Standard 1.4

Courses and practical experiences in the COE curriculum are aligned with professional, state, and institutional standards to assure that candidates in both initial and continuing teacher preparation programs demonstrate a thorough understanding of the required professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills. NCATE defines professional knowledge as “the historical, economic, sociological, philosophical and psychological understandings of schooling and education.” It includes knowledge about “learning, diversity, technology, professional ethics, legal and policy issues, pedagogy and the roles and responsibility of the profession of teaching.” Pedagogical knowledge comprises “the general concepts, theories, and research about effective teaching, regardless of content area.” Instruction and assessment for professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills occur in the interactive and decision making contexts of the COE curriculum. At this level, course requirements and course and key unit assessments provide evidence of competence in these areas.

Initial Teacher Preparation Programs
In addition to teaching field and methods courses, all initial teacher candidates are required to successfully complete professional studies courses in foundations of education, psychology of learning, instructional technology, and diversity education. In such courses, teacher candidates develop an understanding of how students learn and of how to make ideas accessible to students, of ways to draw upon school, family, and community contexts in connecting concepts to students' prior experiences and applying them to real-world problems.

Field experiences and internships are developed so that candidates observe, assist, and teach under the guidance of a classroom teacher in a P-12 school setting. Clinical practice provides initial candidates with an opportunity to continue to learn about the teaching/learning process as they combine theory with classroom practice. During the internship, candidates must attend faculty meetings, Parent/Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, parent/teacher conferences, and school and community functions. Consequently, they engage in collaborative relationships with college supervisors, cooperating teachers, school administrators, and parents.

These experiences expose candidates to a variety of students from diverse backgrounds (urban, rural, socio-economic, and ethnic) with diverse needs (learning styles, exceptionalities). Based on ASU's constructivist conceptual framework, teacher candidates draw upon their own and the students' prior experiences and the knowledge and skills gained in professional studies courses to plan and implement a variety of meaningful learning experiences to facilitate learning for all students. In these situations, as constructivist decision makers, candidates learn to adapt their teaching to meet the varying needs of students. They learn how to consider school, family, and community contexts in connecting concepts to students' prior experience and applying the ideas to real-world problems. Candidates design units and plan and present lessons as a component of their portfolio work samples. They reflect on their experiences in their reflective journals. Portfolios and journals are examples of assessments used to evaluate candidates' professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills in courses and during field and clinical experiences.

As in Elements 1 and 3, the PSSA, PEPE, and BTAP are key unit assessments that provide evidence of candidates' demonstration of their professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills. Table 1.12 below contains items from the PSSA in areas relevant to Element 4. The table includes the main topics and descriptions for the standards; several specific competency indicators are listed under each general area. Ratings presented are summary averages for the indicators under a main topic. In all areas assessed, candidates are rated within the range of scores for “proficient” in both the knowledge and ability categories.

Table 1.13 presents average performance ratings on sections of the Internship PEPE Assessment. The main sections for this assessment have competency indicators related to developing meaningful learning experiences to facilitate learning for all students, effective handling of diversity issues, reflective practice, connecting student learning to prior knowledge and experiences, and effective collaboration in school, family, community, and professional contexts. The ratings presented are summary averages for items within a section. Over a period of four semesters, the performance ratings are well within the scoring range for “area of strength” on the rating scale.

Table 1.13: Average Performance Ratings on Internship PEPE Assessment 2005 - 2007

Rating Scale: 1=Unsatisfactory 2=Needs Improvement 3=Area of Strength 4=Demonstrates Excellence

The following tables present the responses of beginning teachers on BTAP items related to Element 4. Tables 1.14a, and 1.14b address diversity and Tables 1.14c and 1.14d professionalism. While 95 percent of the 2006 respondents believe they are effective in delivering instruction to diverse learners, there appears to be some hesitation about their proficiency in the other areas of diversity. Responses in the other two tables reflect about 74 percent agreement and 22 to 26 percent uncertainty about skills in teaching multicultural students and students with disabilities. Responses to items on professionalism in Table 1.14e reflect 95 percent agreement among the respondents. The 2007 respondents express overwhelming agreement for all items related to diversity and professionalism.

Table 1.14a: Responses to Diversity Item # 6 on BTAP 2006 -2007

Table 1.14b: Responses to Diversity Item # 7 on BTAP 2006 -2007

Table 1.14c: Responses to Diversity Item # 8 on BTAP 2006 -2007

Table 1.14d: Responses to Professionalism Item # 20 on BTAP 2006 -2007

Table 1.14e: Responses to Professionalism Item # 22 on BTAP 2006 -2007

 Continuing (Advanced) Teacher Preparation Programs
Admission to continuing teacher preparation programs require initial certification in the teaching field. Initial certification verifies competence in professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills. At the advanced level, candidates extend and strengthen their knowledge and skills. As candidates progress through the interactive and decision making contexts of the COE curriculum to program completion, they must successfully complete courses at the 500 and 600 level in diversity education, modern issues in education, human development and behavior, educational psychology, and contrasting philosophies of education. Course grades, as reflected in minimum required GPAs, and the Graduate Comprehensive Examination provide documentation of the knowledge and skills gained.

Assignments required and completed in courses provide candidates opportunities to engage in reflective practice and make necessary adjustments to enhance student learning. The candidates enhance their knowledge of how students learn (e.g., in EDU 527 or 541) and how to make ideas accessible to them. In EDU 531, they consider school, family, and community contexts in connecting concepts to students' prior experience and applying the ideas to real-world problems.

ALSDE requires fifth-year masters programs to ensure that candidates have demonstrated the five core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) by the time they complete their programs. Programs fulfill this requirement by aligning course objectives and assignments/assessments with NBPTS propositions. Documents showing these alignments are included in Standard 1 exhibits and may be accessed online, ASU Fifth Year NBPTS  .

• Standard  1
   
• Standard 1.1
  • Supporting Artifacts
     
• Standard 1.2
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• Standard 1.3
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• Standard 1.4
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• Standard 1.5
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• Standard 1.6
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• Standard 1.7
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• Standard 1.8
  • Supporting Artifacts