OATdb Archive - Sam Houston State University

OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

Reading MED (Reading Specialist)

Goal

Quality And Effectiveness

Enhance the quality and effectiveness of the academic programs

Objective

Standards Of Proficiency

Graduate Reading Specialist candidates will meet or exceed the established standards of proficiency in the knowledge and skills required for Texas Reading Specialist Certification.

Indicator

Candidates' Reading Specialist TExES Scores

Candidates will successfully pass all domains of the Texas Reading Specialist certification examination, a standardized test developed by Educational Testing Service.

Criterion

TExES Reading Specialist Scores

It is expected by the department that 100% of students taking the Reading Specialist exam will pass with a score that exceeds the state mean and achieves a score of at least 80% on each of the four domains.

Finding

TExES Rading Specialist Scores

All candidates who took the Reading Specialist certification exam passed with a score of 80% or above in all domains.

Action

Reading Specialist TExES Scores

Faculty will continously monitor candidate scores on the TExES, and address a plan of action if the scores fall below the criterion.

Goal

International Reading Association Standards Proficiency

We use the knowledge and skills standards developed by the International Reading Association, the premier professional organization in the field, as the foundation to our program.

Objective

Reading Specialist Standards

Graduates of the Master's of Education in Reading/Language Arts will become proficient in the standards of the International Reading Association, These standards include

Standard 1: Foundational Knowledge
Standard 2: Curriculum and Instruction
Standard 3; Assessment and Evaluation
Standard 4: Diversity
Standard 5: Literate Environment
Standard 6: Professional Learning and Leadership

Indicator

Portfolio Rubric

Candidates create a portfolio that demonstrates their proficiency in each standard through work samples and reflection. See attached rubric.

Criterion

Portfolio Scores

The reading faculty divide the standards among them (two faculty members per standard) to score the portfolios. Candidates must achieve at least a score of 1 (acceptable) on each standard.

Finding

Portfolio Scores

All candidates received a score of 1 or above on each standard of the Portfolio

Action

Portfolio

The faculty have created a Capstone Assignment that will take the place of the Portfolio. We will assess the success of this assessment, as compared to the portfolio.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement A Master's of Education in Reading/Language Arts Revision Committee looked at all course syllabi to determine if all six IRA standards were being adequately covered. The only standard that was not adequately addressed was standard six:; Professional Learning and Leadership. We determined that this standard is being covered, but not addressed in the course syllabi.

Plan for continuous improvement The reading faculty is in the process of evaluating our program and has begun to revise the masters in reading course content as well as all scoring rubrics. We have created a new culminating activity--the Capstone Assignment that will take the place of the portfolio. For the 2015-2016 academic year, the faculty will continue to review all course content, including textbooks and syllabi, to ensure our courses are relevant to today’s candidates and meet the new standards of our program.