted from The Renaissance Partnership for Improving Teacher Quality Project (http://fp.uni.edu/itq), is a performance assessment designed to demonstrate evidence of Sam Houston State University candidates' ability to facilitate learning for all students. This sample illustrates the candidate's ability to plan, implement, modify and assess instruction during their student teaching semester.

Prior to the student teaching semester, candidates choose one (12 to 14 week placement) or two (6 to 7 week placements). During the first 6 to 7 weeks of their placement, candidates are required to create and teach a unit as a Teacher Work Sample. After consulting with their mentor teacher about the unit focus, candidates teach a minimum of five lessons from the unit in their mentor's classroom. Additionally, the candidates are evaluated on their unit planning and teaching of unit lessons. They are also required to reflect on their decision-making and teaching practice including their impact on student learning.

The Teacher Work Sample (TWS) focuses on seven teaching processes that are crucial for effective/reflective teaching and must be considered when planning for the learning of all students. Each process is defined by a performance standard, specific task, a student prompt and a rubric that identify the desired performance of the candidate related to that process.

85% of candidates in the 2008-2009 academic year will achieve a score of "3" on the Teacher Work Sample.
As recommended by the Renaissance Group, each candidate's Teacher Work Sample is blindly scored by a minimum of two trained scorers. Each scorer evaluates and assigns a score of three(target), two (acceptable), or one (unacceptable) to each indicator, Additionally an overall score of three, two or one is given to each of the seven processes as well as and an overall three, two or one to the entire Teacher Work Sample. If the first two scorers agree on the overall Teacher Work Sample score, the scoring process is complete. However, if the two scorers do not agree the Teacher Work Sample is scored for a third, possibly fourth time, until agreement is reached. For this reason, the data presented in the following charts represents the number of scorings not the number of Teacher Work Samples scored.

Once agreement is reached on the Teacher Work Sample score, the overall scores are sent to the student teachers. The following charts show the overall Teacher Work Sample scores for the student teachers.

The percentage of secondary education students earning a "3" on the Teacher Work Sample for the academic year 2008-2009 is 61.5%. The percent of students earning a "2" on the Teacher Work Sample is 36.1%, leaving 2.5% of students earning a "1" on the TWS. Although the percentage achieved did not meet the criterion of 85%, 97.5% did meet the standards to pass the TWS.

Using the disaggregation of data report on the Teacher Work Sample, the focus will be to adjust the instruction on each of the seven processes of the TWS, addressing the areas of weakness reflected in the disaggregated data report.