Undergraduate Programs in Education – Goals and Outcomes Assessment

The teacher education programs at CUA help students acquire the skills and reflective qualities essential for educators and in accord with national standards established by the teaching profession.  By developing a reflective, problem-solving orientation toward teaching, graduates of these programs can critically examine their own actions as well as the impact on students, schools, and communities.  The outcome should be self-directed teachers who use professional knowledge to improve their practice.

Teacher candidates are assessed at admittance to the program with state mandated Praxis I tests along with a program application, teacher recommendations, and evaluation of grade point averages.  They continue to be assessed as they continue in the program, after student teaching, before graduation for licensure and during their first year of teaching after graduation.  For teacher candidates in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education, the capstone requirement, completed in conjunction with student teaching, involves a semester-long action research project.  Two faculty members evaluate the assignment on how well candidates analyze an educational issue in the setting where they are placed, use the reflective framework to propose a solution and evaluate the effectiveness of its implementation. Teacher candidates also compile an electronic portfolio that includes samples of their work throughout their program of study and documents their performance at levels required by national standards.

These assessments are appropriate outcome measures for teacher education programs as they directly reflect its purpose of creating reflective practitioners who meet nationally recognized standards of performance. Candidates must demonstrate their ability to analyze educational problems, pose and attempt solutions, and reflect on their efforts. We use an extensive literature review in the action research project, as well as state mandated Praxis II tests to assess specific subject area knowledge.  Independent evaluations from teachers or supervisors in the field provide a way to validate assessments made by the CUA faculty.  All measures, monitored through the Department’s Unit Assessment System, are used in making program improvements.

The Department of Education also offers an undergraduate program in Education Studies, for individuals who are interested in education in work and community settings beyond schools. Students in the Education Studies program ordinarily complete one or two semester-long internships in an education related non-school setting and write a comprehensive examination that requires the use of the conceptual framework or, in lieu of taking senior comprehensive examinations, the student can opt to complete an action research paper of no less than 25 pages with appropriate references.  Additional assessments for all students include evaluations from supervisors and/or cooperating teachers in practicum and/or internships as well as evaluations by principals and other employers who hire CUA graduates. 

September 22, 2004