Standard 4.4

The following area for improvement was cited for Standard 4 during the 2003 site visit:

New
The unit does not have a systematic process to ensure that candidates at the initial and advanced levels are placed in diverse settings throughout the field experiences and clinical practice.

Rationale
Although the urban location of the unit may pose a challenge for the unit in finding diverse locations for field experiences, the lack of systematic placement of candidates in diverse settings as well as the decision to primarily use the Montgomery County Public Schools inhibits ensuring that all candidates have diverse clinical experiences during their programs. At the advanced level, permitting candidates to select their own placements, including their home schools/districts inhibits ensuring that all candidates have experiences in diverse settings.

The unit has made “good faith efforts” to address this area for improvement. The Montgomery County Public School System, where most of the unit's candidates are placed, is predominately African American. Moreover, placements in Montgomery County schools are governed and controlled by the school board which is responsible for coordinating placements for all teacher education institutions in the city/county. These two factors restrict the unit's ability to ensure diverse settings for candidates' field and clinical experiences. To work around these restrictive factors, the unit made appeals to administrators of private schools (primarily white) in an effort to expand placements to more racially diverse settings. These appeals were rejected because the private schools do not accept interns from any college or university. Their rationale: Pre-service interns do not meet their standards of being highly qualified or having a master's degree, and this is what parents of private school students are paying for.

The major effort to resolve the unit's diversity placement problem has been a diversity study   analyzing demographic data on public schools where candidates are regularly placed, or may be placed, for field and clinical experiences. The study was initially undertaken in 2005. The study provides a systematic process that facilitates field and internship placements in diverse settings for each candidate. Importantly, the process helps the unit to overcome the restrictions imposed by the Montgomery County School System by expanding placement options in other counties. The director of assessment conducted the study which involved identifying the schools, collecting enrollment statistics, establishing criteria for diversity fields identified in NCATE standards, developing a ranking order of categories, and assigning a diversity ranking to each school. Language and religion were not included in the diversity fields. Table 4.3 identifies and describes the ranking categories.

Table 4.3: Criteria for Ranked Diversity Categories

A field for recording the diversity ranking of each school where a candidate would be placed for field observations and internships has been included on the candidate tracking form on the ACE Database. In order to provide each candidate a diverse observation and/or internship experience, the director of field and clinical experiences, in consultation with the advisor, would view the summary of field and clinical placements for each candidate on the ACE Database as well as the diversity rankings list per school and place candidates in school settings accordingly. For example, if a candidate has three out of four observation experiences in schools ranked “(3) somewhat diverse” or “(4) lacking diversity,” the candidate would be placed in a “(2) diverse” or “(1) most diverse” setting for the fourth observation experience and for the internship.

An average of all diversity rankings per field and clinical placements have been computed for four semesters, fall 2005 through spring 2007. The data are presented in the tables below. For the four semesters represented, a total of 1328 field observation placements were made; an average of approximately 30% of these placements were in settings rated diverse or somewhat diverse. For the same period, a total of about 250 internship placements were made; an average of approximately 60% of these were in settings rated somewhat diverse, diverse, or most diverse.

Table 4.4: Diversity Ratings of Field Experiences Placements, Fall 2005 – Spring 2007

Table 4.5: Diversity Ratings of Internship Placements, Fall 2005 – Spring 2007

As the data show, improvements are being made in ensuring that candidates have field and clinical experiences in diverse situations. A system is in place and is being used. Each candidate's placement can be monitored   and efforts are being made to ensure that each candidate participates in field and clinical experiences in diverse settings. Full and effective implementation of this systematic placement and tracking process resulting from the unit's diversity study will provide further assurance that each candidate has experiences working with diverse students in P-12 schools. Advanced level candidates are included in the diversity placement process and are not permitted to select their own placement locations.

The following table presents demographics on the schools where candidates engage in field and clinical experiences.

 Click here for an acrobat file or here for a web based page of Tables 4.6 .-Demographics on Clinical Sites for Initial and Advanced Programs

• Standard  4
   
• Standard 4.1
  • Supporting Artifacts
     
• Standard 4.2
  • Supporting Artifacts
     
• Standard 4.3
  • Supporting Artifacts
     
• Standard 4.4
  • Supporting Artifacts