Standard 1: Candidate Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions
Candidates preparing to work in schools as teachers or other professional school personnel know and demonstrate the content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students' learn. Assessments indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards.
The conceptual framework of the program wherein the teacher is viewed as learner, active agent of learning, and articulate visionary serves to guide decisions that the teacher education faculty make regarding the preparation of candidates in knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Faculty engage in the development of theory, practice, and scholarship essential to the advancement of the disciplines. They are dedicated to critical engagement regarding the educational purposes and responsibilities that are imbedded within a pluralistic and democratic society. Our programs reflect these beliefs and are designed to support the development of educators who are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of the students they teach. Our programs have been developed to meet multiple levels of standards. For example, the University of North Dakota General Education Requirements provide a foundation on which to build our professional education sequence of courses in teacher education. In addition. all of our programs (graduate and undergraduate, initial and advanced) are recognized as meeting North Dakota's State Educational Standards and Practices Boards (ESPB) licensing standards and the professional education requirements of the Department of Public Instruction for initial licensure.
Undergraduate programs. The University of North Dakota has offered teacher education programs since its founding in 1883. The Department of Teaching and Learning is a comprehensive, accredited undergraduate and graduate department of education. It supports a broad view of education and seeks to serve preservice and inservice teachers and other education personnel with intensive, intellectually challenging, integrated study. University of North Dakota . Through its collaboration with the departments of Biology, Information Systems & Business Education, Chemistry, English, French, Geography, Geology/Earth Science, German, Industrial Technology, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Physics, Spanish, Communication and Visual Arts, a range of programs leading to initial licensure is available (Undergraduate Catalog). In addition, through specified programs of study, combined and double majors are also offered. Undergraduate programs leading to licensure include a B.S. in Physical Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Business Education , B.S.Ed. with major in Early Childhood Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Elementary Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Elementary/Early Childhood Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Elementary/Mathematics Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Elementary/Middle Level Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Elementary/Music Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Elementary/Physical Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Elementary/Visual Arts Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Vocational Marketing Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Middle/Junior High Education, B.S.Ed. with major in Science Education(secondary) and a B.S.Ed. with major in Social Studies Education (secondary) (ESPB Program Reviews).
Students preparing to teach in the secondary schools may fulfill teacher education requirements by completing the following degree programs and the professional education program in the Department of Teaching and Learning: B.A. with major in Communication, B.A. with major in English, B.A. with major in French, B.A. with major in German, B.A. with major in Spanish, B.S. with major in Industrial Technology, B.S. with major in Biology, B.S. with major in Chemistry, B.S. with major in Geology, B.S. with major in Geography, B.S. with major in Mathematics, B.S. with major in Physics, and a B.F.A. with major in Visual Arts (ESPB Program Reviews).
Candidates preparing to teach music or physical education in the schools may fulfill requirements to teach grades 1 through 12 by completing the following degree programs and the professional education program in the Department of Teaching and Learning: B.S. in Physical Education; Bachelor of Music (ESPB Program Reviews).
Graduate Programs. The Teacher Education Unit at the University of North Dakota offers a range of degrees and licensure opportunities for candidates. Graduate programs in Education are housed in three departments of the College of Education and Human Development. Faculty in the Departments of Educational Foundations and Research, Educational Leadership and Teaching and Learning work closely in the design and delivery of the graduate programs. The Department of Counseling, within EHD offers programs leading to school counselor licensing. In addition, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the College of Art and Sciences offers a program for initial licensing of speech and language pathologists (Graduate Catalog).
Element #1: Content knowledge for teacher candidates.
Content knowledge for teacher education candidates is recognized as being the foundation of teaching. The teacher as learner is a person who values knowledge and continually strives to understand the sources of knowledge and its unifying structures. Careful consideration is given to the entire degree program, not just the professional education sequence of courses. At the University of North Dakota a minimum of 125 semester hours of credit is required for a baccalaureate degree. Transfer students are required to complete a minimum of 60 credits at four-year institutions. The last 30 credits must be UND institutional credit. Institutional credit is academic credit awarded by the university.
All degree programs are required to incorporate the General Education Requirements of the university. The broad goals of the General Education Requirements are rooted in a belief that a general education program should help students develop (1) the ability to make informed choices, (2) the ability to communicate effectively, (3) intellectual curiosity and creativity, (4) a continuing commitment to learning, (5) a capacity and interest in serving others, (6) a sense of responsibility both to specific communities and to a culturally pluralistic world, and (7) greater personal satisfaction through access to the larger social, political, economic, scientific, and aesthetic culture.
These university goals articulate well with our conceptual framework. With admission to the Department of Teaching and Learning, candidates continue their personal commitment to learning (Goals 3 and 4) as well as consider their roles as active agents of learning (Goals 1, 5, and 6) who will ultimately become the voices and visionaries for education (Goals 2 and 7).
The specific goals have been organized into two sets. The first set is not tied directly to any particular discipline and gives attention to integration around such abilities as critical thinking, effective communication, creative thinking, recognizing relationships and understanding value formation. The second set is more closely tied to the areas of study included in the general education program: the social and behavioral sciences; mathematics, science and technology; and humanities and the fine arts.
Therefore, the General Education Requirements are clustered in the areas of (I) Communication, (II) Social Sciences, (III) Arts and Humanities, and (IV) Mathematics, Science and Technology. The teacher education programs meet or exceed this requirement, as well as university regulations concerning majors, minors, grade point average, upper division courses, and residence. The curriculum exhibits displayed in each program report reflects the relationship of the general education courses to the teacher education program (ESPB program review).
Student academic performance during these general education courses is critical to providing the foundation of the teacher education programs. Minimum grade points are required for admission (2.5). For several years, the admission process has also been based the evaluation of student writing (Admissions Process). While faculty were generally satisfied with that process, due to the recent research on the need for stronger academic foundations for teachers and also in order to respond to the Title II Report Card mandate, new admissions requirements and processes have been adopted by the faculty and will be phased in over a three year period, beginning fall 2001. These include the raising of the minimum grade point for admission from a 2.5 to a 2.75, documentation of scores on the Pre Professional Standards Test (PPST), and verification of successful completion of a field experience, and faculty approval for candidacy. (New Admissions Process to Teacher Education)
Once admitted to the teacher education programs, teacher education candidates are assessed systematically using a variety of assessment strategies (Assessment Plan). Portfolios play a major role in the assessment of all teacher education candidates and are introduced in the introductory courses and culminate in the student teaching celebration portfolio sharing. This on-going self-assessment keeps the candidates focused on their own growth and development as well as its effects upon students, curriculum, and the school community.
Content knowledge is also central in our advanced programs for teachers. Admission to the advanced programs is a two-tiered process: admission to the graduate school of the university (Graduate School Admissions) and admission to the graduate program within college (Admissions to Graduate Programs in Education ). It is expected that entering graduate students are prepared with the foundations of their respective fields that will be built upon throughout their specialized graduate study. Once admitted, students are assigned an advisor to assist in the development of a program of study. Each of the program areas has an established core of common courses that provide cohesiveness to the broad range of graduate options open to candidates.
Element #2: Content knowledge for other professional school personnel
Several programs for other professional school personnel are offered in the teacher education unit. These include graduate programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, Educational Leadership, and School Counseling. Admission to these programs is also a two-tiered process with both admission to the University of North Dakota graduate school (Graduate School Admissions) and the specific program (Admissions to Graduate Programs for Other School Personnel) required. Each of the programs has been developed in accordance with the state ESPB standards as well and their individual accrediting bodies. As a result, serious consideration is given to the breadth and depth of the baccalaureate degree as well as other minimum requirement for entrance and completion of the program.
Element #3: Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teacher Candidates
Understanding content and then having the skills to teach that content is critical. The development of the candidate in the role of teacher as active agent of learning is accomplished through coursework that builds upon the basic understanding of learners and support an in-depth understanding of content. For example, coursework in child and adolescent development challenge the candidate to think about human development and how it impacts student learning. In addition, content rich courses such as T & L 335 Understanding Readers and Writers support elementary candidate's understanding of the reading and writing processes and provide the foundations on which candidates will build their understanding of how to support literacy development (Syllabi). Courses in the professional sequence have been developed to provide candidates with the tools necessary to effectively support the learning of all candidates. Theses typically take the form of specific methods courses. The ESPB standards clearly identify the expectations that candidates will acquire the knowledge that is critical to effectively teach students. Our programs alignment with the ESPB standards (ESPB Program Review) as well as the INTASC standards (INTASC Matrix) documents how we address pedagogical content.
The autonomy of our teacher preparation programs is reflected in the ways in which methods are taught and yet there are commonalities between and among them. For example, all of the methods courses take into account the diversity that exists among students and all methods courses are accompanied by a field experience component. In the early childhood programs, candidates are expected to take courses specific to methods and materials for preschool and kindergarten programs in addition to a block of methods courses specific to teaching at the primary level. Elementary methods courses are also taught in a block with a field experience woven into the series. Middle level candidates methods courses support the integration of the content areas and are primarily field based. Secondary level methods are taught primarily by content area specialists and are accompanied by a field experience. The syllabi of the methods courses clearly articulate the methods by which the candidates' performances are measured (Syllabi). A critical piece of the evaluation of the candidates' level of pedagogical content in the feedback that is received by those supervising the field based aspects of the methods (Field Experience Manual (PDF File)).
Pedagogical content knowledge is also deemed critical in our graduate programs. In special education, the candidates are required to take advanced methods courses in each of the disability areas in which they are seeking licensure. The graduate programs in reading and elementary education require an action research course that seeks to support candidates making the connections between content and pedagogy by reflecting on their own classroom teaching experience, formulating question to improve instruction and implementing the changes, and collecting and analyzing data that serves as formative evaluation of the changes. In general studies, the candidates take a graduate level curriculum class that builds upon their content backgrounds and promotes the advancement of more complex teaching methods.
Technology has a role in our teaching of methods. One of the benefits of being a recipient of the Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to use Technology (PT3) capacity building grant was that 13 faculty members (7 from the College of Education and Human Development; 6 from the College of Arts and Sciences) were provided opportunities for professional development in the use of technology in their teaching. The ultimate goal of the grant was to increase the frequency with which pre-service teachers use technology by exposing them to faculty members who model its effective use. In their final report, the project directors reported that they felt that they had met the spirit and intent of the grant. Faculty members involved in the project identified and met individual goals for increasing their use of technology. In addition, a network of faculty using technology was established and links to existing services in technology on campus were strengthened. We are able to see the impact of the grant as more and more faculty are infusing technology into their courses and candidates in turn are applying it in their teaching of students (Grant).
The application of technology in courses across the curriculum has had an impact on our methods courses. We are finding that our candidates are often experiencing more advanced access to technology in the schools than they are in our programs. This is in part due to the limitations that we have had in the past with access to technology and the infrastructure of our facilities. We have made significant improvements, however, since our last NCATE visit. Our technology facilities continue to be upgraded and, under the direction of Joneen Iverson, Technology Coordinator, opportunities for faculty and candidate professional development in the newest technology are available. In addition, we are increasing the access to computers by placing computers in our classrooms. (Technology).
Technology support for instruction is also available at the University level. Through the support of the Center for Instructional & Learning Technologies (CILT), faculty are provided opportunities for technical assistance and support. Faculty development workshops are held on a regular basis. Several of the courses in teacher education have been delivered using electronic systems for support. For examples (get information on blackboard courses and functions and then create a link to a grid showing course, faculty and possible numbers of students) and technical assistance is provided.
Element #4: Professional and Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills for Teacher Candidates
The teacher education programs and programs preparing other professional school personnel work closely with the Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB) in North Dakota. As new standards for licensure are being developed, the faculty are often actively involved in the process, serving as members of the steering committees as well as providing feedback during the hearing periods. In addition, several faculty have been trained to serve as program evaluators to serve on evaluation teams for the ESPB. As a result, we are intimately informed about the expectations of the state in areas of state licensure, endorsements, credentials and reeducation. Our programs have been aligned with the state's ESPB Standards for initial and advanced programs (ESPB Program Review). In addition, INTASC standards serve as the framework for our programs and our programs have also been aligned with them (INTASC Matrix).
A single exception to this is our special education program. A decision was made by the faculty of the special education faculty to submit a folio to the Council of Exceptional Children. Because of the agreement between our state ESPB and NCATE, the recognition of the special education programs by CEC is recognized in lieu of the ESPB process.
Pedagogical content knowledge is systematically evaluated in the candidates. As described in the assessment plan, the initial assessment of candidates occurs at the time of admission. Individual courses and field experiences are evaluated using multiple methods as described in the syllabi. Pedagogical skills are assessed by peers, teacher education faculty, and cooperating teachers during campus microteaching experiences, field-based courses, and student teaching. Moreover, progress of the candidates in meeting the INTASC standards is evaluated periodically through the portfolio process, as delineated in the assessment plan.
Evaluation of the candidates' impact on students provides evidence of the ability of the candidates to teach all students. Through their student teaching portfolios, candidates document their work with students. Input on the effectiveness of the candidates is also solicited from those who directly supervise the student teaching experience. This includes the university clinical supervisor as well as the cooperating teacher (Field Experience Forms (PDF File)). Finally, as a means of identifying the effectiveness of our candidates after they complete our programs, our assessment plan includes gathering data from administrators who hire and supervise the candidates in their teaching positions (Appendix H).
The alignment with ESPB standards is evident in all of our advanced programs in teacher education (ESPB Program Reviews). There is autonomy, however, in the frameworks used to identify program goals based on the mission of the programs. The graduate programs in elementary education, early childhood education, and reading education refer to the National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards as a framework. The doctoral level program in Teaching and Learning and the M.S. in General Studies refer to the overall graduate programs of the College of Education and Human Development as their framework.
Element #5: Professional Knowledge and Skills for Other School Personnel
Our programs preparing other school personnel have been developed with serious consideration given to the prior knowledge and skills of the candidates entering into the programs. The programs for school counselors integrate the critical knowledge and skills throughout their coursework. Extensive field components provide opportunities for the candidates to connect the theory with the practice under the careful supervision of licensed counselors. In addition, at critical junctures throughout their programs, the candidates in the school counselor program are subjected to national tests for licensure to ensure that they are acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills. These tests and experiences are clearly delineated in the ESPB Program Review report for school counselors.
Programs for preparing speech and language pathologist are accredited by the American Speech and Hearing Association. Being fully accredited by the professional organization, the program is required to develop a sequence of courses and practicum experiences that meet the minimal expectations of the field. All candidates are required to pass a national certifying board at the completion of their program. The program has a 100% pass rate of their candidates on this exam which speaks highly to their program of study. The program of study for these candidates is described in the ESPB Program Review report for speech and language pathologists.
The programs in educational leadership prepare candidates for positions as principals and superintendents of schools as well as other positions of leadership in education. They are aligned with the ESPB standards (ESPB Program Review). Field experiences are taken concurrently with the content-based coursework to allow for the practical application of the knowledge.
Element #6: Dispositions for all Candidates
It is recognized the dispositions have their roots in the early experiences – life and academic - of all individuals. To that end, academic coursework that supports broadening the perspectives of candidates can have a profound impact on the development of professional dispositions. The general education requirements for all UND students provide a foundation of critical thinking, effective communication, awareness of and responsibility to, and valuing humanity in an increasingly pluralistic society. Our professional sequence of courses continues to support democratic ideals of equity, equal opportunity and access for all students living in a diverse and dynamic culture. In each of the program areas, required and recommended courses support the candidates construction of a knowledge base that will support their work with all students. Field experiences are then woven into the program to allow for practical application of the ideas. (ESPB Program Review)
The key to knowing if candidates actually are demonstrating professional dispositions, however, is the identification of what those dispositions are. The teacher education program has invested considerable resources in an effort to clearly defining the professional dispositions expected of the candidates and processes for evaluating those dispositions. The position taken by the faculty is that it is imperative that our candidates demonstrate support for all students in their teaching. We are dedicated to preparing educators who view teaching and learning as a lifelong journey and commit themselves to social justice issues within the larger community.
Dispositions are recognized as being one of the key indicators of an individual's ability to embrace the diversity that exists in our culture. While embracing diverse cultures and races is certainly critical professional dispositions in education, the faculty recognize that that is not all inclusive. Dispositions also reflect the self initiative nature of our candidates, their reliability and commitment to the profession. Being reflective professionals who demonstrate critical thinking skills and are professional colleagues with strong ethics are equally important. For some time, our teacher education programs had independently developed tools that were frequently applied in order to assist in describing the disposition of students. However, we realized that this inconsistent application of measurement was not serving our program nor the students well. It was decided that a committee would be appointed to develop a plan for identifying dispositions and then a proposal as to how we would use that information in a systematic way to enhance both our programs and the candidate's professional development.
In fall 2000, the Dispositions Committee was commissioned to create an evaluation process meant to assess our students' professional dispositions prior to admittance to Teaching and Learning, throughout their program of study, and at its culmination. Toward this end, a dispositions evaluation instrument and procedural use guidelines appropriate for all levels of course work and field experiences that span all grade levels and content areas was developed and adopted (Dispositions). The committee conducted a thorough review of the existing UND disposition evaluation forms to identify common elements as well as those elements unique to each grade level and content area. In addition, external disposition evaluation forms from other institutions were reviewed. Many forms were consistent with the spirit of existing internal UND forms, but were of greater breadth and depth. Ultimately the committee selected and edited an external form because of its overlap with existing internal UND forms as well as its extension beyond those forms. Finally, the committee developed a set of procedural guidelines for use with the proposed dispositions evaluation instrument.
Element #7: Student Learning for Teacher Candidates
The ultimate goal of our teacher preparation program is supporting the development of teachers who will be effective in their teaching of students. Our assessment plan describes processes that will document the effectiveness of our candidates from the initial field experience throughout their programs and ultimately in their own classrooms as licensed teachers. Multiple methods of gathering data will be employed in the process. This will include activities that we have been actively engaged in for some time in our programs and also the addition of some new processes over the next few years (Table 1 Assessment Plan).
The initial evaluation of our candidates' impact on student learning occurs in the first field experience. Expectations of that field experiences are dictated in part by the circumstances under which the field experience is taken. For example, as part of T & L 315 (Syllabi), candidates work in settings with students who may experience a range of exceptionalities. The candidates' experiences are documented through their dialogue journals with the university faculty member. Additional data is gathered from the supervisors of the field experience who will provide feedback using our field experience manual (PDF File).
As the candidates progress through their programs, the field experience activities require more complex pedagogical foundations and skills. For example, elementary candidates during their TEAM methods courses (Syllabi), are expected to conduct activities with students based on lesson plans that they have developed. Feedback on the development, implementation and evaluation of the lesson plan is a critical source of evidence on candidates' impact on student learning. Again, feedback forms from the supervisors in the field serve as a data source, both for demonstrated pedagogical knowledge and skills, and on the dispositions of the candidates (Field Experience Manual (PDF File)).
Early childhood candidates are also involved in a hierarchy of field experiences that support them through the program. Students are required to take three field experiences prior to their student teaching. The initial field experiences in T & L 315; 310; & 454) (Syllabi) provide the candidates with opportunities to make connections between theory and practice through their interactions in the classroom. Journal dialogues are one way in which their field experiences are documented. In addition, candidates in early childhood participate in two separate 16 week student teaching experiences; 16 weeks in a preschool setting and 16 weeks in a primary classroom. Documentation of candidate impact on student learning is collected from multiple sources including evaluation of lesson plans, journaling, and field experience feedback forms from the cooperating and supervising teachers. (Field Experience Manual (PDF File))
Element #8: Student Learning for Other Professional School Personnel
Programs preparing other professional school personnel also require the documentation of impact on student learning. The rigorous evaluations of the field experiences and internships in the counseling, speech pathology and audiology, and educational leadership programs provide a rich source of data on the work of the candidates. Audi tapes, video-tapes and written feedback is used extensively by the programs. As the ESPB Program Review reports indicate, the use of standardized tests in order to successfully complete the programs provide information on the candidates preparation to impact student learning.
Summary:
Clearly, developing programs that demonstrate high levels of candidate knowledge, skills, and dispositions is a challenge. Our teacher preparation programs have a rich history of preparing quality professionals. As we become more familiar with the NCATE 2000 standards as well as our own changes in the ESPB standards for North Dakota, we anticipate that our programs will reflect a switch toward more candidate performance measurements. Our assessment plan will guide our work, as well as our continued self study of the programs.
