Middle Level candidiates master areas associated with teacher quality and effectiveness

 Middle Level candidates will demonstrate mastery in the following areas of effective teaching:  planning, instruction, assessing, modifying, and self-reflection on performance.

 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 2009-2010 academic year will achieve a score of "3" on the Teacher Work Sample.

Information on Scoring Procedures:

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.

For the 2009-2010 academic year, 70.2 % of MLE candidates received a "3" on the Teacher Work Sample.  Although this fell short of the goal of 85%, 100% of MLE candidates did meet the minimum standards, scoring either a "2" or "3."

Using the findings from the 2009-2010 academic year, instructors will adjust instruction on each of the processes of the Teacher Work Sample during the Methods Block, addressing the weaknesses reported in the disaggregated data. (i.e., Analysis of Student Learning, and Reflection and Self-evaluation)

Candidates will plan lessons that result in effective learning outcomes.

 Middle Level Education candidates will demonstrate mastery in the Lesson Planning assignment during Content Methods Block

 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 2009-2010 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. Through Tk20, scores are reported for individual candidates as well as groups. Consequently, data results will be aggregated and disaggregated for evaluation purposes.

During the 2009-2010 academic year, 88% received a score of "3" on the Methods Block Lesson Plan.  Breaking the lesson plans into the individual components, the averages were Establishing the Lesson Framework-2.79; Designing Supportive Learning Environments-2.92; Instructional Strategies- 2.71; Evaluation Strategies-2.75.

Using the findings from 2009-2010, instructors will continue to focus instruction on the four components of the Lesson Plan.  In addition, more emphasis will be placed on the instruction for Instructional Strategies, the lowest performing part of the Lesson Plan.

Knowledge and skills associated with pedagogy and professional responsibilities

 Candidates in the Middle Level Program will demonstrate mastery of the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities knowledge and skills for classroom teachers

 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 for 4-8 certification 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. The two tests used for this program are the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) for a candidate's specific teaching field, and the Texas Examinations of Educator Standard Standards (TExES) Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities 4-8 exam.

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.

 Pass rates on 4-8 PPR exam will exceed 89%. 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 analysis of pass rates which will be presented here represent the pass rates on the first attempt for all PPR exams taken in 2009-2010.

During the 2009-2010 Academic year, 90.9% of the Middle Level Education candidates were successful on the first attempt.

Using the findings from the 2009-2010 academic year, strategies to increase the percentage of first time test takers will continue.  The strategies will include the effort to address the lower-scoring areas so as to increase the percentage (i.e., PPR Competency 008 - .. provides appropriate instruction that actively engages students in the learning process, and PPR Competency 002 - .. understands student diversity and knows how to plan experiences and design assessments that are responsive to differences among students ..)