South Carolina
COMMISSION
ON HIGHER EDUCATION
APPLYING
COMMISSION
STANDARDS, NCATE STANDARDS, AND
STATE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STANDARDS
TO
TEACHER
EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT SOUTH CAROLINA
PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS
PREFACE
The members of the Commission on Higher Education Statewide Evaluation Team, presented alphabetically, were as follows:
· Dale G. Andersen, Past-President of AACTE and Professor of Higher
Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
· Ronald G. Joekel, Executive Director Emeritus, Phi Delta Kappa International, Retired Professor of Higher Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
· Bernice Bass de Martinez, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Indiana
State University, Terre Haute, Indiana.
The dates of each of the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education/State Board of Education/South Carolina Commission on Higher Education site visits are shown below. These occurred over the period extending from October, 1996, when the first of the visits was conducted at the University of South Carolina-Columbia, through April, 1999, when the last of the eleven visits was made to Clemson University. Also shown below is the name of the Commission on Higher Education representative that served on each of the visits.
1. University of South Carolina-Columbia; October 26-30, 1996 (Anderson).
2. Winthrop University; October 25-29, 1997 (Bass de Martinez).
3. The Citadel; February 19-23,2000 (Joekel).
4. University of South Carolina-Spartanburg; February 28-March 4, 1998 (Joekel).
5. College of Charleston; October 3-7, 1998 (Bass de Martinez).
6. Coastal Carolina University; September 26-30, 1998 (Anderson).
7. University of South Carolina-Aiken; February 6-10, 1999 (Joekel).
8. South Carolina State University; February 20-24, 1999 (Bass de Martinez).
9. Francis Marion University; March 20-24, 1999 (Bass de Martinez).
10. Lander University; March 27-31, 1999 (Joekel).
11. Clemson University; April 10-14, 1999 (Anderson)
A dynamic and far-reaching reform movement seeking greater accountability and effectiveness in the field of education has been underway in the United States since the early 1980’s. The teaching profession was first jolted into action by the report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983), A NATION AT RISK: THE IMPERATIVE FOR EDUCATION REFORM. For the first several years following the release of this report, attention was focused largely on teaching and learning in the world of P-12 education. Concern with the lack of quality and with alleged weaknesses and shortcomings in public elementary and secondary schools dominated the early criticisms of the American education system. In recent years, however, attention has been broadened to include a call for rigorous evaluation and improvement of teacher education and in the preparation of teachers and educational personnel in the colleges and universities of the nation as well. At all levels there has been intense focus on two vehicles for improvement. The first of these has been the development and implementation of benchmarks for achievement, often referred to as standards-based reform. The second has been a raising of the accountability bar relative to the expenditure of time, effort, energy, and money in educational practices and programs.
This national concern has been heightened of late by an increased awareness of an imminent shortage of P-12 educators. Some estimates place the number of teachers that will be needed at 2.2 million over the next ten years. Acknowledging that some of these may come from the reserve pool of teachers who are not currently in the workforce for whatever reason, there still will be a considerable strain on the programs that prepare teachers. This will be felt not only in the increase in the numbers needed, but also in the call for higher level of competence and effectiveness in these neophyte teachers.
The constant and enduring goal of educational reform at all levels, including higher education, has been to increase the academic performance of the children and youth of the nation. They must be the beneficiaries. The direct linkage between the preparation of teachers and learning in P-12 schools has been captured in wording contained in the 1996 report of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, WHAT MATTERS MOST:TEACHING FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE:
There should be a caring, competent, and qualified teacher in every classroom—a goal worthy as an “A” on a report card and as unconventional as apple pie.
and
What teachers know and do is the most important influence on what students learn. Competent and caring teachers should be a student right.
From the outset there has been a general recognition that education is so vitally important to the national mission that it must be the responsibility of a very wide array of stakeholders. Thus, there has been an assumption of assurance that these stakeholders should be involved in planning and implementing reform measures including not only teachers, school administrators and parents, but also policy makers, business representatives, spokespersons for groups with vested interests, citizens at large, and others. As a result of urgent demands and appeals for greater accountability in the preparation of teachers and other educational personnel, higher education leaders have also become involved, especially in recent years.
Models of increased effectiveness in teacher education –informed by research and tested through practice – have been under development over the past fifteen years. These efforts have also focused on the development of standards as to the qualities of knowledge, skills, and competencies both beginning and accomplished teachers should possess. Progress toward greater accountability in this regard has been led by a number of influential professional organizations. In the realm of standards, the Chief State School Officers have evolved benchmarks for neophyte teachers through the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC). Concurrently, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has created standards for national certification of accomplished teachers.
The Holmes Group, a consortium of research universities, developed paradigms for teacher education programs that incorporate reform in teacher education with the reform of the teaching profession as a whole. Included in these reforms has been the notion of professional development schools, an increased emphasis on continuous, field-based experiences, and collaborative research. Additionally, the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) has created a set of standards for teachers of teachers –those who hold positions in colleges, schools or departments of education in universities.
The most significant impact in promoting accountability in teacher education, however, has undoubtedly been that rendered by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the premier national accrediting body in teacher education. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education is a specialized non-governmental professional accrediting agency founded in 1954. It is governed by both the practicing and preparation arms of the education profession. Its essential function is to provide professional judgment about the quality of the education unit and to encourage continuous improvement of the unit through a voluntary peer review process. There are over 30 different constituent members of NCATE including a wide array of organizations representing practitioners, teacher educators, academic content specialty groups, and policy makers. A sample of organizations involved in forming NCATE includes the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Education Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, National School Boards Association, National Association of State Boards of Education, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teachers Association, Association for Childhood Education International, Council for Exceptional Children, Association for Educational Communications and Technology, American Association of School Administrators, American Educational Research Association, American Library Association/American Association of School Librarians, and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Together, these member stakeholders developed a shared vision of teacher education that revolves around the belief that every child should be taught by teachers who are well-prepared and competent. NCATE has evolved a set of continuously updated, quality standards in areas of evaluation that are critical to the preparation of teachers.
Institutions seeking national accreditation must meet 20 specific standards in four general categories (Appendix 1). Standards are applied at the initial (undergraduate) and advanced (graduate) levels. The four general categories include: (1) Design of Professional Education, (2) Candidates in Professional Education, (3) Professional Education Faculty, (4) and The Unit for Professional Education. NCATE standards in the above categories address quality issues in the organization of the curriculum, field experience expectations, presence of adequate resources for support of programs, admission and retention requirements for candidates, faculty standards, and proper governance structures. There are a number of themes that are expressed within the above standards. The need for a conceptual framework based on a defensible knowledge base that provides the foundation for all programs, the need for diversity among faculty and students, the use of technology to enhance the teaching-learning process, and providing classroom experiences in a variety of settings to include exposure to students of diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic background as well as students with special needs. In addition, through affiliations with the leading national learned societies and professional associations in the numerous content and/or subject matter areas, NCATE has adopted sets of curriculum guidelines in a wide array of specialty areas. When both general and specialty standards are met by programs of preparation, there is assurance that candidates in those programs are well familiar with the knowledge and applications necessary to be successful teachers.
NCATE standards are monitored through a system of application of the standards. This begins with self-examination by an institution’s professional unit in teacher education and its preparation of an Institutional Report. Next, the institution submits a complete set of curriculum materials (folios) for each program that prepares teachers to the appropriate national professional organization. Those materials undergo a stringent review by subject matter specialists who are recognized for their expertise in that discipline. These expert reviewers apply the folio materials toward the standards that have been established by each particular subject matter specialty. A set of 10 pre-conditions must be met by the institution before it may continue further in the accreditation process. Next, accumulated evidences are examined and a set of judgments are made as to whether each standard has been met or not by a visiting Board of Examiners (BOE) made up of rigorously trained professional educators. The Board of Examiners completes a report reflecting whether the institution met the 20 standards at the initial and advanced levels. Each institution receives a copy of the BOE report and has the right of rejoinder to NCATE on any of the decisions made by the BOE team.
Finally, utilizing the series of written reports and assessments, a set of independent objective evaluations are made which result in a decision on accreditation by the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board (UAB). The UAB is composed of no more than 32 members; one-third are representatives from teacher education, one-third are teachers, one-sixth are state and local policy makers, and one-sixth are from professional specialty academic areas. In addition, one representative is from a student organization and one representative is from the public-at-large. The UAB renders separate accreditation decisions for the initial teacher preparation and/or advanced levels of the professional education unit in the college or university. One of the five following accreditation decisions is issued for each of both levels (initial or advanced).
Initial accreditation or continuous accreditation.
1. Accreditation with stipulations.
2. Continuing accreditation with probation.
3. Denial of accreditation.
4. Revocation of accreditation.
If fully accredited, the professional unit is accredited for a period of five years. At that time, it must be reviewed for continuing accreditation and a new decision rendered. Institutions have the right of appeal for decisions rendered by the UAB.
Through its national, voluntary accreditation standards for teacher education programs and its partnership with some 46 states that link national accreditation with state teacher licensure, NCATE has had a profound impact on the improvement of teacher education programs. Over 500 colleges, schools and/or departments of education in institutions of higher education are currently accredited by NCATE and another 75 are candidates or pre-candidates for accreditation. NCATE has led the charge toward standards-based reform and in meeting the demands for accountability in teacher education programs across the nation. It has blended a devotion to higher standards in accrediting teacher education with an emphasis on collaboration between P-12 schools and university programs. It is now in the process of championing performance-based standards and the accreditation of professional development schools.
It was within this national context that the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education took the initiative in 1995 of addressing accountability in teacher education in a most creative way for the State of South Carolina. The Commission on Higher Education assumed leadership in creating a truly innovative partnership with NCATE and the South Carolina State Department of Education (SDE). This “cutting edge” leadership brings these three entities, each with related yet separate aspects of improving the quality of teacher education programs, into a partnership. The Commission on Higher Education and the South Carolina State Department of Education have authority and responsibility for education in South Carolina, the Commission in regard to public higher education in the State of South Carolina (including teacher education) and the State Department of Education with responsibility for P-12 schools and all state teacher-training institutions and certification programs.
Commendations are in order for representatives of the Commission and State Department of Education who examined and decided to partner with NCATE for the accreditation of programs in South Carolina public institutions of higher education. Once this decision was made, it became imperative that an agreement be formalized with NCATE. The formal agreement that was executed called for representatives of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education and the State Department of Education to serve on the Board of Examiners team visiting each public higher education institution preparing educators. These members of the BOE team had to have training in the NCATE process and application of the NCATE Standards. The Commission on Higher Education employed outside consultants who had extensive knowledge of the NCATE process, thorough training and experience in applying the standards, and who were not currently serving on NCATE Board of Examiner Teams to be their representative for each institution visit. The State Department of Education provided State NCATE training for those individuals who were not already trained to serve as members of the Board of Examiners.
The NCATE Board of Examiner Team reviewed the Education Unit in each institution and evaluated all programs for which NCATE approved curriculum standards existed. The State Department of Education team members served on the Board of Examiners and also had responsibility for reviewing all programs for initial licensure not covered by NCATE curriculum standards, e.g., Business Education, Foreign Language, and Counselor Education. The consultant representing the Commission on Higher Education served on the BOE team and reviewed all advanced graduate programs not covered by NCATE curriculum standards. Table 1 and Table 2 which follows on the next two pages will visually present the roles of each group.
Under the tripartite arrangement, reviews of teacher education programs in each of the public institutions in South Carolina that have teacher education programs are conducted employing joint visits and evaluation activities by a single Board of Examiners Team made up of representatives of the three agencies. Applying quality standards of each of the partners, the CHE/NCATE/SDE Board of Examiners achieves rigorous evaluations of the various teacher education programs at each of the eleven public colleges or universities in South Carolina. This promises to ensure success in meeting South Carolina’s critical need for large numbers of high quality, new teachers in the next decade.
Now let us turn to an analysis of the state context for teacher education in light of the variety of initiatives that have occurred in South Carolina.
There are eleven public institutions of higher education in the State of South Carolina that offer preparation programs for educators leading to licensure to be employed in the P-12 schools. Each institution has a specific role and mission statement as do each of the teacher education units. Each mission statement is clear, explicit and highly germane to the teacher education programs offered by the institution. The range of programs offered by the eleven institutions is comparable to offerings in other geographic regions of the United States. Obviously, not all institutions offer a full range of programs, nor should they. However, programs exist to prepare teachers, administrators, counselors, etc. in one or more of the institutions so the State is being served.
The continuing demand for teachers and other educational personnel for the P-12 schools in South Carolina continues to grow. In the Summary of 1998 Turnover Rate in South Carolina School Districts (dated December 10, 1998), 3,685teachers were reported as leaving the State or moving to another position within the State. In comparison, the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment reports in the 1999 Teacher Supply and Demand Report that 4,153teachers left the State or moved to another position within the State. These figures indicate that the demand for teachers has increased. More teachers left the profession or moved in 1999 than in 1998, an increase of 468 teachers or a 12% difference.
Additionally, there is a concern about the decreasing number of minority teachers in the South Carolina workforce in comparison to the overall teaching force. The Summary of 1998 Turnover Rate in South Carolina School Districts found that 934 minority teachers (or 18% of all new hires) were hired in 1998. This compares to 1,038 (or 16% of the new hires) in 1999 as reported in the 1999 Teacher Supply and Demand Report. Overall, the number of new hires for 1998 totaled 5,213as compared to 6,513 in 1999. Nevertheless, the overall number of minority teachers leaving the teaching force continues to increase faster than the number of those entering the field. This is evidenced by the fact that of the 3,945 initial certificates issued between July 1, 1998, and June 30, 1999, only 654 (or 16.58%) were issued to African-Americans (source: South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment website.) Of that number, 3,200 (or 8l.1%) were issued to Whites. Of those receiving initial certificates, not all seek and/or accept employment.
Nearly one-third of all new hires were recent graduates of South Carolina institutions. More specifically, that was 2,141 (or 33%) of the 6,513 new teachers hired in 1999 (source: South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment 1999 Teacher Supply and Demand Survey, November 15, 1999. According to the Governor’s Commission on Teacher Quality Preliminary Report, less than one half of graduates from the State’s teacher education programs choose to teach in its classrooms.
In 1998, of the 5,864 (5,214 excluding in district transfers) teachers hired with new contracts, 1,655 were new graduates of South Carolina institutions. Excluding teachers who transferred assignments within districts that year, contracts issued to new graduates of South Carolina institutions equaled 32% of the total.
These data are typical of what is occurring across the United States. With an aging teaching population and early retirement programs, South Carolina is comparable to other states in needing additional teachers to meet future needs. Accompanying this is an increase in the number of children in P-12 school across the country. Additionally, a number of the innovations to improve P-12 education are focusing on the need to reduce class size. With mandates to provide education for children with special needs, there is a need for more educators to serve this population. Across the country, there is a shortage of mathematics teachers, science teachers outside of general science/biology, and special education. Looking at the number of graduates and students enrolled, this same trend is reflected in South Carolina. Lastly, with changing demographics in the United States, there is a shortage of teachers who represent diversity, especially racial diversity. There is a tremendous influx of students who do not speak English and a demand for teachers who have English as a second language. South Carolina will face this need, if it already hasn’t, in the near future. It would appear that the 11 institutions preparing educators have the capacity to meet the general needs of South Carolina for the future. Almost all institutions have programs of low enrollment that could accommodate additional students. However, a mechanism for increasing the number of graduates who choose to enter the classroom will be needed to meet the increasing demand for new teachers. The one area where the state may not be prepared is in teachers who speak a second language.
INSTITUTIONS OFFERING
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The eleven public institutions offering teacher education programs can be further described as either being research or comprehensive institutions.
Research Institutions, (institutions that focus on research activities,
producing new knowledge, and provide the majority of terminal degree
programming in the State):
1. Clemson University
2. University of South Carolina-Columbia
Comprehensive Institutions, (institutions that provide the breadth of
degrees and focus on the applied arts and sciences and the professions, and do
not offer terminal doctoral degree programs, with one exception):
1. College of Charleston
2. The Citadel
3. Coastal Carolina University
4. Frances Marion University
5. Lander University
6. South Carolina State University *
7. University of South Carolina-Aiken
8. University of South Carolina-Spartanburg
9. Winthrop University
* offers Ed.D. degree in Educational Administration
As a result of visits to the eleven South Carolina public institutions, the visiting NCATE Board of Examiners teams prepared reports as did the Commission on Higher Education consultants. From this intensive review of teacher education programs, several generalizations can be made that speak to the quality and efficiency of the programs in education throughout the state. More specifically, there are patterns of strengths as well as conditions needing attention. The overall mission/vision in education as designed and in operation throughout the State is good. The mission of providing quality teacher preparation to meet the needs of the area served by each institution was consistent. Requiring that each institution participate in the joint NCATE, SDE, CHE evaluation/accreditation process forced institutions to examine their programs and make changes to meet the standards. As a result, a common language has been translated across all campuses resulting in increased awareness and attention to performance standards. The implementation of the teacher induction program, Assisting, Developing, and Evaluation of Professional Teaching (ADEPT), has also made a major impact on performance assessment. To move programs from being “good” and “consistent” to very good or excellent, some changes will need to occur. There is a need to move vision to systematic and consistent application and translation into practice. For example, almost every institution has undergone an extensive review of its conceptual framework/knowledge base and made significant changes in its programs based on the conceptual framework. However, this is not applied evenly across the curriculum of all programs and in many cases, has just been implemented and it cannot be fully assessed until students have gone through the program from beginning to end. While the State’s NCATE initiative is cutting edge, it takes time and resources to support change and to ensure that the change becomes routine and systematic. The slower pace of change is fairly typical across the nation and should not be viewed with alarm in South Carolina. The reality is that change takes time.
STATEWIDE GENERALIZATIONS AND CONCERNS
WITH RECOMMENDATI0NS
There were a number of features that were observed on nearly all or most of the campuses visited and are presented here as generalizations that need to be addressed.
1. The application of the conceptual framework (the rationale and organizing principles that guide the development of the curriculum for professional education including the categorization of knowledge) is uneven at nearly all the institutions visited. As evidenced in seven of the eleven reports filed, the NCATE standard addressing the implementation and integration of the framework for education was passed with weaknesses. In several institutions, there was a problem of not infusing the conceptual framework into the advanced (graduate) degree programs. Because the framework defines the educational unit and establishes the context for its own assessment, attention should be paid to the manner in which the conceptual framework is incorporated into the curriculum. The consistent infusion of the conceptual framework across the curriculum is not unique to South Carolina. With the development and infusion of the conceptual framework being of the utmost importance for all programs in the unit, institutions throughout the United States have spent a great deal of energy reviewing, revising, and implementing their conceptual model.
Recommendations:
i. Institutions who were identified as having a weakness in the infusion of the conceptual framework across the curriculum will be required to address this weakness and report to NCATE how they have taken steps to remedy this weakness. At the time of the NCATE Continuing Accreditation visit, the visiting team will seek evidence of how the weakness has been removed. These institutions should be addressing this weakness now.
ii. A workshop sponsored by either the Commission or the State Department of Education bringing together the key persons from each campus focusing on the conceptual framework and problems associated with infusing it across the curriculum would be another way to attack this issue. Inviting someone from NCATE or a person they recommend to conduct the workshop would provide a broader perspective for the participants.
2. There is a lack of diversity by race and ethnicity in faculties and students, excepting at South Carolina State University (and at Francis Marion in terms of students). The NCATE standard that addresses the composition of faculty was reported as not met or met with weaknesses at seven of the eleven institutions. In terms of the composition of students, the associated NCATE standard was reported as not met or met with weakness at six of the eleven institutions. Having diversity in the faculty and the students in the education program ensures a broader view of the discipline and the inclusion of multiple voices. Exposure in a diverse setting challenges those in the environment to become more comfortable in diverse settings. Again, this is not a problem unique only to South Carolina. It is a problem in many institutions across the United States. With changing demographics of the United States in terms of race and ethnicity, it is important that teacher preparation programs also reflect this diversity.
Recommendations:
i. Individual institutions and teacher education units need to be more proactive in recruiting diversity among students and faculty. Although institutions have a recruiting plan, the education unit also needs to have a plan and strategy for recruiting diversity. The best recruiting done on most campuses is by the athletic teams. Studying how they plan and approach recruitment might be helpful in developing the teacher education unit plan.
ii. Teacher Education units at individual institutions need to develop closer ties to P-12 schools and make special efforts to encourage and recruit qualified minority students. Partnering with the South Carolina Center for Teacher Recruitment’s Teacher Cadet Program is a step in the right direction for institutions to take. The establishment of a Future Educators Club with students and faculty serving as mentors has also been successful in recruiting students of diversity.
iii. Teacher Education units at individual institutions that work with the P-12 schools can identify outstanding minority teachers and encourage them to pursue graduate studies. Again, faculty serving as mentors for these teachers has proven to be successful at other institutions. It may also be necessary to provide incentives to these minority P-12 teachers in the recruiting process. Scholarships, graduate assistantships, loan forgiveness, etc. are common ways other institutions provide incentives. South Carolina’s teacher loan program currently provides loans to teachers if their graduate degree leads to a new area of certification. The state should explore ways to expand this program to assist minority teachers in seeking graduate degrees in their teaching field.
iv. At the state level, a special task force to address the problem should be assembled to involve stakeholders and policy makers in developing a plan. This is an approach that has been taken in other states. Since this is a statewide problem, leadership from the Commission on Higher Education to establish such a task force would highlight the seriousness of the problem and a desire to seek solutions.
v. In terms of increasing the diversity of faculty, special incentives and commitment from administrators and faculty to seek out qualified faculty candidates personally has proven successful in some cases. In addition to putting faculty position announcements in appropriate publications, visits by administrators to campuses where they personally meet prospective candidates face to face provides an opportunity to “sell” the institution to the candidate. Attractive materials that are left with the candidate and put forth the best features of the institution and the teacher education program are also a must. Follow-up phone calls to candidates, particularly from other minority faculty, also help candidates to know they are wanted by the institution and the unit.
vi. Many institutions, and some in South Carolina as well, are using a strategy of “growing their own” in dealing with the faculty diversity issue. In some instances, outstanding minority teachers are identified and recruited to participate in a program whereby the institution assisted the candidate with financial support in order to obtain an advanced degree. The candidates’ commitment is to agree to return to the campus as a faculty member for a specified number of years after the candidate has earned the advanced degree.
3. Faculty scholarship was uneven as measured by the review of faculty vita; more attention needs to be placed on defining the role and purpose of faculty scholarship, particularly for faculty teaching in advanced and terminal degree programs. Also in this regard, the term “graduate faculty member” needs to be defined and clear criteria for appointment and recognition of graduate faculty be established. For example, in some institutions a new hire with a terminal degree was automatically designated as a member of the graduate faculty, while at other institutions the faculty member was required to demonstrate a level of scholarly activity that goes beyond the terminal degree to earn the graduate faculty distinction.
Recommendations:
i. Professional development plans for each individual faculty member including goals for scholarly activities should be implemented and tied to the faculty evaluation process. Administrators reviewing the plans need to help the faculty member achieve those goals by supporting the proposed endeavors. Financial resources must be made available to assist the faculty member in increasing his/her scholarly activities. Business and industry dedicate a great deal of financial support to professional development while typically those in education have small amounts available. Each teacher education unit needs to have a reasonable amount of money dedicated to professional development.
ii. All faculty should be expected to engage in scholarly activities each year. This does not mean that teaching and service should be given lesser priority. To be an outstanding teacher or provider of service, faculty members must be current in their academic expertise. Scholarly activity does not necessarily mean research and publication, but it can take on many different characteristics. However, each teacher education unit needs to identify what scholarly activities means to the unit and faculty should be active participants in determining this policy
iii. Workshops on special topics such as using technology as a teaching resource need to be provided continually for faculty members. Topics need to be identified by each teacher education faculty along with administrators. Funds must be made available to bring the necessary expertise to the campus to conduct the workshops and time must be made available for faculty members to engage in the workshops. South Carolina has two Centers of Excellence that focus on educational technology and their expertise should be utilized in this process.
iv. It is important to help new, young faculty members develop a scholarly agenda and support them with mentors and other resources. Frequently, new faculty members are given a heavy teaching load and duties that others do not want to do. These duties leave new faculty with little time to develop their scholarly activities agenda. It is recommended that each new faculty member be assigned to a mentor who is an outstanding faculty member and committed to helping others. Most new faculty members need someone to guide them and help them.
v. The term graduate faculty means different things to different people and this presents a concern that needs to be addressed. There needs to be agreement on what the qualifications for graduate faculty membership are across the campuses. The appointment of a system-wide group with representatives from each campus should develop guidelines for appointment to and recognition of graduate faculty. Development of consistent terminology and policy would help alleviate this concern. The committee should be encouraged to examine other graduate institutions outside of South Carolina to obtain a better sense of what is taking place nationally.
4. A high number of professional development and contract courses are being offered by various campuses without the provision of consistent guidelines for use of these courses with regard to application to degree credit and re-certification. Additionally, an unevenness in the criteria used to determine who should teach the courses was found across the institutions. The purposes of graduate level courses as part of a graduate degree and the purposes of courses designed to help a classroom teacher on a specific topic are quite different. Further complicating this issue is who teaches the course. Across the country, graduate colleges have firm guidelines in regard to who can teach classes offered for graduate credit and what the academic expectations are for these courses. The problem arises when classroom teachers or schools identify a special topic/issue they wish to address through higher education courses. Almost without exception P-12 teachers want credit for their involvement. In many cases, P-12 teachers have already identified one of their group to be the instructor and the course is to be taught in the school, not on higher education campus. Further exacerbating the issue is that contract courses are frequently viewed by some units as their source of extra income. When contract courses used for professional development or re-certification are counted as part of a graduate degree program, credibility can be an issue. The question arises whether the courses are the equivalent of courses taken on campus that are taught by graduate-level faculty and whether these course have the same expectations for rigor and scholarship.
Recommendations:
i. In some states, courses specifically designated for P-12 professional development carry a special number for transcripts. An explanation is placed on the transcript describing what the specific numbers mean for courses which carry this designation. Included in the description it is stated that these courses may not be used for graduate programs at that institution. This alerts other institutions when a transcript is presented by a student seeking admission to a graduate degree program. The Commission on Higher Education has established a policy that requires public institutions to adopt a course identifier to distinguish professional development courses. This policy should be expanded to all institutions with teacher education programs.
ii. The use of Continuing Education Units (CEU) has been employed by some states as a way to deal with this issue. Continuing education units are awarded to participants based on established criteria. Most center around how much time the student is involved in instruction. CEU’s may not be used for graduate programs, but they can be used for salary purposes and renewal of certificate in some cases. The use of CEU’s should be part of the work agenda for the Commission’s Graduate Teacher Education Task Force which could look into how CEUs may be used by P-12 teachers.
iii. Graduate Deans in the eleven public institutions have probably already identified this issue. If specific guidelines have not been developed regarding professional development/contract courses, then it would be prudent to do so. If the guidelines have been developed, then one would have to question why there is such inconsistent use of them in these courses.
iv. Of course there is always the option to declare that any course developed as a
professional development/contract course for a specific topic/issue by a school is not eligible for graduate credit and may not be used in graduate degree programs. Such courses could receive continuing education credits or credit that has been identified on transcripts as not eligible for use in degree programs.
5. Graduate level courses were not consistently difficult across the institutions. While MAT, M.Ed., and MA degree programs might be offered at the same institution, there was an unevenness with the way curriculum and programs were designed and implemented with little attention given to ensure the continuity of learning, i.e., to build upon and extend prior knowledge and experiences. There was a general lack of enhancing competencies and depth of research course work and application at the M.Ed. degree level. At some institutions, M.A.T. candidates were enrolled in courses with M.Ed. and M.A. degree candidates.
Recommendations:
i. All institutions involved in graduate level programs should ensure that all students receive instruction in research and expect students to conduct research based on knowledge obtained in the course requirement.
ii. Graduate policies and practices need to be clarified in regard to the
relationship of MAT, M.Ed., and M.A. degree programs and required course work. M.A.T. courses need to be differentiated from undergraduate courses and also from courses in the M.Ed. and M.A. degree programs.
6. There is a need for professional development for faculty in the use of instructional technology. Computers are available on campuses, and faculty in most cases have been provided a computer for their offices. However, there is currently a void in how to use technology as a learning tool and incorporate technology into the faculty’s classroom instruction. In-service has been provided to help faculty members learn how to use the computer personally for word processing, spread sheets, etc. but training needs to go beyond the personal use of the computer. Furthermore, candidates in the programs need to learn not just how to use the computer, but also how to effectively incorporate a variety of technology into classroom instruction.
Recommendation:
i. Additional resources need to be provided to each teacher education unit to conduct professional development activities for its faculty on how to incorporate technology into the teaching-learning process. If the faculty know how to use the technology to enhance instruction, they will model its use for candidates in the teacher preparation programs and help candidates learn to use technology as well.
7. Professional Development Schools have been identified as holding promise for integrating campus course work with the world of the practitioner. Several teacher education programs are either starting to work with local P-12 schools or thinking about developing a Professional Development School agreement with P-12 schools. The movement is one that should be examined for all institutions that prepare educators.
Recommendations:
i. The Commission should bring together a group to explore the potential of expanding the number of Professional Development Schools and to develop some clear definitions and policies taking into consideration national standards and guidelines.
ii. Encourage the development of the Professional Development School
concept by providing financial resources to support the cultivation of Professional Development Schools at the institutions. Such support should assist the PDS effort of the S.C. Department of Education’s Teacher Quality Grant which is attempting to expand the PDS network in the State.
8. There is a general lack of funding and support for faculty development and
professional development opportunities across the institutions. In some cases, there was a small amount identified in the unit budget for faculty development. Business and industry devote a great deal of their financial resources to promote the development of their employees. Education also needs resources and support to assist the faculty to keep current and abreast of new research and instructional strategies. A good example is the use of technology already identified in number six above.
Recommendations:
i. Efforts need to be made to request additional funding for faculty development and professional development opportunities for each of the eleven institutions’ teacher education units.
ii. Each teacher education unit should submit a request of its needs
to its administration with a plan detailing the purposes, goals, outcomes of the faculty development plan, and a budget for funding.
9. Although
not a concern, we would be remiss if we didn’t comment on the need to continue
support for performance assessment driven by ADEPT, accreditation, and
performance assessment.
Recommendation:
i.
Continued
support should be provided including financial assistance for training,
evaluation, and upgrading for performance assessment driven by ADEPT,
accreditation, and performance.
UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS AND STRENGTHS
All eleven institutions exhibited the following:
1. Caring faculties who are:
· available to all students
· extremely busy
· committed to the point that at times they are overextended
· teaching heavy loads and going beyond what is expected
· continually demonstrating a high commitment to the teaching-learning process
· student-centered and held in high esteem by students
2. Institutions demonstrated commitment to enhance collaboration with P-12 school personnel and with higher education discipline areas as measured by good collegial relations. In most institutions, there was a high level of cooperation with local P-12 schools and those in the area they serve. Examples include providing consultative services, conducting workshops, special activities for students, jointly researching a particular problem, etc. There is the capacity among education faculty to provide additional collaboration as requested by districts and school personnel.
3. There were good relations throughout the individual institutions as well as external to the institutions that promote appropriate discipline pedagogy and curricular growth. This was particularly in evidence between education faculty and faculty in other disciplines represented in arts and science colleges. Smaller institutions have the advantage of faculty working together in a variety of ways without a formal process to insure communication. At the smaller institutions, the working relationships between the subject matter faculty such as English, Social Science, Mathematics, Science, etc. in developing the conceptual framework and also the curriculum for programs was exceptional. This, of course, is highly desirable, and one would hope that it will continue and even develop further. The larger the institution, the more difficult it is to maintain a high level of collaboration and communication.
4. All institutions exhibited a commitment to accountability and quality education. From the top campus administrator through each unit and individual faculty member, providing a quality education and educational experience was a high priority. Administrators and faculty were highly concerned about being accountable for academic programs and the college experience. Students, graduates, and those who employed graduates were all complimentary toward the teacher education unit and felt the students were obtaining a quality education.
5. There
is a growing interest in new preparation models to prepare professional
educators. The exploration of starting
Professional Development Schools at some institutions is noteworthy.
6. A
number of institutions have expressed an interest in exploring the infusion
of standards of the National Board for
Professional Teacher Standards into their graduate level programs.
Nearly every one of the eleven public institutions offers a program in elementary education as well as selected programs in secondary education. Analysis of the programs found no needless duplication. Given the numbers of teachers hired annually along with the number who leave teaching in the State, there is a need to offer both elementary and secondary teacher education programs throughout the State. In terms of graduate level programs, several institutions have voluntarily eliminated programs (e.g., Winthrop University eliminated its Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in elementary education, secondary education and special education due to low enrollment). In other cases, the Commission on Higher Education consultants have made curricular and other programmatic recommendations concerning advanced programs, but none have been recommended for elimination. In still other cases, some institutions have discontinued initial certification programs that have not met national content standards. It is believed that all of the existing programs are meeting the needs of the State and serve a role in the continued preparation of educational personnel for South Carolina.
United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley reported to the nation in 1999 that over 2.2 million new teachers would be needed in the next ten years to meet the demands created by P-12 schools. In sounding this alarm, Secretary Riley also emphasized the need for accountability and standards in teacher preparation programs to ensure that quality educators were available to teach American’s children. There are already reported shortages of qualified teachers in a number of areas. Attempts to implement “quick fixes” to secure bodies to place in the classroom are emerging across the country. The United States has gone through previous shortages where emergency teaching certificates were granted to almost anyone who had a desire to teach with little formal preparation. Short cuts to teacher preparation have been presented and there are those who believe anybody can teach, and therefore no formal professional educational preparation is necessary. Such attempts to by-pass professional preparation and certification for teachers of our children seem incredulous when hairdressers, beauticians, and even garbage disposal workers require a license. H.L. Menken has been quoted as saying, “for every complex problem there is a simple solution --- and it is almost always wrong!” The State of South Carolina is to be commended for its national leadership in seeking to ensure success in meeting the critical needs for large numbers of quality teachers to educate the youth of South Carolina.
As has been stated previously, the eleven public institutions in South Carolina who have teacher preparation programs have undergone extensive evaluation and review. After the visits and reports of the eleven institutions were conducted, the Commission of Higher Education consultants met as a group to review the reports of each institution and write this final report. Based on that review, the following summary was developed in regard to the status of teacher preparation programs in South Carolina.
The overall quality and development of undergraduate and graduate programs in the State of South Carolina is adequate and the needs of South Carolina are being met by the institutions. As stated previously, there is a need for greater diversity in faculty and students. With changing demographics in terms of race and ethnicity, there is also a need for teachers who can speak another language to deal with students who have English as a second language. This is not just an issue in South Carolina but throughout the United States. Demographers point out how the country is changing in terms of race and ethnicity and South Carolina will be faced with the same issue of educating foreign students who speak no English just as other states are already facing.
Obviously, there are many variables that enter into the
programs at each of the eleven institutions.
One of the purposes of any evaluation process is to have an outside
group look at programs with an objective perspective. The NCATE process has been good for each teacher education
unit. While preparing their self-study
and providing evidence on how they meet the twenty NCATE standards, teacher
education units realized there were some gaps that needed to be taken care
of. The explanation of the conceptual
framework and knowledge base in particular required each institution to examine
what they were doing, how it related to relevant research and practice, and
make necessary modifications. Without a doubt, participating in the joint accreditation process with NCATE, CHE,
and the SDE has been beneficial to the State of South Carolina in that teacher
education programs in the eleven public institutions were forced to demonstrate
how they were being accountable and meeting the standards. It should be of benefit for citizens of
South Carolina to know that teacher education programs have undergone a
stringent accreditation process at both the national and State level.
All of the institutions are committed to providing quality teacher preparation programs to serve the schools and youth of the State. By going through the required self-examination process, institutions made some major changes. In several institutions, it was determined that some programs could be dropped or reorganized within other programs. In all cases, the consultants agreed with this analysis.
It is the hope of the consultants that this first round of evaluation will provide an excellent foundation on which to continually build and strengthen programs. As such, the reports and visits should be viewed as the initial step in an on-going evaluation process with follow-up to see how each institution builds upon the reports.
PROGRAM SUMMARY OF
EACH OF THE ELEVEN
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
A summary report on each of the eleven public institutions
that has a teacher preparation unit is listed below. The report includes all of the education programs offered, the
degree designation for each program, the options/concentrations for each
program, and recommendations. We present
this report by the CHE consultants for each individual institution. Following the full CHE report, there is
included a summary of the recommendations of the National Council for the
Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) for the basic (undergraduate) and
advanced (graduate) programs,
the recommendation of the consultants who reviewed those programs not
included in the folio review process of NCATE, and also a report on the South
Carolina Commission on Higher Education program productivity standards (Appendix
2).
THE CITADEL
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Educational Leadership M.Ed. Secondary. Sch. Admin. Approval
Elementary. Sch. Admin. Approval
Educational Leadership Ed.S. Superintendent Approval
Student Counseling & Pers. M.Ed. Elementary Sch. Counselor Approval
Secondary. Sch. Counselor Approval
Secondary Education BS Science/Biology Approval
Social Studies Approval
Mathematics Approval
English Probation*
M.A.T. Social Studies Approval
Math Approval
Biology Approval
English Probation*
Math. Teacher Ed. M.A.Ed. Approval
Physical Education B.S. Approval
M.Ed. Approval
Reading Education M.Ed. Approval
Social Science Tch. Ed. M.A.Ed. Approval
Biology Teacher. Ed. M.A.Ed. Approval
School Psychology M.Ed. Approval
Ed.S. Eval./Res. Approval
*Program
is in rejoinder with national specialty organization.
The Citadel was granted initial NCATE accreditation in
1990 for all teacher education programs.
Five specific weaknesses were cited at that time. A Continuing Accreditation visit was
conducted by NCATE, November 8-12, 1997.
Ten weaknesses were identified at that time and as a result the
Accreditation Report of the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board (March, 1998) stated
that continuing accreditation with probation be granted at the initial
preparation and advanced levels.
NCATE requires that an accreditation visit take place within two years
to continue accreditation beyond this two-year period. An initial accreditation visit was
conducted by an NCATE Board of Examiners team February 19-23, 1999. The UAB reported that all standards were met
and the following weaknesses were identified: (1) the unit does not
ensure that candidates in the MAT program have completed general studies
courses and experiences in the liberal arts and sciences; (2) not all
content area programs have utilized effectively the standards of specialty
organizations in curriculum development; (3) The Master of Arts in
Education for the areas of mathematics and biology includes insufficient
pedagogy; (4) four of eight programs have not utilized effectively the
standards of specialty organizations in curriculum development; (5) at
the initial level only, candidates and members of the professional community
outside the unit are not regular participants in the unit’s policymaking and/or
advisory bodies.
At its October 2000 meeting, the NCATE Unit Accreditation
Board, after reviewing the material and reports, rendered a decision to
accredit the teacher education unit at The Citadel at the initial teacher
preparation and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education served
as a member of the BOE team, reviewed programs that were not part of the NCATE
curriculum folio process, and also applied the Commission’s Program
Productivity Standards to all programs at The Citadel. Programs reviewed by the consultant that
were not part of the NCATE Folio process were:
(1) M.A.Ed. Mathematics Teacher Education; (2)
M.A.Ed. Social Science Education; and (3)
M.A.Ed. Biology Teacher Education. The
M.A.Ed. Mathematics and M.A.Ed. Biology
programs meet the Commission Program Productivity Standards criteria in one of
the areas (number of degrees awarded).
A weakness for the M.A.Ed.
Biology program was identified in that there is no contemporary methods
of teaching science (pedagogy) course which includes designing curriculum and
curriculum activities for high school and middle school students. A weakness in the M.A.Ed. Mathematics
program was identified in that all students were not required to take the
Mathematics methods and Mathematics Technology in the Classroom courses. The M.A.Ed. Social Sciences Degree does not
meet the Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards in any
of the three areas (4.1 majors, 2.0 degrees awarded, no service hours
reported). The unit is recommended to
determine why enrollments are low in a program which appears to meet the needs
of secondary teachers in the service areas.
They should explore ways to recruit and retain a larger number of
students and investigate alternative delivery systems.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS FOR THE CITADEL
1. Since The Citadel was granted accreditation at the initial and advanced levels, it is recommended that all programs be fully approved except for those that have not achieved compliance by specialty organization or have not met the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards.
2. All programs, with the exception of the M.A.Ed. degree in Social Science, meet the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards criteria.
3. The M.A.Ed. degree in Social Science suffers from low enrollment and the program should be placed on provisional/probationary status with a rigorous internal review undertaken to investigate why there are such low enrollment in the program. A plan should be developed from this review to enhance enrollment in the program. If the number of enrollments cannot be improved within two years, it will be difficult to continue the program either effectively or efficiently and it should be terminated.
4. The M.A.Ed. Mathematics Teacher Education degree program should require all students in teacher education to take the Mathematics Methods and Mathematics Technology in the Classroom courses. The Citadel should require these courses as soon as possible.
5. A contemporary methods for teaching science (pedagogy) course, including designing curriculum materials for students should be included in the M.A.Ed. Biology degree program and required of all teacher education students. The Citadel should add this course into the curriculum as soon as possible.
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Curriculum & Inst. Ph.D. Elementary Education Approval
Secondary Education Approval
Reading Approval
Special Education Approval
Adm. & Superv. M.Ed. Approval
Adm. & Superv. Ed.S. Approval
Educ. Leadership Ph.D. Approval
Special Education B.A. Approval
Special Education M.Ed. Approval
Counsel. & Guidance M.A. Approval
M.Ed. Elementary Schooling Approval
Secondary Schooling Approval
Postsecondary Guidance Approval
Voc/Comm Agency Approval
Elem. Education B.A. Approval
Elem. Education M.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. B.A. Approval
Secondary Education B.A. English
Approval
Modern Language Approval
History/Geography Approval
Math Approval
Psychology/Sociology Approval
Political
Science/Economics Approval
Secondary Education M.Ed. English
Approval
History/Geography Approval
Mathematics Approval
Natural Sciences Approval
Agricultural Education B.S. Approval
Agricultural Education M.Ag.Ed. Approval
Industrial Education B.S. Vocational Teacher Ed. Approval
Industrial Education M.I.N.Ed. Approval
Mathematics Teaching B.S. Approval
Reading M.Ed. Approval
Science Teaching B.S. Biology Approval
Earth Science Approval
Physical Science Approval
Voc. & Tech. Educ. Ed.D. Approval
An Initial Accreditation Visit conducted by an NCATE Board of Examiners took place November 11-15, 2000. Five weaknesses were identified by the Board of Examiners and as a result of the Accreditation Report the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board (MARCH 25-30, 2001) granted Clemson University continuing accreditation at the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels.
Weaknesses identified by the UAB report were as
follows: (1) the conceptual framework has not been fully integrated in the
work of supervising teachers, administrators, principals, and members of the
community; (2) agricultural education 400 and 600 level courses do not appear
to differentiate between initial and advanced levels of preparation; (3)
at the advanced level, no all instruction in the unit -in particular,
off-campus coursework- is continuously evaluated; (4)
the student body diversity is limited; (5) the composition of the
faculty is not diverse.
The consultant for the Commission of Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners Team fully participating in the
decision making process. The consultant
also reviewed programs that were not part of the NCATE curriculum folio process
and applied the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards criteria to all
programs at Clemson University.
Programs reviewed by the consultant and their analysis are as follows:
Master of
Agricultural Education: Because
it meets a specialized need in the state, this program should be continued.
Faculty carry heavy teaching, advising, and administrative loads. A study of
faculty workloads should be undertaken
to determine what additional resources are needed to support the program
adequately. The program should assist new faculty to ensure that they are
productive in terms of their research and publications.
Master of
Education in Elementary Education:
This program should be continued with full approval.
However, the apparent trend
toward fewer enrollments each year should not be ignored. The unit should develop a plan to maintain a
viable level of enrollments and which addresses the
recruitment, retention, and graduation of candidates.
Master of
Education in Secondary Education:
This program should be continued with full approval. It is suggested that efforts
be made to recruit, retain, and graduate a larger number of minority candidates and to improve diversity on the faculty
Master of
Industrial Education: It is
recommended that this program be continued with full approval.
It is suggested that efforts
be made to recruit, retain, and graduate a larger number of minority candidates and to improve diversity on the faculty.
Doctor of
Education in Vocational-Technical Education: This program should be continued with full
approval as it is meeting a rather unique need in the State.
It is suggested that efforts
be made to recruit, retain, and graduate a larger number of minority candidates.
Doctor of
Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction: This program should be continued with full approval as it is appropriate and necessary for a
research university like Clemson. It is suggested that efforts
be made to recruit, retain, and graduate a larger number of minority candidates and to improve diversity on the faculty. It is also recommended that all
program faculty increase their involvement in scholarly activities.
Doctor of
Philosophy in Educational Leadership:
This program should be continued with full approval. It is staffed by a
strong faculty and has a pool of high quality applicants each year. It is recommended that a study be undertaken to
explore if the number of candidates in the programs is consistent with the size of
the faculty, faculty workload, scholarly activity, and service expectations. A
strategic plan should be developed to guide the department in future
development. The department should increase its efforts in establishing
consistent contact with P-12 school administrators, particularly those in the
immediate area. The faculty should pursue a more active role in national
professional organizations in educational administration and that their research
and scholarly activities become more focused. It is suggested that efforts
be made to recruit, retain, and graduate a larger number of minority students
and to improve diversity on the faculty
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS FOR CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
1. Since
Clemson University was granted accreditation at the initial and advancead
levels, it is recommended that all programs be fully approved except for those
that have not achieved compliance by specialty organizations or the SC.
Department of Education.
2. All
programs meet the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Program Productivity Standards criteria.
3. The
seven advanced level programs not reviewed as part of the NCATE folio review
process and therefore reviewed by the Commission on Higher Education consultant
are recommended for full approval.
4. Steps
should be taken to maintain a viable level of enrollment in the M.Ed. in
Elementary Education degree program and special attention should be given to
the recruitment, admission, retention, and graduation of minority candidates.
5. The
Master of Education in Secondary Education program also needs to give attention
to the recruitment, admission, retention, and graduation of minority candidates
and to improve the diversity of faculty.
6. The
Master of Industrial Education program needs to make special efforts to
recruit, admit, retain, and graduate minority candidates and to improve the
diversity of faculty.
7. The
Doctor of Education in Vocational-Technical
Education degree program should develop efforts to recruit, retain, and graduate
a larger number of minority candidates.
8. The
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership degree program should undertake a
study to explore if the number of candidates in the program is consistent with
the size of the faculty, faculty workload, scholarly activity, and service
expectations. A strategic plan should be developed to guide the department
in future development.
COASTAL CAROLINA
UNIVERSITY
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Elementary Education B.A.Ed. Approval
B.S.Ed. Approval
Elementary Education M.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. B.A.Ed. Approval B.S.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. M.Ed. Approval
Secondary Education B.A.Ed. Biology Approval
English Approval
Math Approval
Social
Studies Approval
Music Approval
Art
Studio Approval
French Approval
German Approval
Spanish Approval
Secondary Education B.S.Ed. Biology Approval
English Approval
Math Approval
Social
Studies Approval
Secondary Education M.Ed. English Approval
Social
Studies Approval
Natural
Sciences Approval
Math Approval
Physical Education B.S.P.E. Physical Education Probation *
* Programs on
probation until their curriculum folios are approved by their specialty
organization.
An Initial Accreditation visit was conducted by the NCATE
Board of Examiners on September 26-30, 1998 at Coastal Carolina
University. The UAB’s report noted that
Standard I.H (Quality of Field Experiences) was not met at the advanced level
and that Standard III.B (Composition of Faculty) was not met at both the
initial and advanced levels.
Additionally, weaknesses were identified by the UAB. Those weaknesses were: (1) at the initial level, the guidelines
and standards of specialty organizations have not been used in developing
programs in all content areas; (2) at the initial and advanced levels,
students do not reflect the minimal cultural diversity; (3) the advanced
programs do not require planned field experiences with systematic feedback to
candidates; (4); the unit does not have an explicit plan to recruit,
admit, and retain a diverse student body in advanced programs; (5) the
unit does not have an explicit plan with adequate resources to recruit, hire,
or retain a diverse faculty; (6) the faculty reflects minimal diversity.
At its March, 1999, meeting the NCATE Unit Accreditation
Board reviewed the materials and reports for Coastal Carolina University and
rendered the decision to accredit the teacher education unit at Coastal
Carolina University at the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners Team fully participating in the
decision making process. The consultant
also reviewed two programs that were not part of the NCATE folio review
process. The consultant also applied
the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards for all programs at Coastal
Carolina University. The consultant’s
report on programs reviewed that were not part of the NCATE folio process is as
follows:
Master of
Education in Elementary Education:
The program should be continued with full approval as it is meeting the
needs of the service area. There appears
to be a trend toward fewer enrollments each year. It is recommended that a comprehensive internal study be
undertaken looking at the demographics of the Waccamaw region in regard to the
potential student population. A plan
needs to be developed immediately to increase enrollments with special
attention given to the recruitment, admission, retention, and graduation of
minority students.
Master of
Education in Secondary Education:
The program should be continued with full approval as it is meeting the
needs of the region it serves. It is
recommended that an internal study be
undertaken to reveal why the enrollments, number of graduates, and majors is so
low (13 majors, 2 degrees awarded in five disciplines in five years),
especially in the areas of mathematics, natural science, and social
studies. Plans should be developed to
recruit, admit, retain, and graduate more students, especially minority
students, in the specialty areas. The
unit should explore the use of distance learning to increase enrollments.
Applying the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
Program Productivity Standards criteria to all programs at Coastal Carolina
University revealed that all teacher education programs met the requirements
set forth by the Commission.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS FOR COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
1. Since
Coastal Carolina was granted accreditation at the initial and advanced levels,
it is recommended that all programs be fully approved except for those that
have not achieved compliance by specialty organizations (Early Childhood and
Physical Education).
2. Early
Childhood and Physical Education programs will be on probation until their
curriculum folios are approved by the specialty organization.
3. Standard
I.H (Quality of Field Experiences) at the advanced level and Standard III.B
(Composition of Faculty) at both the initial and advanced levels must be dealt
with by Coastal Carolina faculty and progress to correct them must be submitted
in their annual reports to NCATE. This
is also true for the eight weaknesses identified by the UAB report. It is recommended that Coastal Carolina
University move as quickly as is feasible to remedy the not met standards and
eight weaknesses that were identified.
4. All
programs meet the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Program
Productivity Standards.
5. The
two programs reviewed by the Commission consultant (since they were not part of
the NCATE curriculum folio review), Master of Education Degree in Elementary
Education and the Master of Education in Secondary Education Degree are
recommended for full approval.
6. It
is recommended that a comprehensive study be undertaken by Coastal Carolina
University looking at the demographics and potential student population in the
Waccamaw area. A plan needs to be developed to recruit, admit, retain, and
graduate more students in both the Master of Education for Elementary Education
and the Master of Education for Secondary Education Degrees. Special attention should be given to
recruit, admit, retain, and graduate minority students.
7. It
is recommended that the teacher education unit develop and implement a
comprehensive plan to recruit, hire, and retain a diverse faculty.
8. It
is recommended that the teacher education unit develop and implement a
comprehensive plan to recruit, admit, retain, and graduate a diverse student
body, especially in advanced programs.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Special Education B.S. Emotionally Handicapped Approval
Mentally
Handicapped Approval
Learning
Disabled Approval
A.B. Emotionally Handicapped Approval
Mentally
Handicapped Approval
Learning
Disabled Approval
Special Education M.Ed. Emotionally Handicapped Approval
Learning
Disabled
Approval
Mentally
Disabled
Approval
M.A.T. Emotionally Handicapped Approval
Learning
Disabled Approval
Mentally
Disabled Approval
Elementary Ed. B.S. Approval
Elementary Ed. M.Ed.
Approval
M.A.T. Approval
Early Childhood M.Ed.
Approval
M.A.T. Approval
Physical Ed. B.S. Teaching Approval
A.B. Teaching Approval
German B.A. Teacher Ed. Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed. Approval
French B.A. Teacher Ed. Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
Spanish B.A. Teacher Ed Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
English B.A. Teacher Ed Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
Biology B.A. Teacher Ed Approval
B.S. Teacher Ed Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
Mathematics B.S. Teacher Ed Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
Chemistry B.A. Teacher Ed Approval
B.S. Teacher Ed Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
Physics B.A. Teacher Ed Approval
B.S. Teacher Ed Approval
History B.A. Teacher Ed Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
Pol. Science/Govt. B.A. Teacher Ed Approval
A.B. Teacher Ed Approval
Sociology B.S. Teacher Ed Approval
An Initial Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE
Board of Examiners team on October 3-7, 1998. At the October, 1999
UAB meeting decided to accredit the School
of Education at the initial teacher preparation level and deny accreditation to
programs at the advanced level. The UAB’s report noted two standards not met at both the advanced
level only (II.B Composition of Candidates and III.A Qualifications of
Faculty). In addition, the following
weaknesses were identified in the UAB report and apply to the advanced level
unless indicated otherwise .
Weaknesses identified were as follows:
(1) the conceptual framework is not shared broadly with the
professional education community and formal plans for the inclusion of the
broader professional community in the evaluation of the conceptual framework
have not yet been developed; (2) at
the advanced level, the conceptual framework is unevenly integrated into the
campus-based professional education curriculum and not integrated into the
off-campus professional development courses; (3) the unit does not
ensure that students have course work in the general education requirements
which incorporates multicultural perspectives; (4) the professional development courses do not reflect the quality
of instruction and rigor consistent with graduate level work; (5) there is no evidence of integration
of the unit’s conceptual framework into the professional development courses; (6) candidates for secondary
certification at the initial level do not have sufficient field experience; (7) the governance structure of the unit
does not include provisions for the systematic and continuous involvement by
representatives of the broader professional community regarding their programs;
(8) the governance structure is not formalized in institutional policy; (9) the unit has no explicit plan to
recruit, admit, and retain a diverse student body; (10) enrollments do not
represent sufficient cultural diversity; and (11) professional development course faculty are not held to the
same criteria applied to other faculty who teach at the graduate level; (12)
curriculum materials are limited and their location restricts access by faculty
and office space for faculty is insufficient.
An NCATE Board of Examiners team visited the College of
Charleston December 2-6, 2000 to examine only the advanced level programs.
The UAB met March, 2001, and after reviewing reports and materials rendered the
decision to accredit the advanced level programs. The UAB report
identified two weaknesses at the advanced level: 1) the conceptual framework is
not infused throughout the mathematics and science courses; 2) field experiences
in the M.Ed. in Science and Mathematics program are not well planned, sequenced,
or consistent with the conceptual framework.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners Team and participated fully in the
decision making process. The consultant
also reviewed the one program that was not part of the NCATE folio review
process and applied the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards criteria to
all programs at the College of Charleston.
The program reviewed by the consultant was the Master of Education
degree in Elementary Education. The
number of faculty supporting the program is sufficient. The consultant’s report
indicates that the Master of Education program in Elementary Education met the
Program Productivity Standards of the Commission and recommended that it be
continued as it had sufficient enrollment and was meeting a need for the
service area. Applying the Program
Productivity Standards to all programs at the College of Charleston revealed
that all programs met the criteria in at least one of the areas. However, several initial level programs were
low on two of the criteria. These
programs are listed below and these low enrollments are noted as areas of
concern:
German B.A./AB.:
This program awarded a five-year average of 0.4 degrees, an average of
1.8 majors, and 59.3 service hours.
French B.A/AB.:
This program has a five-year average of 0.6 degrees, 7.5 majors, and 257.8
service hours.
Spanish B.A./A.B.:
A five-year average of 2.0 degrees awarded, 9.2 majors, and 476.8
service hours were reported.
Mathematics B.S./A.B.: While this program had five-year average of 3.2 degrees and 12.6
majors, the number of majors is only 0.1 above the number required. Service
hours reported were 674.
Chemistry B.A./B.S./A.B.: The five-year average of degrees awarded was 0.6, with only 2.3
major, and 259.1 service hours.
Physics B.A./BS/A.B.: The five-year average of degrees awarded was 0.0, with only 0.4
major, and 233.6 service hours.
Political Science and Government B.A/A.B.: Over the five years the average number of
degrees awarded was 0.4, with 6.0 majors, and 225.3 service hours.
Sociology B.S./A.B.: This program awarded an average of 0.4 degrees over the five-year
period 10.9 major, and 254.1 service hours.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS FOR COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
1. The College of Charleston was granted accreditation at the initial (undergraduate) level and advanced (graduate) level by NCATE in October, 1999 and March 2001, respectively. All programs should be continued with full approval.
2. The
two standards not met and the twelve weaknesses reported in the UAB report must
be dealt with as required by NCATE and reported in the unit’s annual
reports. It is recommended that the
College of Charleston move as quickly as it is feasible to remedy the two
standards that were not met and the weaknesses identified by the UAB.
3. The M.Ed. degree in Special Education, the M.Ed. program in Elementary Education,
and the M.Ed. program in Early Childhood Education were approved through the
folio review process and should have full approval
4. The
one program not part of the NCATE folio review process and therefore reviewed
by the Commission’s consultant, the M.Ed. in Elementary Education, met the
Commission’s Program Productivity Standards and is recommended for full approval.
5. All
programs met the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Program
Productivity Standards on at least one of the criteria as required. However, nine programs did not meet two of
the criteria and should be closely monitored in the future for number of
degrees awarded and the number of majors in the program. Plans should be devised to recruit and
maintain students in these programs.
6. The unit should evaluate and assess the M.Ed. degree in Science and Mathematics Teaching to ensure that the program and curriculum reflect the conceptual framework. Field experience need to be developed for this program that are articulated and sequenced.
7. The conceptual framework should be reflected in professional development courses.
8. For admission purposes, the M.Ed. in Science and Mathematics
Teaching should set a minimum score on the GRE, MAT, or NTE exams.
FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Special/Learn. Disab. M.A.T. Approval
M.Ed. Approval
Remediation M.Ed. Approval
Elementary Education B.S. Approval
Elementary Education M.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. B.S. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. M.Ed. Approval
Secondary Education M.Ed. Approval
Art Education B.S. Approval
French B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Spanish B.A. Teacher Education Approval
English B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Biology B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Mathematics B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Mathematics B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Chemistry B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Applied Psychology M.S. School Psychology Approval
History B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Political Science and Govt. B.A. Teacher
Education Approval
Sociology B.S. Teacher Education Approval
An Initial Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE
Board of Examiners team on March 20-24, 1999.
The UAB reported that Standards III.B (Composition of Faculty) and
Standard IV.A (Governance and Accountability of Unit) were not met at both the
initial and advanced levels.
Additionally, three weaknesses were identified by the UAB report. Weaknesses identified were as follows: (1) the
unit’s Minority Recruitment Plan has not been fully implemented; (2) the unit does not have a culturally
diverse faculty; (3) policies are
not in place to ensure that the unit has sufficient authority to administer
teacher education programs.
At its October
1999 meeting, the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board, after reviewing the material
and reports, rendered a decision to accredit the Teacher Education Unit at Francis
Marion University at the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission of Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners team and participated fully in the
decision making process. The consultant also reviewed the three programs that
were not part of the NCATE curriculum folio process and also applied the
Commission’s Program Productivity Standards criteria to all programs in teacher
education at Francis Marion University.
Programs reviewed were as follows:
Master of
Education degree in Elementary Education: The program should be continued with full approval as it is
fulfilling a need for the University service area. The unit is encouraged to continue to find ways to support part-time
students. The use of distance education
to deliver instruction is a move in the right direction. It is recommended that
ongoing faculty development be provided and that faculty be given time for
preparation and adaptation of courses for delivery using distance education
technology. The program meets the
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards
criteria.
Master of
Education in Secondary Education (English, Mathematics, Social Studies
and Sciences ( Biology, Chemistry, General Science): The program is recommended for continuation with full
approval. The movement to the delivery
of courses with distance education technology is encouraged and will benefit
the part-time student. As distance
education offerings are expanded, the institution is encouraged to assess the
success of the offerings with particular emphasis on the impact made for
students in rural locations. The
program meets the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s Program
Productivity Standards criteria.
Master of
Education in Remediation: It is
recommended that the program be continued with full approval as it is meeting
the needs of licensed teachers who wish to obtain advanced knowledge and skills
to enhance their work for at-risk-children in rural settings. The program meets the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards criteria.
The Commission consultant applied the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards criteria to
programs that were part of the NCATE curriculum folio process. All programs met the criteria in at least
one of the three areas as required.
However, several initial level program and one at the advanced level
were low on two of the criteria. These
low enrollments are noted as areas of concern.
These programs are as follows:
Art Education B.S.: The program awarded a five-year average of 3.6 degrees and had an
average of 10.1 majors. No service
hours were reported by the institution.
Early Childhood Education M.Ed.: An average of 5.0 service hours, 5.1 majors,
and 6.2 degrees awarded was reported for the five-year period.
French B.A.:
A five-year average of 31.2 service hours were reported but only 0.2
degrees were awarded and there was no accounting for the number of majors.*
Spanish B.A.: Data found a five-year average of 1.2
degrees awarded and 38.7 service hours.
Data were not available for the number of majors.*
Biology B.A./B.S.:
Data show a five-year average of 3.6 degrees awarded with service
hours. There was no accounting for the
number of majors.*
Chemistry B.S.:
The program has a five-year average of 134.4 service hours, but no
record of majors or degrees were reported in that same time.*
History B.A.:
The data show a five-year average 3.8 degrees awarded and service
enrollments, but no record of majors was reported.*
Political Science and Government B.A.: The program has a five-year average of 2.2
degrees awarded and 195.1 service hours; there was no record of majors reported
during this same time.*
Sociology B.A./B.S.: A five-year average of 1.6 degrees awarded and 136.6 service
enrollments was reported; but there was no record of majors reported.*
* The institution was unable to separate education majors
from discipline majors.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS FOR FRANCIS MARION UNIVERSITY
1. Francis
Marion University was granted accreditation by NCATE at both the initial
teacher preparation and advanced levels.
All programs d should be continued with full approval.
2. The
standards and weaknesses identified in the UAB report must be dealt with by
Francis Marion and reported in their annual report to NCATE. It is recommended that Francis Marion move
as quickly as possible to remedy the three standards and eight weaknesses that
were identified.
3. The
three programs reviewed by the Commission’s consultant that were not part of
the NCATE curriculum folio review process are recommended for full approval and
continuation. They are the Master of
Education in Elementary Education degree; the Master of Education in Secondary
Education degree; and the Master of Education in Remediation degree.
4. It
is recommended that further use of distance education technology in the Master
of Education Degrees in Elementary Education, Secondary Education and
Remediation be supported to offer course work to part-time students,
particularly those in rural areas. The
institution is encouraged to assess the success of distance education and the
impact on students.
5. It
is recommended that Francis Marion University provide time to faculty for
preparation and adaptation of courses for delivery using distance education
technology.
6. All programs meet the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Program Productivity Standards on at least one of the criteria. However, nine programs were low on two of the criteria and should be monitored closely in the future for number of degrees awarded and the number of majors.
LANDER UNIVERSITY
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Special Education B.S. Approval
Elementary Education B.S. Approval
Elementary Education M.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood B.S. Approval
Secondary Education M.AT. Art Approval
English Approval
Science Approval
Music Education B.M.Ed. Instrumental Approval
Choral Approval
Keyboard Approval
Physical Education B.S. Approval
Spanish B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Mathematics B.S. Teacher Education Approval
History B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Political Science B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Speech & Theater B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Art, Visual Arts B.A. Teacher Education Approval
An Initial Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE
Board of Examiners team on March 27-31, 1999.
The team and the UAB reported that all twenty standards were met at the
appropriate levels. Four weaknesses
were identified by the UAB report as follows: (1) the conceptual model is not evident in the instruments used to evaluate
candidates; (2) not all
faculty engage in research to the degree expected of teacher-scholars; (3) the diversity of faculty is
limited; (4) resources for professional development are inadequate.
At its October 1999 meeting, the NCATE Unit Accreditation
Board, after reviewing the material and reports, rendered a decision to
accredit the School of Education at Lander University at the initial teacher
preparation and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners team and participated fully in the
decision-making process. The consultant
was also responsible for reviewing the one program (Master of Education in
Elementary Education degree) that was not part of the NCATE curriculum folio
review process. The consultant also
applied the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s Program
Productivity Standards to all programs in teacher education at Lander
University.
The review of the Masters in Education in Elementary
Education program found a program that was in transition undergoing a number of
changes. It is a quality program
meeting the needs served by Lander. It
has strong support from P-12 administrators in the area. In terms of program productivity, over a
five-year period it awarded an average of 32.6 degrees and average 25.3
majors. The program meets the
requirements of the Program Productivity Standards.
Eight weaknesses were identified by the Commission’s
consultant for the M.Ed. in Elementary Education as follows: (1)
the conceptual framework is not integrated consistently across the program and
it is not infused in all course syllabi and evaluation of students: (2) there is limited course work in
research and the emphasis is on reading and review of research and there is a
need for each student to learn how to design, conduct, and make application of
research to the classroom setting; (3)
field/clinical experiences are not consistent with the conceptual framework and
infused throughout the curriculum; (4)
the use of portfolios and journals is exemplary, except they are not integrated
into the conceptual model; (5)
admission standards are minimal, not everyone is clear on what is required for
admission, and unit publications do not consistently convey the same
information; (6) not all faculty
engage in research to the degree expected of teacher-scholars in graduate
programs; (7) currently the program
is a set of courses and not an integrated program providing experiences and
activities to enrich and expand what takes place in the classroom; (8) there is insufficient diversity in
the composition of the faculty and student body.
The Commission’s consultant applied the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards to all teacher
education programs at Lander University All programs met the criteria in at
least one of the three area. However,
several initial level and two advanced level programs had low enrollments and
these are noted as areas of concern.
These programs are listed below:
Secondary Education M.A.T.: The average is 1.0 degrees awarded, an
average of 6.9 majors over a five-year period.
Music Education B.M.Ed. : The average is 4.0 degrees awarded, an average of 16.3 majors, and
an average of 67.0 service hours.
Spanish B.A.:
Data on full-time and part-time enrollment figures could not be provided
for majors in the program or degrees awarded.
The degrees only for education were reported showing an average of 0.0
degrees awarded, an average of 0.0 majors, and an average of 45.2 service
hours. The program only meets the
Program Productivity Standards by the number of service hours provided.
Mathematics B.S.:
Data on full-time and part-time enrollment could not be provided for
majors in the program or degrees awarded.
The data reported were only for education and revealed an average of 2.2
degrees awarded, an average of 0.0 majors, and 185.7 service hours generated. The program only meets the Program
Productivity Standards by the number of service hours provided.
History B.S.:
Data were not available as above.
An average of 3.8 degrees were awarded, an average of 0.0 majors, and
69.2 service hours generated. The
program only meets the Program Productivity Standards by the number of service
hours provided.
Political Science B.A.: The only data that could be provided were for education where an
average of 0.2 degrees were awarded, an average of 0.0 majors, and an average
of 24.9 service hours generated. The
program only meets the Program Productivity Standards by the number of service
hours provided.
Speech and Theater B.A.: The only data provided were for education where an average of
0.2 degrees were awarded, an average of 0.0 majors, and 19.7 service hours were
generated. The program only meets the
Program Productivity Standards by the number of service hours provided.
Visual Arts B.A.:
The only data available were for education where an average of 4.4
degrees were awarded, an average of 0.0 majors, and an average of 83.0 service
hours generated. The standards are met
only by the number of service hours provided.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS FOR LANDER UNIVERSITY
1. Lander
University was granted accreditation by NCATE at both the initial teacher
preparation and advanced level in October, 1999. All programs are approved and should be continued with full
approval.
2. The
eight weaknesses identified in the UAB report must be dealt with by Lander and
progress to correct them must be submitted in their annual reports to
NCATE. It is recommended that Lander
University move as quickly as possible to remedy the eight weaknesses that were
identified.
3. The
one program reviewed by the consultant since it was not part of the NCATE
curriculum folio process (Master of Education in Elementary Education) met the
Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards and it is
recommended for approval and continuation.
4. It
is recommended that the teacher education unit at Lander take note of the eight
weaknesses identified for the Master of Education in Elementary Education
degree and take steps that will address them as soon as possible.
5. All
programs met at least one of the criteria presented in the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards. However, it should be noted that seven
programs ( Spanish/B.A.; Mathematics/B.S.; History/B.S.; Political
Science/B.S.; Speech and Theater/B.A.; and Visual Arts/B.A.) suffer from a low number
of majors and degrees awarded. It is
recommended that these programs be monitored closely in the future for the
number of majors and degrees
awarded. The unit should develop a plan
to increase and maintain enrollment in these disciplines.
SOUTH CAROLINA
STATE UNIVERSITY
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Educational Adm. Ed.S. Probation
(1)
Educational Adm. Ed.D. Approval
Special Education (K-12) B.S. Educ. Mentally Hand. Approval
Emotionally
Hand. Approval
Learning
Disab. Approval
Trainable
Ment. Hand. Approval
Special Education M.Ed. Educ. Mentally Retard. Approval
Trainable
Ment. Retard. Approval
Emotionally
Hand. Approval
Learning
Disabilities Approval
Counselor Education M.Ed. Probation*
Elementary Education B.S. Approval
Elementary Education M.Ed. Basic Elem. Ed. Approval
Early
Childhood Ed. Approval
Reading
Education Approval
M.A.T. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. B.S. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. M.A.T. Probation
**
Secondary Education M.Ed. Biology Approval
Chemistry Approval
Industrial
Tech. Approval
English Approval
Mathematics Approval
Science Approval
Special
Education Approval
Secondary Education M.A.T. English Approval
Mathematics Approval
Science Approval
Speech
Path & Audio. Probation*
Art Education K-12 B.S. Approval
Business Education K-12 B.S. Probation*
Health Education B.S. Approval
Family & Consum. Science B.S. Approval
Industrial Education B.S. Approval
Music Education B.S. Music Choral K-12 Approval Music
Instr. K-12 Approval
Physical Education B.S. Approval
French B.S. Secondary Ed.
Probation*
Spanish B.S. Secondary Ed. Probation*
English, Professional B.A. Secondary Ed. Approval
Biology B.S. Secondary Ed. Approval
Chemistry B.S. Secondary Ed. Approval
Mathematics B.S. Secondary Ed. Approval
Social Sciences B.A. Teaching Approval
History B.A. Secondary Ed. Approval
Dramatic Arts B.A. Secondary Ed. Approval
Speech Path. & Audio. B.A.
Approval
Speech Path. & Audio. M.A.T. Speech
Approval
Language Pathology Approval
(1) Program has not been approved by the learned society
*The self-study for this program is in the rejoinder phase
and has not been approved by the S.C. Department of Education.
** does not meet
the Commission on Higher Education Program Productivity Standards.
A Continuing Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE
Board of Examiners team on February 20-24, 1999. Two new weaknesses were identified in the UAB report: (1)
the unit does not provide faculty with adequate resources for the delivery of
classroom instruction using current technological practices. Generally the classrooms are not wired to
support advanced technology for instructional purposes and the hardware and
software is not available to all faculty for instructional purposes; and (2) diversity of the student body in
the unit is limited.
At its October 1999 meeting the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board, after reviewing
materials and reports, rendered a decision to continue the
accreditation of the School of Education at South Carolina State University at
the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners and participated fully in the
decision making process. The consultant
was also responsible for reviewing four programs that were not part of the
NCATE curriculum folio review process.
A report on each follows:
Education
Doctorate in Educational Administration: The program is fulfilling a need for the State of South Carolina
and has sufficient students. The number
of faculty assigned to the program is not sufficient and should be reviewed as
either the workload needs to be reduced or additional staff added. Faculty productivity in terms of scholarly
production for faculty teaching in the program needs to be improved. The program has a five-year average of 12.8
degrees awarded and an average of 19.3 majors. The program meets all three areas of the Program Productivity
Standards and is recommended for continuation with full approval. This program provides training for those
interested in educational administration and should have been reviewed by the
appropriate learned society. During the
next NCATE review, the institution will be required to submit a program folio
to the Education Leadership Constituents Council as it did for the Ed.S.
program.
Education
Specialist in Educational Administration: The program should be
continued with probation. A folio was submitted
to the learned society and records indicate that the program is in the
rejoinder stage. Until approved by the
learned society, the program must be placed on probation. The program has a five-year average of
10.0 degrees and an average of 4.7 majors.
The program meets all three criteria of the Program Productivity
Standards of the Commission on Higher Education.
Master of
Education Degree in Elementary Education: There is broad support for this program from faculty, current
students, program alumni, and practitioners in the service area. Having the
Felton Laboratory School on-site is a bonus for the program as it provides a
positive
model of teaching and learning. The Programmatic Climate Survey should be continued as it
provides a continuous measurement of the program’s performance. The program has a five-year
average of 10.4 degrees awarded, an average of 19.6
majors, and has generated an average of 18.5 service hours. The program meets the Commission’s Program
Productivity Standards and is recommended for continuation with full
approval.
Master of
Education Degree in Secondary Education (Biology & Science; Chemistry;
English; Industrial Education; Mathematics; History/Social Studies): This program is meeting the need
in its service area and enrollments are steady. It is recommended that the Programmatic Climate Survey be
continued as a measure of the program’s performance. The program has a five-year average of 3.6 degrees, an average
of 21.0 majors. Service hours generated were not
reported. The program meets the
Commission Program Productivity Standards.
The program is recommend for continuation with full approval
The Commission’s consultant also identified five area of
concern for the School of Education.
They are as follows:
1. Frequent
references to the Ed.D. in Educational
Administration program and its offerings at the University Center of Greenville
were made by faculty, staff, and some students. According to the Commission Observer, CHE had not received a proposal
from South Carolina State University at the time of the NCATE visit requesting
permission to offer the Ed.D at that location.
The Self Study report for NCATE states that an application has been
submitted and it also states that “the complete Ed.D. program is offered at the
University Center within a year round program.
It is a cooperative program with other major public universities in the
State. (Note: The program proposal to
offer the Ed.D. has since been received by CHE and approved.)
2. While
conversations with administration and selected faculty reflect a commitment to
the expansion of technology, the actual pace at which it has been infused into the curriculum is mediocre in
comparison to the state-wide effort.
3. Review
of materials and discussion with faculty and administrators on qualifications
and expectations for faculty teaching in advanced graduate (Ed.S.) and terminal
degree (Ed.D.) programming found lack of agreement in the articulation of the
criteria for such.
4. Review
of doctorate faculty curriculum vita found an unevenness in the reporting of
scholarship and research.
5. While
the teaching loads of faculty responsible for the delivery of all advanced
degree programs are limited to a prescribed number of credit hours, it is
evident that campus teaching loads, off-campus teaching, student advisement
including the direction of research projects and dissertations, committee work,
and other service involvement have created overloads.
The Commission consultant applied the South Carolina Commission
on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards to all teacher education
programs at South Carolina State University.
One program, Early Childhood Education (MAT) did not meet any of the
three criteria (average number of degrees awarded, number of majors, and number
of service hours generated) specified in the standards. The program had a five-year average of 0.5
degrees awarded, an average of only 3.4 majors, and an average of 1.0 service
hours. It is recommended for probation.
In addition, nine programs were low on two of the criteria
and merit monitoring and review. The
unit should develop a plan to increase and maintain enrollments in these
programs. They are as follows:
Art Education K-12 B.S.: The program had a five-year average of 1.6 degrees awarded and
an average of 6.4 majors. Service hours
were not reported.
Business Education B.S.: The program averaged 4.6 degrees, 12.8 majors, and no service
hours were reported.
Health Education K-12 B.S.: Over the five-year period there were an
average of 0.6 degrees were awarded, 4.6 majors, and 55.8 service hours.
Family and Consumer Science Education B.S.: An average of 2.0 degrees, 5.5 majors, and
19.5 service hours over the five-year period were reported.
French B.A./B.S.:
The five-year average of degrees was 0.0 with only 0.6 majors. Service
hours were reported at 27.9.
Spanish B.S.:
The five-year average was 0.6 degrees awarded with only 0.6 majors. Service hours were reported at 57.0
Chemistry B.S.:
The five-year average was 0.2 degrees awarded with only 0.4 majors.
Service hours were reported at 99.7.
Social Science B.A.: The data available revealed an average of 2.4 degrees awarded
over a three-year period with an average of 4.4 majors. No service hours were reported.
Dramatic Arts B.A.: The five-year average was 0.0 degrees awarded with 0.8
majors. Service hours were reported at
841.5.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS FOR SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
1. South
Carolina State University was granted continuing accreditation by NCATE at both
the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels in October, 1999. These programs should receive full approval.
2. The
two weaknesses identified in the UAB report must be dealt with by the School of
Education and progress to correct them must be submitted in annual reports to
NCATE. It is recommended that South
Carolina State University move as quickly as possible to remedy the two
weaknesses.
3. The
four programs reviewed by the Commission consultant that were not part of the
NCATE curriculum folio review process met the Commission Program Productivity
Standards. The four are presented below
with recommendations:
i. Education
Doctorate (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration: It is recommended the program be continued with full approval.
However, it is recommended that an internal review of staffing of the program
be undertaken and that either the workload be reduced or additional
faculty/staff be added. The NCATE folio
review process must be followed at the time of the next visit.
ii. Education
Specialist (Ed.S.) in Educational Administration: It is recommended that the program be continued with
probation. The unit needs to follow
through with the rejoinder stage with the learned society. Also, it is recommended that an internal
review of staffing the program be undertaken and that either the workload be
reduced or additional faculty/ staff be added.
iii. Master
of Education (M.Ed.) in Elementary Education: It is recommended that the program be continued with full approval. It is recommended that the faculty continue
to administer the Programmatic Climate Survey and assess for program
performance.
iv. Master
of Education (M.Ed.) in Secondary Education: It is recommended that the program be continued with full approval. It is recommended that the faculty continue
to administer the Programmatic Climate Survey and assess for program
performance.
v. The
Early Childhood Education (M.A.T.)
It is recommended that the program be given probationary status as a
result of not meeting South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Program
Productivity Standards.
vi. All
programs with the exception of the Early Childhood (M.A.T.) program meet the
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Program Productivity Standards as
required. However, it should be
noted that nine of the programs (Art
Education K-12/BS, Business Education/B.S., Health Education K-12/B.S., Family
& Consumer Science/B.S., French/B.A. and B.S., Spanish/B.S.,
Chemistry/B.S., Social Sciences/B.A., and Dramatic Arts/B.A.) suffer from low
enrollment of majors or degrees and barely meet Program Productivity
Standards. It is recommended that these
programs be monitored closely in the future and that the unit develop plans to
increase and maintain enrollments.
vii. It
is recommended that the institution initiate a study team with broad
representation for the purpose of assessing the current campus impact of
technology on curriculum and instruction.
As an outcome of the review, a long-term and a short-term plan with recommendations
of how to upgrade the infusion of technology into the curriculum should be
developed. Resources should be
allocated to implement the plan and formative and summative evaluation should
be made annually.
viii. It
is recommended that qualifications and expectations of faculty teaching in
advanced graduate programs be reviewed resulting in an updated publication of
the criteria for designation as graduate faculty as a means of ensuring better
articulation.
ix. It
is recommended that the requirements for doctorate faculty scholarship and
research be clarified and that established criteria for designation as faculty
in a terminal degree program be held by all who are teaching in the program.
x. It is recommended that teaching loads of all faculty responsible for the delivery of advanced degree programs be reviewed and that the necessary steps be taken to ensure their loads be limited to the published number of prescribed credit hours. If necessary, the number of students in the program should be limited or the number of faculty serving the programs should be increased.
UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTH CAROLINA-COLUMBIA
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Teaching Ed.S. Approval
Curriculum & Inst. Ed..D. Approval
Educational Adm. M.A. Approval
M.Ed. Approval
Ed.S. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Instructional Media M.Ed. Probation *
Ed. Res. & Meas. M.A. Termination
**
M.Ed. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Foundations of Ed. Ph.D. Approval
Special Education M.Ed. Visually Hand. Approval
Emotionally
Hand. Approval
Learning
Disab. Approval
Mental
Ret. (Mild) Approval
Early
Child. Spec. Ed. Approval
M.A.T. Visually Hand. Approval
Emotionally
Hand. Approval
Learning
Disab. Approval
Trainable
Ment. Hand. Approval
Educ.
Ment. Hand. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Student Personnel Serv. M.A. Termination
**
M.Ed. Commend.
of Excell.
Counselor Education M.A.
Elementary Counselor Approval
Secondary
Counselor Approval
M.Ed. Elementary Counselor Approval
Secondary
Counselor Approval
Ed.S./Ph.D. Approval
Elementary Education M.A. Approval
M.Ed. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. M.A. Approval
M.Ed. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Secondary Education M.A. Biology Approval
History Approval
Mathematics Approval
Natural
Science Approval
Physics Approval
English Approval
Secondary Education M.A. Social Studies Approval
Geography Approval
Chemistry Approval
Earth
Sciences Approval
M.T. Biology Approval
History Approval
Mathematics Approval
Natural
Science Approval
Physics Approval
English Approval
Social
Studies Approval
Geography Approval
Chemistry Approval
Earth
Sciences Approval
M.Ed. Biology Approval
History Approval
Mathematics Approval
Natural
Science Approval
Physics Approval
English Approval
Social
Studies Approval
Geography Approval
Chemistry Approval
Earth
Sciences Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Early Child./Elem. Ed. M.A.T. Approval
Art Teacher Ed. B.F.A Approval
M.A. Approval
M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Business Teacher Ed. M.AT. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Health Teacher Ed. M.S. Approval
M.A.T. Approval
CERT. Approval
Health Ed. Adm. Ed.D. Approval
Health Promotion & Ed. M.S.P. Approval
M.P.H. Approval
M.S.P.H. Approval
Music Teacher Ed. B.M.E . Approval
M.M.E Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Physical Education B.A.P.E. Approval
B.S.P.E. Approval
M.A.T. Approval
M.A. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Reading Teacher Ed. M.Ed. Approval
M.A. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Teacher Ed. (COPE) M.Ed. Approval
M.A. Termination
**
School Psychology M.A. Approval
Ph.D. Approval
Library Info. Media M.L.I.S Approval
I.M.A. Approval
German M.A.T. Probation
*
I.M.A. Probation
*
Spanish M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Latin M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
English M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Biological Sciences M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Mathematics M.A.T. Approval
Chemistry M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Earth Sciences M.A.T. Probation
*
I.M.A. Probation
*
Physics M.AT. Probation
*
I.M.A. Probation
*
Natural Sciences M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Geography M.A.T. Probation
*
I.M.A. Probation
*
History M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Social Studies M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Theater M.A.T. Approval
I.M.A. Approval
Speech Lang. Pathology M.S.P. Approval
NOTE:
No-off Campus offerings were reviewed by NCATE, SDE, or CHE
* Does not meet Commission on Higher Education
productivity standard
** M.A. program should be terminated due to low
enrollments or be subsumed under a generic degree.
A Continuing Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE
Board of Examiners team on October 26-30, 1996. The University of South Carolina-Columbia served as the pilot
institution for the new partnership involving the National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the State Department of Education
(SDE), and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. As a pilot review no off-campus programs
were examined. The Board of Examiners
report indicated that previous weaknesses identified in the last NCATE report
had been removed and no new weaknesses were identified. A number of changes and initiatives were
reported, the most significant being the establishment of eleven Professional
Development Schools, participation in the Goodlad National Network for
Educational Renewal, and membership in the Holmes Group.
At its April, 1997, meeting the NCATE Unit Accreditation
Board, after reviewing materials and reports, rendered a decision to continue
accreditation of the College of Education at the initial teacher preparation
and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners team for the October 1996, visit
participating fully in the decision making process. The consultant identified overall concerns/weaknesses in the unit
as follows:
1. Although
excellent technology and computer equipment and facilities are now present,
their use is not being addressed consistently or utilized evenly across all
programs and levels. Not all faculty
are employing technology or incorporating it appropriately into instructional
activities.
2. Faculty
productivity is uneven with about one-fourth of the faculty involved in
securing grants and contracts. This is
a bit out of balance for a leading research university.
3. Faculty
workloads are somewhat skewed and uneven from one department to another and
even, occasionally within a department.
4. Operating
budgets for several of the units of the College are substantially below the
typical level for units of this type in other research universities, especially
flagship institutions. The operating
support of the College ranks 11th among 15 at USC. This low ranking raises questions as to
the adequacy of overall support of the
teacher education program compared to the rest of the university. Allocations to the College of Education may
not have kept pace with the changing environment in which teachers and other
school personnel are being prepared these days. Because of the national reform movement involving an increased
emphasis on collaboration with P-12 schools, the growth of collaborative
Professional Development Schools, more extensive field experiences and the
accompanying need for intensive supervision for these, and increased attention
to induction year programs for beginning teachers and other school personnel,
the cost of such programs has risen substantially in recent years.
5. Within
the unit, it appears there may also be discrepancies among the four departments
in average faculty salaries beyond that which would be expected due to
legitimate marketplace differences. Both
the Department of Instruction and Teacher Education and the Department of
Educational Psychology appear to be disadvantaged in average salaries at
USC. Data are available from national
organizations for baseline marketplace comparisons.
6. There
is a plethora of terminal degrees in education available to students at the
University of South Carolina-Columbia, especially at the doctorate level. These often appear to have similar general
structures, program requirements, and underlying philosophies of purpose. There especially appears to be a blurring of
the differences between the Ed.D. and the Ph.D. in Education degrees.
7. There
are a number of programs at the Master Degree level with low enrollment,
degrees awarded, and majors. Although,
in most instances, these programs are trying to address legitimate needs they
have productivity problems.
8. The
financial support for faculty travel to attend and participate in national and
regional professional meetings, conferences, and professional development activities
is minimal. Exposure to such endeavors
is extremely important both for the enhancement of the reputation of the
University and the development and expansion of the faculties expertise.
9. There
is a need for more support for graduate students, especially in the form of
teaching or research assistants.
The Commission consultant was also responsible for
reviewing programs that were not part of the NCATE folio review process. A report on each program follows:
Master of Arts and Master of Education in Community
and Occupational Programs
in Education (COPE): These degrees/programs were designed for persons who work as
professional educators outside of the traditional P-12 schools, especially in
enterprises that deal with adult learners.
Their primary focus is on adult education. The essential difference between the two degrees is that the M.A.
requires a formal thesis while the M.Ed. does not. The M.A. has been virtually dormant the past few years. In terms of productivity, the M.Ed. program
has averaged 27.6 degrees awarded and has an average of 100.8 students enrolled
over the five-year period. It is
recommended that the M.Ed. program be continued with full approval and that the
M..A. program be discontinued or subsumed under a generic degree title.
Master of Arts in Educational Administration Degree: This degree was designed for prospective
educational leaders NOT seeking South Carolina certification. It is primarily for those aspiring to become
principals in private P-12 schools, or attaining positions in institutions of
higher education administration. It
needs to be made more accessible to a wider audience, perhaps through the use
of distance learning and it needs to be infused with course work and
experiences designed to make all of its students technologically literate and
competent. In terms of program
productivity, it appears to meet the Commission requirements. Because data were aggregated with that of
the M.Ed. program, precise data for the program was not reported. However, the department reported that
approximately 20 M.A. degrees in Educational Administration were conferred each
year. The program is recommended for
continuation with full approval.
Master of Education in Educational Administration: This degree was designed to fulfill the
requirements for certification as a school district principal in South
Carolina. This program also needs to be
made accessible to a wider audience and it also needs to infuse appropriate
knowledge and experience components to ensure its students are technologically
literate and competent. Data for the
program is aggregated with the similar Master of Arts program. It surpasses the Commission’s Program
Productivity Standard as it graduates an average of 60 students and has over
200 majors per year. It is recommended
for continuation with full approval.
Master of Education and Master of Arts in
Educational Research: These
degrees were designed to develop competence in the critical reading of both
quantitative and qualitative research, use of common tools in doing research,
and effectively develop and use standardized tests. The major difference between the two degrees is a thesis required
for the Master of Arts program. The
Master of Arts program has low enrollments and there is a lack of meaningful
differentiation between the M.Ed. and the M..A. degrees. In terms of productivity, data revealed
that over the
previous five-year period, an average of 1.8 degrees were awarded and there was
an average of 7.1 majors in the program.
However, it produces a large number of service hours as courses taught
in these programs are necessary to the entire complex of graduate students in
the field of education. It is
recommended that the Master of Education Degree be continued with full approval
and that the Master of Arts Degree in Educational Research be discontinued or
subsumed under a generic degree.
Master of Education in Instructional Technology: The former M.Ed. in Instructional media was
reorganized and renamed in 1996. The
program was designed to prepare qualified professional educators to design,
develop, manage, and evaluate technology-based learning environments with an
emphasis on computer technology applications.
Since this program began in June 1996, data were not available at the
time of the visit to provide a great deal of evaluation or to measure it in
terms of the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards. Recent data indicated that the program has
had 2.9 majors, 1.2 degrees, and 2.3 service hours. It does not meet Program Productivity Standards and should be
placed on probation.
Master of Education and Master of Arts in Secondary
Education: These degrees were
designed to provide advanced professional studies for persons who currently
hold teacher certification and who aspire to further professional development
in secondary education. The two
degrees share common faculty, resources, administration, and facilities. There needs to be an expansion of the core
requirements to cover ethnology, multicultural education, assessment topics, and to attend to the
inculcation of the use of inquiry and reflection in students. The current faculty is stretched very thin
because of heavy advisement loads.
There is a need for more faculty to support the program and the faculty need to increase their
scholarly productivity. In terms of
productivity, over the past five-year period an average of 41.6 degrees were
awarded. There are an average of 600
majors enrolled per year. Faculty not
only staff this program but they also double as the faculty for the doctorate
program in secondary education. This is
a very heavy burden compared to others in the College. It is recommended that this program be
continued with full approval and with a strong recommendation that a generic
degree be explored for this area of specialization, especially as it relates to
the Master of Arts Degree.
Master of Education and Master of Arts in Student
Personnel Service: The Master
of Arts program has been essentially dormant for the past several years. The Master of Education Degree program
attracts top students from across the country.
It places its graduates in an array of colleges and universities at
national and international levels.
The program was designed to prepare graduates for college student
affairs positions. Over 100 graduate
assistantships are awarded each year to students in the program and the number
of applicants exceeds the number of slots available. In terms of productivity, over the past five-years an average of
49.6 degrees were awarded, and there has been an average of 73.8 full-time
students and 63.6 part-time students enrolled. This surpasses the Commission’s Standards. It is recommended that the Master of
Education Degree in Student Personnel be continued with a commendation of
excellence. The Master of Arts Degree
has been dormant in recent years and it is recommended that the degree be
terminated and subsumed under a generic degree.
Educational Specialist in Educational
Administration: The degree
program was designed to fulfill the requirement for certification as a school
district superintendent in the State of South Carolina. It underwent a major revision in 1989. The curriculum of the program is carefully
aligned with the state requirements for the superintendent’s credential. As with other programs, it could benefit by
expansion through the use of distance education that will provide greater
access to the program. The program
needs to provide more skills and competency in computer and technology usage
and applications in school operations to candidates. Faculty who serve this program also serve other degree programs
in Educational Administration but workloads are comparable to other research
universities. In terms of the
Commission’s Program Productivity Standards, the five-year average shows 18.0
degrees awarded each year with approximately 100 students enrolled each
year. This meets the Productivity
Standards of the Commission. It is
recommended that the Educational Specialist in Educational Administration
Degree be continued with full approval.
Educational Specialist in Teaching: The degree and program were designed for
professional classroom teachers who desire to remain in the role of a teacher
rather than pursuing careers in school administration or some other ancillary
specialty. Although initiated in 1992,
it had only begun to attract enrollments at the time of the visit. Current
program productivity data indicate 6.7 majors, 4.8 degrees awarded, and 42.8
service hours. The program meets the productivity standards. Faculty who serve this program also serve
other programs as well but workloads area comparable to other research
universities. There were no graduates
of the program at the time of the visit.
At the time of the visit, the program did not meet the Commission’s
Program Productivity Standards. It is
recommended that it be continued with full approval.
Educational Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction: This degree and program were designed to
prepare or further develop mid-career professional educators for leadership
roles with particular expertise in curriculum design, development, and
implementation. Furthermore, it was
designed to develop expertise in instructional strategies and applications
within either a general or a focused framework. The use of cohort groups and its recent curriculum additions in
the areas of technology and multicultural education have been positive features
of the program. There is a lack of
financial support for internships for Ed.D. students and an oversupply of
applicants for the number of slots available in the program. In terms of productivity, there has been an
average of 18.0 degrees awarded over the most recent five-year period. Over the past five-years there has been an
average of 6.8 full-time students and 119.4 part-time students enrolled in the
program. The program meets the
Commission’s Program Productivity Standards.
It is recommended for continuation with full approval.
Educational Doctorate in Health Education
Administration: This degree
and program were designed to train Health Educators for leadership positions in
private and public schools and post-secondary institutions of higher
education. While the degree is
conferred by the College of Education, the program is entirely administered as
a part of the activities of the Department of Health Promotion and Education
within the School of Public Health. Its
strengths are excellent field experiences and internships. A weakness in the program is the lack of
office space and facilities for student research. In terms of productivity, over the last five years there have
been 1 an average 2.0 degrees awarded.
There has been an average of 4.4 majors per year and it minimally meets
the Commission’s Productivity Standards.
It is recommended that the program be continued with full approval.
Doctor of Philosophy in Early Childhood Education: This degree was relatively new at the time
of the NCATE review, having been approved for initiation in 1994. It was made an autonomous degree program
after being an option in the Ph.D. in Elementary Education. The program appears to feature a
will-constructed curriculum and is attracting high-quality doctoral
students. At the time of the visit, no
degrees had been awarded and there were 17 doctoral students enrolled in the
program. Recent productivity data
indicate 9.1 majors, 2.6 degrees awarded and 205.6 service hours which meet
Program Productivity Standards. The
program would benefit from additional monies for support of doctoral
students. It is recommended that the
Ph.D. program in Early Childhood Education be continued on a probationary
status until it has sustained adequate enrollments for five years.
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration: Within the program there are two options:
one prepares professionals for the P-12 schools and the other for higher
education. Although this is a robust
academic program, it is limited by a lack of assistantships or fellowships so
that more doctoral students can matriculate as full-time students. In terms of productivity, the program has
conferred an average of 28.2 Ph.D. degrees – and has enrolled an average of 165
students over the past five years. It
surpasses the Commission’s Standards in terms of degrees awarded and students
enrolled. The Ph.D. program in
Educational Administration is recommended for continuation with full approval.
Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Research: The degree and program were designed to
develop expertise in research design, measurement, evaluation, and
testing. Additionally, the program
develops expertise in statistical, psychometric, and qualitative methodologies
applicable to educational research.
Faculty in this area offer a large number of service courses required as
core research tools in other programs.
Faculty loads are roughly comparable to but somewhat heavier than those
at other research universities with Ph.D. programs of this type. The program’s budget was judged to be at the
minimal level of support. In terms of
productivity, over a five-year period there have been an average of 2.8 degrees
awarded with an average of 5.4 full-time students and 19.2 part-time
students. These averages meet the
Commission’s Productivity Standards.
The program is recommended for continuation with full approval.
Doctor of Philosophy in Elementary Education: The degree and program were designed to
prepare teacher education leadership personnel in elementary education for P-12
school districts, state or national agencies, or as a professor in higher
education institutions. Faculty
serving this program also serve other programs as well and as a group, they
carry a heavy load. Faculty loads are
quite heavy when compared to typical faculty loads at other research
universities. Faculty in this program
also function as leaders in the master’s level degree program which adds to
their loads. The operating budget for
the department the program is housed in is below the typical support provided
for units with similar missions in research universities. In terms of
productivity, over the past five-years
an average of 9.0 degrees have been awarded and an average of 38.2 doctoral
students enrolled per year. The program
meets the Commission’s Productivity Standards and it is recommended for
continuation with full approval.
Doctor of Philosophy in Foundations of Education: The degree and program were designed to prepare
academic scholars for faculty positions in higher education and other
leadership positions in two major areas of specialization. These separate, non-overlapping tracks of
study are: (1) educational psychology, and (2) social, historical and philosophical
foundations. The instructional cohort
of the program has been weakened due to retirements and resignations. There is also a lack of ethnic and racial
diversity of the faculty. The unit
should analyze this and take appropriate steps to strengthen the cohort. In terms of productivity, an average of 3.0
degrees have been awarded, with 10.1 majors, and 146.3 service hours. This meets the requirements of the
Commission’s Productivity Standards. It
is recommended that the program be continued with full approval.
Doctor of Philosophy in Physical
Education: The degree
and program were designed specifically to prepare graduates to assume teaching
and research positions in higher education in the areas of physical education
pedagogy and/or motor development and learning. It is one of the few programs nationally that prepares doctoral
level specialists in physical education pedagogy. There is a lack of ethnic and racial diversity in the
program. Because of its narrow focus,
the department is encouraged to strengthen its contact with former students and
graduates in order to obtain feedback on how it might be improved. Although this is a small program, it is
unique and appears to be meeting a narrow needs since its graduates have been
actively sought. Productivity data
indicate 7.9 majors, 1.4 degrees awarded, and 421.8 service hours which meet
the productivity standards. It is recommended that the program be continued
with full approval.
Doctor of Philosophy in Secondary Education: The degree and program were designed for
those individuals who desire to pursue a career in research and/or teaching at institutions of higher education,
research institutes, or state or national agencies. Faculty carry a heavy load as they are also involved in other
programs and degrees. Collectively,
faculty scholarly productivity is low, especially for a research university.
This program shares professors and courses with students enrolled in the Ed.D.
program in Curriculum and Instruction which results in problems in determining
faculty load and student
enrollment. The program appears to be a
low cost program with heavy faculty loads, low financial support, and a large
student enrollment in courses in other programs in this area of
specialization. Additional faculty
should be added to support this program.
Ethnic and racial diversity is not represented and also needs to be
addressed. The operating budget for the
department the program is housed in is below the typical support provided for
units with similar missions in research universities. In terms of productivity, there have been 3.5 majors, 0.2 degrees
awarded and 138.6 service hours. The
program only meets productivity standards through service enrollment and should
be monitored carefully. The program is
recommended for continuation with full approval.
Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education: The degree is a new program which was just
initiated in 1995. No degrees had been
awarded at the time of the visit. It
was designed to prepare leaders in special education programs for schools, for
institutions of higher education, and for other appropriate special education
leadership positions in South Carolina or the Southeast. There has not as yet been time for the
program to establish a track record so any rating would be premature. However, the program would benefit from
additional monies for support of doctoral students and the faculty and
administration of the program.
Productivity data indicate 3.5 majors, 0.2 degrees awarded and 138.6
service hours. The program only meets
the productivity standards due to service hours.
The Commission consultant applied the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education’s Program Productivity Standards to all teacher
education programs at the University of South Carolina-Columbia. As a result, several programs were
identified as not meeting the Program Productivity Standards in terms of data
on either the number of degrees awarded or the number of majors. Those which were low on two of the three
criteria were:
M.A.T./I.M.A.
Geography: One degree awarded in
the last five years;
average of 1.5 majors with no service
hours reported.
M.A.T./I.M.A. German: An average of six degrees awarded, 4.8
majors and 26.3 service hours reported.
M.A.T./I.M.A. Earth Sciences: Eleven degrees awarded in the last five-
years, average enrollments of 4.6 per year, and no service hours reported.
M.A.T./I.M.A. Physics: An average of 4.2 degrees awarded, 7.5
majors, and 39.2 service hours were reported.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS
FOR THE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA-COLUMBIA
1) The
University of South Carolina-Columbia was granted continuing accreditation by
NCATE at both the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels in April,
1997. The College of Education as the
teacher education unit is fully accredited by NCATE.
2) The
twenty-three programs reviewed by the Commission on Higher Education consultant
that were not part of the NCATE curriculum folio review process follow with a
recommendation.
i)
Master
of Arts and Master of Education Degree in Community and Occupational Programs
in Education (COPE). The Master
of Arts degree has been dormant the past few years and it is recommended that
the degree be terminated or subsumed under a generic degree title. It is recommended that the Master of
Education Degree be continued with full approval.
ii) Master
of Arts in Educational Administration:
The program is recommended for continuation with full approval with
suggestions to explore distance education to improve accessibility to the
program and to infuse the use of technology into the curriculum.
iii) Master
of Education in Educational Administration: The program is recommended for continuation with full approval
with suggestions to explore distance education and to infuse appropriate
knowledge and experience components to ensure students are technologically
literate and competent.
iv) Master
of Education /Master of Arts in Educational Research. The Master of Education degree program is
recommended for continuation with full approval. However, it is recommended that the Master of Arts degree be terminated
or subsumed under a generic degree due to low enrollment. There is little
differentiation between it and the M.Ed. degree.
v) Master
of Education in Instructional Technology.
The program is recommended to be placed on probationary status
because of not meeting Commission Productivity Standards. The program is
relevant and needed to serve educators in the area.
vi) Master
of Education & Master of Arts in Secondary Education: The program is recommended for continuation
with full approval. The unit should
explore offering a generic degree for this area of specialization, especially
in regard to the Master of Arts Degree.
The core courses need to be expanded to cover ethnology, multicultural
education, assessment topics, and the use of inquiry. The program needs the support of additional faculty and current
faculty must increase their scholarly productivity.
vii) Master
of Education and Master of Arts in Student Personnel Service: The Master of Arts program has been
essentially dormant for the past several years and it is recommended that it be
terminated or subsumed as part of a generic degree. The Master of Education Degree is
recommended for continuation with a commendation of excellence.
viii) Educational
Specialist in Educational Administration:
The program is recommended for continuation with full approval with a
suggestion that it be considered for delivery by distance education to expand
accessibility. It is also recommended
that attention be given to providing more courses that incorporate skills and
competency in computer and technology usage.
ix) Educational
Specialist in Teaching: It is
recommended that the program be continued with full approval.
x) Educational
Doctorate in Curriculum & Instruction:
The program is recommended for continuation with full approval. Attention needs to be given to the lack of
financial support for internships and
an oversupply of applicants for the number of slots available.
xi) Educational
Doctorate in Health Education Administration: The program is recommended for continuation with full
approval. The program needs to explore
options to increase office space and facilities for student research. It meets the Commission’s productivity
standards.
xii) Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education: It is recommended that the program be
continued with full
xiii) Ph.D.
in Educational Administration: The
program is recommended for continuation with full approval. The unit should explore ways to increase the
number of doctoral students who can enroll in the program on a full-time
basis. The program meets the
Commission’s productivity standards.
xiv) Ph.D. in
Educational Research: The program
is recommended for continuation with full approval. Faculty in this area offer
a large number of service courses required as core research tools in other
programs. The unit should analyze the
situation to determine if additional faculty should be hired to support the
program. It meets the Commission’s productivity
standards and appears to be serving a need.
xv) Ph.D. in
Elementary Education: The program
is recommended for continuation with full approval as it is meeting needs of
educators in the State and it meets the Commission’s productivity
standards. However, the unit should
examine faculty loads, financial support, and ways to enhance faculty research.
xvi) Ph.D. in
Foundations of Education. The
program is recommended for continuation with full approval. It meets the Commission’s productivity
standards. The unit should analyze
faculty support for the program and devise a plan to increase ethnic and racial
diversity of the faculty.
xvii) Ph.D.
in Physical Education: The program
is recommended for continuation with full approval. Although it is a small program, it appears to meet a unique need
and graduates are actively sought nationally. The unit should devise a plan to
increase ethnic and racial diversity of the program. A survey of former students should be undertaken to obtain
feedback for program improvement.
xviii) Ph.D. in
Secondary Education: The program is
recommended for continuation with full approval. It is a low cost program as it shares faculty and courses with
other degree programs, especially the Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. The unit should analyze faculty support for
the program and devise a plan to increase ethnic and racial diversity of the
faculty. The program meets the
Commission’s productivity standards.
xix) Ph.D. in
Special Education: The program is recommended
for continuation with full approval.
However, productivity in the program is very low and needs to be
monitored. There is a need for the
program in South Carolina to prepare individuals for leadership in special
education. The unit is encouraged to
enhance financial support to the program for doctoral students and faculty and
administration support.
3) The
Commission’s consultant also identified several overall weaknesses. Following are recommendations for those
weaknesses.
i)
It
is recommended that the College of Education increase its incentives and
strategies to increase technology applications and make more consistent and
constant use of computers and other technologies by all faculty/staff in all
instructional programs.
ii) It
is recommended that attention continue to be directed toward faculty
productivity across the unit. Renewed
efforts should be mounted and incentives be employed to motivate and develop
interest and capability of all faculty toward increased scholarly activities,
especially research and publication.
iii) It
is recommended that the faculty and administration of the College of Education
develop more detailed guidelines for faculty work assignments specific to the
College of Education and these be employed to balance work loads across all
programs and faculty.
iv) It is
recommended that an analysis of the internal allocation system be carried out
to insure that all departments and programs within the College are receiving
fair, justified, and an adequate share of the College operating budget.
v) It
is recommended that the unit make optimum efforts to secure, within the
institution , a fair, justified and adequate level of support for all programs
in light of new and added educational reform activities.
vi) It is
also recommended that an internal study in the College of Education be conducted to study the comparative levels
of faculty members to see if average and individual salaries are fair,
justified, and appropriate in each case.
vii) It is
recommended that the College of Education undertake an analysis of the plethora
of degrees and programs offered in the College and see if they are justified
and if the development of generic degrees subsuming a number of programs under
the generic degree is feasible, especially in light of low productivity of
several programs.
viii) It is
recommended that the University of South Carolina-Columbia take the lead
nationally in creating true differentiation between the Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees
in education. This could be done by
creating obvious contrasts in terms of underlying philosophies, purposes,
program requirements, and the way in which research is inculcated to doctoral
students pursuing each degree.
ix) It is
recommended that the College of Education conduct a study of Master degree
programs in light of low enrollments and degrees awarded and examine the
establishment of generic degrees subsuming a number of degrees into the one
generic degree. In order to streamline
and compress the array of Master’s degrees offered, it is suggested that the
College of Education collapse several of the M.A.T., M.Ed., and I.M.A. degrees
into more generic degree programs with “areas of concentration” or “options” in
the various content areas. For example,
Social Studies, Fine Arts, or Natural Sciences. This would reduce paperwork, low program enrollments,
proliferation of degree programs, and enhance accountability.
x) It
is recommended that adequate travel support be provided to attend and
participate in national and regional professional meetings, conferences, and professional
development activities.
xi) It is
recommended that more support be provided for graduate students in internships
and more teaching/research assistantships.
Office space and facilities for student research also need to be
provided.
xii) It is
recommended that attention be directed to providing more skills and competency
in computer and technology usage and that technology be infused into course
work and experiences designed to make all students technologically literate and
competent.
xiii) It is
recommended that the use of distance education be explored as a means to
provide accessibility to courses, programs and degrees for students.
4) As
a result of programs not meeting the South Carolina Commission on Higher
Education Program Productivity Standards the following recommendations apply:
i)
M.A.T./I.M.A.
Geography: It is recommended this
program be continued on probationary status.
ii) M.A.T./I.M.A.
German. It is recommended that the
program be continued on probationary status.
iii) M.A.T./I.M.A.
Earth Sciences: It is recommended
that the program be continued on probationary status.
iv) M.A.T./I.M.A.
Physics: It is recommended that the
program be continued on a probationary status.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA-AIKEN
Program Degree
Concentration Recommendation
Elementary Education B.A.Ed. Approval
Elementary Education M.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. B.A.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. B.A.Ed. USC-Beaufort Approval
Secondary Education B.S.Ed. Biology Approval
Comprehensive
Science Approval
Chemistry Approval
Mathematics Approval
B.A.Ed. English Approval
Comprehensive
Social St. Approval
An Initial Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE
Board of Examiners team on February 7-10, 1999, at the University of South
Carolina-Aiken. The UAB reported that
all of the standards were met and identified four weaknesses.
Four weaknesses were identified as follows: (1) (Initial) the conceptual
framework
is not clearly articulated by USC-Aiken at the
USC-Beaufort campus adjunct faculty, cooperating teachers, and students. (Advanced)
the conceptual framework is not clearly delineated throughout the M.Ed.
program; (2) the unit does not assure that part-time faculty are
knowledgeable about current practice related to the use of computers and
technology as they are integrated into teaching-learning; (3) the unit
does not have sufficient full-time, tenure-track faculty to support the
integrity, quality, and continuity of the programs; and (4) the unit
does not have sufficient full-time clerical staff to support the programs
offered.
At its October 1999 meeting, the NCATE Unit Accreditation
Boar, after reviewing the material and reports, rendered a decision to accredit
the School of Education at the University of South Carolina-Aiken at the
initial teacher preparation and advanced level.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners team and participated fully in the
decision making process. The consultant
was also responsible for reviewing the one program (Master of Education in
Elementary Education degree-M.Ed. )that was not part of the NCATE curriculum
folio review process. The Master of
Education in Elementary Education is a relatively new degree under the control
of the Aiken campus beginning in 1997.
Prior to this, it was under the control of USC-Columbia.
As a result, there was limited longitudinal data from
students and employers. To date, a high
degree of satisfaction is expressed by students and professionals in the area
regarding the quality of the program.
The program has limited financial and personnel resources. In terms of productivity, the program has
averaged 2.0 degrees, an average of 8.9 majors which meets the Commission
Program Productivity Standards criteria for these two areas. The program fell below the service hours
standard as an average of 9.3 service hours were generated.
Four concerns/weaknesses were identified for the Master of
Education in Elementary Education degree programs as follows:
The consultant also identified three other
weaknesses/concerns with the total operation of the School of Education at the
University of South Carolina-Aiken.
2. There is an over-reliance on part-time and adjunct faculty to deliver programs. While there are many qualified part-time/adjunct faculty available, there is a crucial need for a “critical mass” of full-time tenure-track and tenured professors to provide the leadership necessary to developmentally examine and revise programs, advise students, serve on school and university committees, and reach out to schools in the area.
The Commission consultant was also charged with the
responsibility of applying the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s
Program Productivity Standards to all teacher education programs at the
University of South Carolina-Aiken.
All programs in teacher education at the University of South
Carolina-Aiken meet the Commission on Higher Education Program Productivity
Standards as they meet the requirement that at least one of the three areas
must be me.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS
FOR THE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH
CAROLINA-AIKEN
1) The
University of South Carolina-Aiken was granted accreditation by NCATE at both
the initial teacher preparation and advanced level programs in October,
1999. All programs are therefore
approved and should be continued with full approval.
2) The
weaknesses identified in the UAB report must be dealt with by the School of
Education and progress submitted in their annual report to NCATE. It is recommended that the School move as
quickly as possible to remedy the weaknesses that were identified.
3) The
one program reviewed by the Commission’s consultant since it was not part of
the NCATE curriculum folio review process (Master of Education in Elementary
Education Degree) met the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards and it is
recommended for approval and continuation with full approval with the following
recommendations to correct the four weaknesses identified:
i)
It
is recommended that the School review the program and fully integrate the
conceptual model in all aspects of the program. The curriculum and courses should be a result of the review which
may mean revision of current courses or the development of new courses.
ii) It
is recommended that the faculty involved in graduate education look upon the
Master of Education in Elementary Education degree as a total program, not just
a collection of courses. To do this,
planning must be done to involve the students (mostly part-time) in different
experiences outside the traditional classroom. Special projects/activities, or collaborative research with
faculty members, and membership and attendance at professional organization
meetings are some examples.
iii) It
is recommended that a plan to recruit more diversity in both faculty and
students be developed and implemented.
The plan should include strategies to enroll more male students.
iv) It is
recommended that an internal study be undertaken to look at faculty loads
taking into account not only teaching assignments, but also all of the things
faculty are involved in such as advising and committee work. As part of the study, a plan should be
developed and implemented for each faculty member to develop an annual
professional development plan that will increase the faculty member’s
scholarship and scholarly activities, especially in the area of research. The plans should also be used in the annual
faculty evaluation process. Support
for professional development by the administration in terms of additional
financial resources is essential to the success of professional development and
increased scholarly productivity.
4) Recommendations
for the other concerns/weaknesses identified by the Commission’s consultant are
as follows:
i)
The
School of Education must take steps to ensure that the conceptual model be
consistently reflected in the Early Childhood Education program offered at the
USC-Beaufort campus.
ii) It
is recommended that additional financial and human resources be allocated to
the School of Education and especially for the Master of Education in Elementary
Education degree program. A proposal
identifying the need to reduce the number of part-time/adjunct faculty needs to
be submitted for funding by the Administration. There is an immediate need for a full-time tenure-track professor
with expertise in social studies and the Coordinator of the program needs
clerical assistance.
5) All
programs in teacher education at the University of South Carolina-Aiken meet
the requirements of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Program Productivity
Standards and should be continue with full approval.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH
CAROLINA-SPARTANBURG
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Elementary Education B.A.Ed. Approval
Elementary Education M.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. B.A.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood Ed. M.Ed. Approval
Secondary Education B.S.Ed. Biology Approval
Chemistry Approval
Political
Science Approval
Mathematics Approval
B.A.Ed. Mathematics Approval
Political
Science Approval
History Approval
English Approval
French Approval
Spanish Approval
Physical Education B.S.Ed. Approval
An Initial Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE Board
of Examiners team on February 28-March 4, 1998 for the University of South
Carolina-Spartanburg. The UAB
reported that Standard II.B (Composition of Candidates) was not met at the
advanced level, and that Standard III.B (Composition of Faculty) was not met at
either the initial or advanced levels.
Eleven weaknesses were identified as follows: (1)
the conceptual framework is not understood by members of the larger
professional community including cooperating teachers; (2) required
course work and experiences in physical education do not adequately reflect the
philosophy of the education unit nor the elements of the conceptual framework; (3)
at the initial and advanced levels, there is no explicit plan at the unit level
to recruit, admit, or retain a diverse student body; (4) there is no explicit unit plan for recruiting, hiring,
and retaining a diverse faculty.
At its October 1998, meeting, the NCATE Unit Accreditation
Board, after reviewing the materials and reports, rendered a decision to
accredit the School of Education at the University of South
Carolina-Spartanburg at the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission of Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners and participated fully in the
decision-making process. The consultant
was also responsible for reviewing the one program (Master of Education in
Elementary Education Degree) that was not part of the NCATE curriculum folio
process. The program is relatively new
with a three-year history which results in little longitudinal data. The program has produced an average of 5.5
degrees awarded, had an average of 3.6 majors, and generated an average of 13.9
service hours during the time the program has been in existence. The program meets or exceeds the Commission
Program Productivity Standards in the average number of degrees awarded and
service hours. However, it falls just
below the standard of 6.0 majors.
Six weaknesses were identified by the consultant in the
Master of Education in Elementary Education degree that need attention as
follows:
1. There is unevenness in the scholarly productivity of the faculty and much of the work is localized. New faculty have not had time to establish a professional development plan and do not have a seasoned mentor.
The consultant also identified weaknesses/concerns with the
total operation of the School of Education at USC-Spartanburg as follows:
The Commission consultant was also charged with the
responsibility of applying the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education’s
Program Productivity Standards to all teacher education programs at the
University of South Carolina-Spartanburg.
All programs at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg in teacher
education except for the M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education meet the
Commission’s Program Productivity Standards.
The M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education degree program is placed on
probation for not meeting the standards.
RECOMMENDATIONS/FINDINGS
FOR THE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA-SPARTANBURG
1) The
University of South Carolina-Spartanburg was granted accreditation by NCATE at
both the initial teacher preparation and advanced level in October, 1998. All
programs should be continued with full approval.
2) Standard
II.B (Composition of Candidates), and Standard III.B (Composition of Faculty)
which were not met, must be dealt with by the School of Education and progress
towards meeting these standards and addressing the weakness must be submitted
in their annual report to NCATE. It
is recommended that the School of Education move as quickly as possible to
remedy the standards not met and the weaknesses identified.
3) The
one program reviewed by the Commission consultant since it was not part of the
NCATE curriculum folio review process (Master of Education in Elementary
Education Degree) met the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards. It is recommended for continuation with full
approval with the following recommendations to correct the six weaknesses
identified:
i)
It
is recommended that an internal review
be made of faculty scholarship and scholarly activities establishing
expectations and guidelines for faculty.
All faculty need to be engaged in scholarly activities and new faculty
need to be given assistance and support to develop such activities.
ii) It
is recommended that a Professional Development Plan be required for each
faculty member to develop their scholarly productivity in their area of
expertise. The plan should be
individualized to meet the needs of the faculty member as well as the unit. The plan will be beneficial in conducting
the annual evaluation of faculty.
iii) It
is recommended that a mentor program be developed for new faculty and that this
program be put into a written unit plan.
Each new faculty member would be assigned to a seasoned tenured faculty
member who would help the new faculty member with their professional
development plan.
iv) It is
recommended that a plan be developed and implemented to recruit, admit, retain,
and graduate students, particularly students of diversity. The plan should also include strategies to
recruit and retain more males.
v) It
is recommended that the M.Ed. in Elementary Education be critically examined by
the faculty to ensure that it becomes a
total program and not just a collection
of courses. To do this, planning must
be done to involve the students (mostly part-time) in different experiences
outside the traditional classroom.
Special projects/activities, or collaborative research with faculty
members, and membership and participation in professional organizations are
some examples.
vi) It is
recommended that guidelines for use of portfolios and reflective journals be
developed with student and faculty input.
The faculty should also determine the use of portfolios and reflective
journals to avoid duplication. It is
also recommended that the portfolio be used by each individual student
throughout his/her program and that it be presented to the faculty prior to
graduation for performance assessment purposes.
vii) It is
recommended that a greater emphasis be placed on student research including
students actually applying knowledge gained in research courses by designing,
conducting, and reporting on action research project related to their P-12
classroom.
4) The Commission’s consultant also identified several weaknesses. Following are recommendations for those weaknesses.
i) The unit should develop an internal review of programs and a faculty development seminar to ensure alignment of courses with the framework. Seminars and workshops on the conceptual framework for P-12 educators and others would help in educating other about the framework and education programs.
ii) Resources and planning for faculty development need to be implemented to engage faculty in scholarly activity. A mentoring program for new faculty also should be developed.
iii) Faculty need to review course syllabi and seek suggestions from colleagues from other institutions to update texts, publications, and professional journals used in course syllabi.
iv) The unit needs to develop criteria that ensure that students who come with a degree from another institution complete the approved USC-Spartanburg program with all required courses and experiences.
v) Faculty in the unit need to examine the Master of Education degree programs to ensure that they become total graduate programs. In particular, faculty need to see themselves as mentors for graduate students and non-credit experiences need to be developed to challenge students to help them grow professionally.
vi) The difference between faculty and graduate faculty need to be reviewed, specifically defined, and made available to all faculty.
vii) The unit needs to move away from the use of adjunct faculty teaching graduate level courses and move towards full-time faculty teaching these courses.
viii) A
recruitment plan needs to be developed and implemented for the graduate degree
programs to increase number of students and diversity.
ix)
The
portfolio and reflective journal process needs to be continually evaluated and
fine tuned to be sure it is providing the necessary information to make
professional judgments about how students have met the conceptual
framework/program objectives.
x) Students in the Master of Education degree programs need to plan, conduct, and report on a research project in their classrooms.
5) It is recommended that all programs in teacher education at the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg continued with full approval as they meet the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards.
WINTHROP UNIVERSITY
Program Degree Concentration Recommendation
Curriculum & Inst. Ed.S. Elementary Termination*
Secondary Termination*
Special
Education Termination*
Education Adm. & Sup. M.Ed. Approval
Education Adm. Ed.S. Termination*
Educational Media M.Ed. Termination*
Special Education B.S. Mild Disabilities Approval
Severe
Disabilities Approval
Special Education M.Ed. Approval
Counseling & Dev. M.Ed. Community Approval
School Approval
Elementary Education B.S. Approval
Elementary Education M.Ed. Approval
Early Childhood B.S Approval
Secondary Education M.Ed. Art Approval
English Approval
History Approval
Mathematics Approval
Social
Studies Approval
Biology Approval
Family
& Cons.Sci. Approval
French Approval
Spanish Approval
Secondary Education M.A.T. Art Approval
Biology Approval
English Approval
French Approval
Family
& Cons. Sci. Approval
Mathematics Approval
Music Approval
Physical
Education Approval
Social
Studies Approval
Spanish Approval
Art Education M.A. Applied Studio Approval
Business Education B.S. Approval
Business Education M.S. Termination*
Business Education M.A.T. Approval
Family & Cons. Science B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Family & Cons. Science M.S. Termination
Choral Music B.M.E. Approval
Music Education M.M.E. Approval
Instrumental Music B.M.E. Approval
Physical Education B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Physical Education M.S. Approval
Reading M.Ed. Approval
Modern Languages B.A. French Teacher Ed. Approval
Spanish
Teacher Ed. Approval
English B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Biology B.S. Teacher Education Approval
Biology B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Chemistry B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Mathematics B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Mathematics B.S. Teacher Education Approval
School Psychology M.S. Approval
School Psychology S.S.P. Approval
History B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Political Science B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Sociology B.A. Teacher Education Termination
Theater B.A. Teacher Education Approval
Art B.A. Teacher Education Approval
* The unit
recommended termination and the Commission consultant concurred.
A Continuing Accreditation visit was conducted by an NCATE
Board of Examiners team on November 1-5, 1997, for the teacher education unit
at Winthrop University. The UAB
reported one weakness from the previous visit still existed and added two new
weaknesses. These are as follows:
Weakness Continued from the Previous Visit:
New Weaknesses Identified:
At its March 1998 meeting, the NCATE Unit Accreditation
Board, after reviewing materials and reports, rendered a decision to approve
continuation of the accreditation of the College of Education at the initial
teacher preparation and advanced levels.
The consultant for the Commission on Higher Education
served as a member of the Board of Examiners team and participated fully in the
decision-making process. The
consultant was also responsible for reviewing the five programs that were not
part of the NCATE curriculum folio review process. The five programs reviewed are as follows:
Educational Specialist in Curriculum and
Instruction: (Elementary Education,
Secondary Education, and Special Education):
The consultant agrees with the unit’s decision to discontinue this
degree. It continues to have low
enrollments and graduation rates, a lack of faculty
resources, and a lack of regularly scheduled advanced
course offerings. It is recommended
that the Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction be terminated.
Master of Education in Elementary Education: It is recommended that the program be
continued with full approval. It is
serving a need in the area served by Winthrop University and it meets the
Commission’s Program Productivity Standards for average number of degrees
awarded and average number of majors.
Although the program has written goals in terms of student outcomes,
there is limited diversity in terms of exit criteria and the means of ensuring
the graduate’s mastery of knowledge other than the completion of the prescribed
set of courses. Faculty who support
this program also have other responsibilities that include teaching and
advising in other graduate programs. The responsibilities cause faculty to not
always be available for advisement and instruction. Attention to the assignment of faculty will strengthen the
program.
Master of Education in Secondary Education:
(English, History, Math, Social
Studies, Biology, Family & Consumer Sciences, French, and Spanish): It is recommended that the program be
continued with full approval as it is meeting the need of licensed secondary
teachers to obtain advanced knowledge and skills in discipline work. This program is well coordinated. The discipline faculty work well with the
education faculty to ensure that students receive the appropriate advisement
throughout their programs. The program
meets the Commission’s Program Productivity Standards in all three areas.
The Commission consultant identified six additional
weaknesses that need to be addressed.
They are as follows:
3. There is an uneven application of preparation that significantly expands the understanding of the needs of diverse populations, particularly on issues related to race, gender and exceptionalities.
The Commission consultant was also charged with the
responsibility of applying the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education
Productivity Standards to all teacher education programs in the College of
Education at Winthrop University. All
of the programs in teacher education meet the Commission’s Program Productivity
Standards as they meet at least one of the criteria (degrees awarded, majors,
or service hours provided). However,
fourteen programs were low on two of the criteria as listed below and these
should be monitored. A plan should be
developed to increase and maintain enrollments in these programs.
Art Education M.A.: An average of 0.2 degrees, 1.3 majors, and 5.7 service hours were
reported.
Family and Consumer Sciences B.S.: An average of 1.6 degrees, 7.0 majors, and
18.2 service hours were reported.
Choral Music B.M.E.: An average of 4.5 degrees, 42.8 majors, with no service hours
reported.
Music Education M.M.E.: An average of 4.8 majors, 4.5 degrees awarded, with no service
hours reported.
Physical Education M.S.: An average of 3.9 majors, 4.4 degrees awarded, with 6.1 service
hours.
English B.A.:
An average of 2.6 degrees awarded, 4.0 majors, with no service hours
reported.
Chemistry B.S.:
An average of 0.4 degrees awarded, 2.7 major, with no service hours
reported.
Biology B.S.:
An average of 1.4 degrees awarded, 13.4 majors and no service hours
reported.
History B.A.:
An average of 2.0 degrees awarded, 32.3 majors, with no service hours
reported.
Political Science B..: An average of 0.4 degrees awarded, 5.1 majors, with no service
hours reported.
Sociology B.A.:
An average of 0.2 degrees awarded, 3.6 majors, with no service hours
reported.
Theater B..:
An average of 0.2 degrees awarded, 0.8 majors, with no service hours
reported.
Art B.A.:
An average of 1.6 degrees awarded, 18.5 majors, and no service hours
reported.
1) Winthrop University was granted continuing accreditation by NCATE at both the initial teacher preparation and advanced levels in March, 1998. The College of Education as the teacher education unit is approved. Programs should be continued with full approval.
2) The
four weaknesses identified in the UAB report must be dealt with by the College
of Education and progress on their removal will be submitted in their annual
report to NCATE. It is recommended that
the College of Education move quickly to remedy the weaknesses identified.
3) Five
programs were reviewed by the Commission’s consultant since they were not part
of the NCATE folio review process. One
of the programs (Educational Specialist in Curriculum and Instruction) was
reported by the unit as being terminated.
It is recommended that the unit’s decision be supported and the degree
be terminated.
4) The
four remaining programs reviewed by the Commission consultant are recommended for
approval and continuation (Master of Education in Elementary Education; Master
of Education in Secondary Education;
Master of Science in Business Education; and Master of Science in Family
and Consumer Sciences). However, some
programs were identified with weaknesses and the following recommendations are
made to help improve them.
i)
Master
of Education in Elementary Education:
It is recommended that an internal review be made as to how faculty are
assigned to serve the program with priority being given to services and
instruction for the Master of Education in Elementary Degree
program. Faculty currently are assigned
to multiple responsibilities which split their time and attention. Busy adult students want to know they can
count on reaching program faculty whenever they have programmatic concerns.
ii) It
is recommended that the unit establish a process of establishing and clarifying
statements governing faculty scholarly activity including involvement of
faculty in the procedure. Expectations
and guidelines should be developed and shared with all faculty. Individual professional development plans
should be made part of each faculty member’s responsibilities. Sufficient resources and other support to
achieve and maintain the minimum expectations that are developed must be
provided. Annual evaluation of faculty
should include the professional development plan and demonstration by faculty
of how they are meeting expectations.
iii) The unit must determine if it is offering more than 50 percent of programs at off-site locations. If it is, then it must take steps to have such programs approved by the Commission as well as have them included in the SCCHE Inventory of Degree Programs.
iv) The unit should continue to examine and revise the advanced coursework and requirements to ensure that all objectives in the graduate conceptual framework have been addressed.
5) All
programs in teacher education at Winthrop University meet the South Carolina
Commission on Higher Education Productivity Standards on at least one of the
criteria as required. However,
thirteen programs did not meet two of the criteria and should be closely
monitored in the future. A plan must be
developed to recruit and maintain students in these programs or consideration
be given to terminate.
Recommendations for Future
Programs
Obviously, there will be new requests for teacher
education programs in the future. Some
are probably already underway in the minds of faculty at the various
institutions. Before any new program
should be implemented there are some steps that will be helpful in making a
decision. They are as follows:
·
a comprehensive needs assessment should be conducted
including issues
of duplication of existing programs.
·
a fiscal impact study should be undertaken including
the potential
for generating income, and also the necessary human and
financial
resources that will be needed to ensure a high quality
program.
·
the role of technology should be thoroughly investigated.
·
the use of distance education to deliver the program
should be explored.
·
implementing a pilot program for a period of time
establishing
evaluation criteria in advance to be utilized in reviewing
the program.
Too often, new programs are
implemented without the necessary resources, both human and financial, to
support a quality program. Almost
without exception, the faculty on each of the eleven campuses are already
carrying heavy loads, adding additional programs without additional faculty
would not be beneficial.
In the opinion of the consultants there are some program areas that need to be explored. They are specific programs to serve urban and rural settings, middle schools, special education, and technology. There is especially a need to help teachers incorporate technology (not just computers) into the teaching-learning process in their classrooms. For example, computer- assisted instruction in the classroom is on the verge of changing the way students learn. Teachers need help in learning how to utilize technology to create new learning activities for their students.