OATdb Archive

2010 - 2011

Special Education MED (Educational Diagnostician)

Goal
Mastery Of SBEC Knowledge And Skills
Educational Diagnostician students will demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills set forth by SBEC.

Objective
Mastery Of SBEC Knowledge And Skills
Graduates will demonstrate competencies as set forth by  the State Board of Education Certification (SBEC) for diagnostician certification


Indicator
Texas Examination Of Knowledge & Skills
TExES for Educational Diagnosticians developed by the Education Testing Service (ETS)

Criterion
Pass Rate
  1. 80% of candidates will pass the TExES
  2. The mean score for candidates will exceed the state mean score


Finding
TExES For Educational Diagnosticians
Of 19 test takers, 18 passed, leading to a 95% passing rate.

Action
TExES For Educational Diagnosticians
In 2009-2010, 100% of students taking the TExES passed. Now, in 2010-2011, 95% of the students have passed. A criterion of 85% will now be the criterion level.


Action
Analysis Of Domains On TExES
Based on the analysis of the four domains, the areas with relatively lower scores included the following descriptors:  knowledge of eligibility criteria, consideration of divesrsty in planning and evaluating instruction, planning evaluations, and test selection. Faculty will emphasize each of these areas in coursework, particularly in the courses involving testing. See attached Domains, standards, descriptors, and SHSU mean scores.

Goal
Mastery Of CEC Knowledge And Skills
Candidates will demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills on comprehensive examinations referenced to the standards set forth by the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Knowledge and Skills for Educational Diagnosticians.


Objective
Mastery Of CEC Knowledge And Skills
Candidates will demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills on comprehensive examinations referenced to the standards set forth by the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Knowledge and Skills for Educational Diagnosticians.


Indicator
Comprehensive Exams Rubric
Faculty-developed rubric scored by two independent faculty members following standards of CEC

Criterion
Pass Rate On Comprehensive Exam Rubric
100% of candidates will achieve 70% of all possible points or more on the comprehensive exam rubric


Finding
Performance On Comprehensive Examinations
Three semesters - Summer 2010, Fall 2010, Spring2011 - saw 14 candidates take the Comprehensive Examination for Educational Diagnosticians. 86% of the candidates (12/14) scored accrued 70% of the possible points on the exam. Student performance was lowest in the area of Knowledge and Application of Learning Theory, the area on comprehensive examinations where they lost more points. The highest area was Knowledge and Understanding of Learners with Disabilities and Knowledge and Application of Evaluation Procedures.

Action
Comprehensive Examination For Educational Diagnosticians
Comprehensive Examinations administered in 2011 - 2012 can look for 100% of the candidates to score above 75%. Since the lowest area of student performance was in Knowledge and Application of Learning Theory, these concepts will be emphasized across coursework in the program. Faculty will incorporate activities and assignments related to this area throughout the sequence of courses. Faculty will review the rubrics for the comprehensive examinations.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

Plan for continuous improvement Candidate performance on both the TExEs and the Master's Level Comprehensive Examination are satisfactory but will be further re-evaluated. CEC Knowledge and Skill Indicators and Texas Standards will be used to continuously refine and revise questions on comprehensive exams as well as provide preparation for the TExEs Examination. Fidelity to standards in coursework and test content will be the goal. On comprehensive examinations, Knowledge and Application of Learning Theory was the lowest area of performance. Faculty will emphasize these concepts across coursework. We also will review our comprehensive examination rubric. On the TExES certification examination, performance was highest in the domains addressing understanding of behavior and social interaction, knowledge of curricula and instruction, knowledge of ethical and professional practices, collaboration and time management. The relatively lower areas of performance on the TExES included knowledge of eligibility criteria, consideration of diversity in planning evaluations, planning general evaluations, and test selection.