Degree and Program Name: SPECIAL EDUCATION

STUDENT LEARNING

ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

Degree and Program Name: SPECIAL EDUCATION-

UNDERGRADUATE

STUDENT LEARNING

ASSESSMENT PROGRAM2003-04

Degree and Program Name: SPECIAL EDUCATION-

UNDERGRADUATE

What Are the Learning Objectives? / How, Where, & When Are They Assessed?
Committee/Person Responsible / What Are the Expectations (Quantitative and/or Qualitative) for Satisfactory Performance? / What Are the Results? / How Will the Results Be Used?
Committee/Person Responsible
1. Major will have an appropriate knowledge base specific to students with disabilities. Majors will have the skills to establish environments which provide for the academic development of all learners. Majors upon program completion meet the following outcomes:
Students:
(2)Design instruction to promote healthy self-concept.
(5)Demonstrate sensitivity to students’ feelings.
(8)Strive to develop student moral and ethical behaviors.
(9)Develop a desire for lifelong learning.
(12)Provide for the uniqueness of the individuals. / Capstone Knowledge base course: SPE 4900. Capstone Practica: SPE4901.
Committee/Person Responsible:
Faculty supervising 4901 practica / Majors enrolled in 4900/4901 will meet performance expectations (earn a C) or4 exceed expectations (earn B or A). / SPE4900 Fall 2003:
1 of 37 earned A's
25 of 37 earned B’s
11 of 37 earned C’s
Fall class average GPA was 2.72.
SPE4901 Fall 2003:
23 of 37 earned A's
14 of 37 earned B’s
Fall class average GPA was 3.60.
SPE4900 Spring2004:
0 of 21earned A's
14 of 21 earned B’s
7 of 21 earned C’s
Fall class average GPA was 2.67.
SPE4901 Spring 2004:
16 of 21 earned A's
4 of 21 earned B’s
Fall class average GPA was 3.97. / Department faculty analyze grades by course, not section, across semesters each semester. The DCC monitors to assure grades in 4900/4901 are tied to performance objectives, that rubrics are used for assignments and projects, and that grades are criterion referenced.
Committee/Person Responsible:
Chair/DCC/Instructors of 4900/4901
2. Majors will have the appropriate knowledge base relative to diverse strategies to teach learners with mild disabilities.
Majors will have the skills to establish environments to enhance learners with mild disabilities academic achievement. Majors upon program completion meet the following objectives:
(1)Design instruction to utilize the cognitive process.
(3)Achieve learning outcomes.
(4)Decide what will be learned.
(6)Emphasizes higher-order critical thinking skills.
(7)Optimize academically engaged time.
(11)Utilize concepts of measurement and assessment.
(19)Utilizes technology. / Capstone Knowledge course: SPE4900. Capstone Practica: SPE4901.
Committee/Person Responsible:
Chair and 4900/4901 Instructors / Majors enrolled in 4900/4901 will meet performance expectations (earn a C or better) or exceed performance expectations (earn B or A). / See #1
SummaryPass Rate for on campus program completers on the LBS I State Test January 2003 through April 2004 was 98% (83 of 85 passed). On the new State Early Childhood Special Education test, 8 individuals completing the Early Childhood Special Education Program Option took the test and all 8 passed for a 100% pass rate. State-wide pass rate is 90%.
(State average was 90.6). / Chair and DCC will analyze grades earned (not by section but by course) in 4900/4901; See #1.
Majors will pass the three IllinoisState Certification Tests in the mild Special Education areas at a rate equal to or higher than State average.
Chair and faculty will scrutinize certification test results by subsection plan receiving summary of each test administration results.
Committee/Person Responsible:
Illinois Certification Tests
ISBE/Chair & Associate Dean
DCC and Chairperson
3. Majors will have an appropriate knowledge base relative to diversity in society and across and among communities. Majors will have the skills to establish effective educational environments in schools and communities. Majors upon program completion meet the 19 Unit Outcomes including the following outcomes:
(13)Performs successfully within contexts of schools and community.
(14)Models appropriate professional behavior. / Portfolios representing student products across their major program are submitted at mid-term the semester before Student Teaching.
Committee/Person Responsible:
Chair and faculty as a whole / Each of 10 products must meet or exceed department faculty expectation of acceptability. / See charts. / As one criteria for approval of a given student to be allowed to Student Teach in Special Education.
Committee/Person Responsible:
Chair
4. Majors will have a Special Education knowledge base sufficient to be an effective entry-level teacher. Program completers will have demonstrated professional subject area knowledge and skills, including, but not limited to, having demonstrated the following outcomes:
(10)Good communication skills.
(15)Mastery of basic skills in language arts and mathematics.
(16)Knowledge of facts and understanding of relationships among the various knowledge domains.
(17)Mastery of the structure of the disciplines selected for specialization.
(18)Knowledge of past and present issues in the filed of Education. / Illinois Certification Tests
Committee/Person Responsible:
ISBE/Chair/and Associate Dean / See #2 / See #2 / See #2
Committee/Person Responsible:
Chair/DCC
5. Program completers will have demonstrated he/she has basic skills: writing, reading, and math. / Illinois Basic Skills Test
Committee/Person Responsible:
ISBE/Chair/Associate Dean / Majors will pass the Illinois Basic Skills Test in order to student teach. / 98.4% of majors/program completers passed the Illinois Test of Basic Skills, 2001-2002 (61 of 62) (The one individual who did not pass was a non-traditional student in an off-campus project. No Illinois Test of Basic Skill results 2002-2203 have been provided to the Department, but it may be a non-issue as no one can student teach unless this test is passed. / Certification is not possible without successful completion of this test.
Committee/Person Responsible:
Chair

PART II: QUALITATIVE COMMENTS BY REVIEWERS

Program Strengths as Shown by Portfolio Products

Portfolios were well organized and items were easy to find.
Assessments, IEP and Lesson Plans remain strong.
Reflective matrices were thoroughly done.
Curriculum adaptations are continuing to improve.
Artifacts reflect development of knowledge & skills across students’ curriculum.
Reflection on relationship of coursework to standards by students showed spiraling progression
Demonstrates the wide range of experiences our students have in the program.
The unit plan, behavior management plan and curriculum adaptations assignments were done in an accurate and thorough manner.
The assessment reports are thorough and well-written.
Unit plans are very comprehensive.
Classroom management plans are thought through and reflect good practice.
Behavioral recording assignments reflected diversity of experiences.
Very comprehensive – very complete and thorough. It (the portfolio) really provides a summary of each student’s experience and performance at our Department.

Concerns:

That students philosophies overall are not philosophies of teaching and do not discuss integration into the regular educational classroom.
Students who do not make the effort to submit all items available at the time of submission but rather saying they will add later.
Curriculum/materials adaptation assignments do not reflect well what was adapted/how/why.
Protection of confidentiality was a concern in a number of items.

Outcome Measure:
Portfolio Assessment
Goals/Objectives / Assessment Used: Portfolio Assessment / Summary: Strengths/Needs Based on Outcome Measures / Improvements/Changes Planned Based on Outcome Measures
1.Design instruction to develop
and utilize the cognitive processes by which pupils learn. / See #2, #3, #11
2.Design instruction to promote a healthy self-concept in their students. / IEP, Behavior Recording,
Behavior Intervention Plan, and
Classroom Management Plan / Behavioral recording and classroom management plan are strong. / 17% of IEPs were acceptable and 6% were unacceptable with77% missing.
3.Demonstrate alternative methods of achieving similar
learning outcomes. / Unit Plan, Lesson Plan,
Curriculum and Material
Adaptation / Unit Plans were 87% acceptable; 57% of the curriculum and material adaptations were acceptable. / Consideration needs to be further given to requiring lesson plans earlier in 4900 so one can be included in the portfolio. 57% of portfolios were missing lesson plans. 42% of lesson plans were acceptable and 1 of 53, or 2%, were not acceptable.
4.Decide what will be learned
and the process of learning. / See #2
5.Demonstrate/exhibit sensi-
tivity to students’ feelings.
6.Emphasize higher-order,
critical thinking skills. / See #2, #3
7.Manage the classroom to
optimize academically engaged time. / See #3
8.Strive to develop in student’s
intellectual, social, ethical and moral skills and behaviors. / See #2, #3
9.Develop a desire for lifelong
learning in students and display personally one’s own
desire for lifelong learning including self-evaluation skills. / See #2
10.Demonstrate good communication skills. / Content in Portfolios / All portfolios had missing components. Department is piloting an assessment process that looks at portfolio components as completed in courses rather than summatively. This should give a more accurate picture of program outcomes met or not met.
11.Use basic concepts of
measurements and assess-
ment in instructional
decision-making. / Assessment Report / 91% of assessment reports
were acceptable. 2 were unacceptable, 2 of 53 = 47%.
12.Provide for the uniqueness of
individuals, recognizing the
characteristics of culturally pluralistic and “at-risk” populations, and foster appreciation for those differences. / See #3
13.Perform successfully within
the social and political
contexts of schools and
community. / Performance rubrics are being developed for 4901/4920 capstone practica. New student teaching evaluations and results should also be helpful to assess this goal.
14.Model appropriate pro-
fessional behavior…ethical,
legal, social, and moral. / Portfolios Overall / All portfolios had missing components. See #10 above.
15.Demonstrate a mastery of the
basic skills in language arts
and mathematics. / See #2, #3
16.Demonstrate knowledge of
facts and an understanding of
fundamental principles, ideas,
and relationships among the
various knowledge domains. / See #2, #3, #10, #11
17.Demonstrate knowledge of
the structure of the discipline(s) selected for specialization…theories, concepts, facts, principles, ideas, and relationships. / See #2, #3
18.Demonstrate knowledge of
past and present developments, issues, research, and social influences in the field of education. / Reflective Matrices / 83% of reflective matrices were acceptable; 6 of 53 or 11% were not acceptable; and 3 of 53 or 6% were missing from the portfolio.
19.Effective use of technology
to increase teaching and learning. / Portfolios Overall / Emerging

PART TWO:

Summarize changes and improvements in curriculum, instruction, and learning that have resulted from the implementation of your assessment program.

A.Program strengths shown by “Portfolio” products:

Reflective matrices reflect students know in which courses they learned specific knowledge or demonstrated specific skills.
Assessment reports continue to be well written, detailed and comprehensive.
Behavior recording assignments are well done and reflect use of technology.
Classroom Management Plans are well done and reflect candidate skill in planning.
Candidate use of technology to produce products.
Unit plans are well developed and reflect candidate understanding of planning varied learning activities around a theme.

Concerns:

Student’s personal philosophy statements continue to need more reflection relative to relationship between general and special education.

Improvements/Changes Planned Based on Portfolio Assessment

Rubrics were piloted in 2003-2004 to assess portfolio products at the time of completion, rather than summatively. Rubrics for each product will be used in 2004-2005 and computer analysis across products will be done across 2004-2005 academic year.

B.Program Strengths as reflected in Undergraduate Program IBHE self-study, reports, and administrative reviews of the departmental self-study:

In academic years 2003-2004 the department did a self-study assessment as part of the process specific to the Eight Year IBHE Review process.

The full report which was submitted provided significant program data. The reviews of the report written by Dr. Mary Herrington-Perry, representing the Office of the VPAA, and Dr. Charles Rohn, Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies, provide a departmental external assessment of the undergraduate program (the full text of these two reviews is provided as an attachment to this report).

Dr. Herrington-Perry’s synopsis reflects these program strengths:

Strengths visible in both reviews include placement rates, student/alumni/employer satisfaction, and faculty leadership in professional organizations, as well as the department’s concerted efforts to find innovative ways to serve underserved areas, to use limited resources efficiently, and to use technology effectively in teaching and learning. The review of the BSEd in Special Education highlights a number of additional strengths, including enrollments, state licensure/certification exam results, sustained accreditations, applied learning requirements, and special programs like TIPS.

Dr. Rohn’s comments reflect the following undergraduate program strengths:

1)Department has a strong, committed faculty who work collaboratively to assure positive experiences for students. The Department and its faculty are considered by many as the premier in their field in the state.

2)Department conducts a consistent review of curriculum and program requirements to assure alignment with national and state standards and with the expectations of the field.

3)Program has a positive reputation of providing a strong, up-to-date educational opportunity for future special educators.

4)Department has significant outreach efforts to provide opportunities for professionals in a shortage field in geographically underserved areas.

5)A strong relationship with the field of work is maintained.

6)The program has an exceptional reputation with alumni and practitioners.

7)Department has been successful in obtaining grant funds to support a variety of projects.

C.Improvements/Changes Planned Based on Analysis of Certification Test Results

No program changes are planned based LBS I test results as 83 of 85 passed this test in the first year of administration. Relative to the Illinois Basic Skills, all individuals as of Fall 2002 have had to pass the Illinois Basic Skills Test in order to commence student teaching; thus, non-passers cannot be program completers.

C:\assessment\dept\2004 summaries\Spec Ed b.s. 04.doc

Attachment to Student Learning Assessment Program

Special Education – Undergraduate Report Spring 2004

2003-2004 Program Review

Dean’s Review

Department: Special Education

Degree: B.S.Ed. in Special Education

General Comments:The Department of Special Education does an excellent job in the program provided to students obtaining the B.S.Ed. in Special Education degree. This program is known throughout Illinois and beyond as one of the premier programs in special education. The Chair and faculty have made very strong efforts to assure that the program is up to date and meets current standards at a time of major change dictated by judicial order. There is a large and growing job market available to the graduates of this program. The shortage of quality special educators is often described as being at the crisis level. Enrollment in this program has been strong and consistent over the past several years with 325 majors in the Fall of 1994 and 334 majors during the Fall of 2003. The Department’s innovative outreach efforts are well known and respected throughout the state for providing opportunities for professionals in a shortage field in geographically underserved areas. The Department was awarded a non-competitive grant from ISBE this year to expand this exciting program. Information obtained from current students, alumni and employers indicate strong satisfaction with and support for the program. The alumni survey indicated an impressive 93% who are currently employed in the special education field. The program has obtained accreditation approval from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Illinois State Board of Education. The Department carefully and consistently reviews information and data on current efforts and uses this information to plan for program improvements.

Program Strengths:

2)Department conducts a consistent review of curriculum and program requirements to assure alignment with national and state standards and with the expectations of the field.

3)Program has a positive reputation of providing a strong, up-to-date educational opportunity for future special educators.

4)Department has significant outreach efforts to provide opportunities for professionals in a shortage field in geographically underserved areas.

5)A strong relationship with the field of work is maintained.

6)The program has an exceptional reputation with alumni and practitioners.

7)Department has been successful in obtaining grant funds to support a variety of projects.

Areas of Focus:

1)Staffing levels continue to be a concern as has been the case for several years. Most faculty are not only at the upper level of assignment but are regularly into overload.

2)Efforts need to continue to review current curriculum and program requirements for alignment with state and national standards and expectations of the field. This will be an important goal as CEC announces new standards or as state-wide standards continue to change.

Recommendations for Internal or External Reallocation:

1)Within budgetary restrictions, attempts should be made to address staffing level concerns.The current search, if successful, will help to address this need.

2)Recent budgetary restrictions have resulted in a reduced operating budget in the Department. Attempts should be made to address limitations that impact support in the areas of materials, equipment, and faculty travel.

3)The Department and College have been very aggressive in attempts to find funding to support the priority of providing up-to-date technology support for faculty and students. These efforts need to be continued.

C:\assessment\dept\2004 summaries\Spec Ed b.s. 04.doc

Attachment to Student Learning Assessment Program

Special Education – Undergraduate Report Spring 2004

EASTERN ILLINOISUNIVERSITY

OFFICE OF THE PROVOST AND VICE PRESIDENT

FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Dr. Mary Herrington-PerryPhone - 581-2121

Assistant Vice President for Academic AffairsEmail -

______

TO:Dr. Shank

RE:Special Education Program Review Responses

DATE:March 18, 2004

As I read a program review, I look for the hallmarks of program excellence, things such as the presence of clearly stated program goals and ample evidence that the unit strives to achieve them; learning objectives that encompass the specific requirements of the discipline BUT ALSO address broader skills such as communication, critical thinking, teamwork, and cultural awareness/sensitivity, skills that are essential to students’ abilities to engage in scholarship, secure employment, become lifelong learners, etc.; systematic, data-based assessment of student achievement and opinion (with accompanying highly positive results); external input and validation from advisory groups, accrediting bodies, and employers; continuous improvement based on these assessments; strong student-faculty relationships; ample applied learning opportunities; attention to diversity in student recruitment and faculty hiring practices; high quality faculty; effective leadership; employment placement assistance; efforts to secure external funding; and enrollment, degree completion, cost data, and career placement levels appropriate to the discipline and market and indicative of a viable program.