FOR
TEAM MEMBERS
PROGRAM APPROVAL VISIT
OFEDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS
Iowa Department of Education
Revised December, 2010
Kris Crabtree-Groff, Ed.D.Education Consultant -Teacher Preparation
Iowa Department of Education
Bureau of Accreditation and School Improvement
400 East 14th Street
Grimes Building - 3rd Floor
Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: 515-725-0101
Cell: 515-281-3427
Fax: 515-281-7700
Email:
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome / 3Flow Chart of Approval Process / 4
General Information for Team Members / 5
Team Member Responsibilities / 7
General Schedule for the Visit / 10
Team Member Report Forms / 11
Preliminary Review of Standards / 16
· Chapter II: Governance and Resources Standard / 16
· Chapter III: Diversity Standard / 18
· Chapter IV: Faculty Standard / 19
· Chapter V: Unit and Candidate Assessment Standard / 19
· Chapter VI: Clinical Standard / 21
· Chapter VII: Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions (Curriculum) Standard / 22
Rubric for Unit Planning and Evaluation / 26
Rubric for Practitioner Candidate Assessment / 29
Sources of Information / 30
Documents / 31
Team Facilitator Responsibilities / 32
Chapter 79 of the Iowa Administrative Code
Standards for Practitioner and Administrator Preparation Programs / 33
Dear Team Member:
Welcome to this Department of Education educator program evaluation team. Thank you for volunteering and spending your valuable time in serving as a team member. You have been selected because of your knowledge in the field of education and the expertise you bring to the continuous improvement process.
Serving as a team member carries a long-term obligation. There are multiple phases to the program approval process and you will be involved in three of the four. You will be assigned a specific Standard from Chapter 79 as your area of focus. The State Panel and the site visit team meet for a preliminary review of the program’s report. This combined group provides initial feedback for the program to prepare for the site visit. At the site visit team members will gather evidence and write the evaluation of the assigned sections for a draft report. The drafting process is ongoing until the program goes to the State Board of Education for approval.
Our role is to both assess the program according to Chapter 79 and to suggest areas of improvement. As colleagues, the visiting team provides technical assistance if necessary and guides the program toward alignment between goals and actions, mission and outcomes. As a side benefit, you will be networking and sharing with other educators. Team members often leave a site visit ready to share ideas with their home programs.
Included in this packet are materials to support your work as part of the educator preparation program approval process. I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Kris Crabtree-Groff, Ed.D.
Education Consultant
Teacher Preparation
GENERAL INFORMATION FOR TEAM MEMBERS
A. Background Information
Programs of practitioner preparation leading to licensure in Iowa are subject to approval by the Iowa State Board of Education as provided in Chapter 256 and 272 of the Iowa Code.
All colleges and universities engaged in the preparation of educational personnel and which are seeking approval of their programs shall meet the standards outlined in the Iowa Administrative Code; Chapter 79, Standards for Practitioner Preparation Programs.
Each institution seeking approval or re-approval of its practitioner education program is to file evidence of the extent to which it meets the standards contained in Chapter 79 by means of a self-evaluation, the Institutional Report (IR). This is the document that is prepared by the institution and serves as the basic document for team members.
Upon application for approval of its practitioner preparation program, Chapter 79 calls for a preliminary review followed by a team to visit the institution for the purpose of evaluation of programs.
The Director of Education gives recommendation to the State Board based on the factual and evaluative evidence on record about each program in terms of the standards contained in Chapter 79.
After the State Board has approved the specific programs filed by an institution, students who complete such programs and are recommended by an authorized official of that institution will be issued the appropriate license with the proper endorsement(s).
B. Expenses
Travel, food and lodging expenses for team members are reimbursed by the institution in accordance with state regulations. Receipts are required for reimbursement of expenses. A record of mileage for travel to and from the institution will be needed. To claim reimbursement, each team member will be required to complete the appropriate expense form(s) furnished by the institution at the close of the visit. DE personnel will be reimbursed for expenses by the Department at the current rates.
C. Previous Service On Accrediting Teams
Some team members may have previously served on NCATE, NCA, or other accreditation teams. Although this may have been a valuable experience it must be remembered that those visits may have served a different purpose. You may find that the function and purpose of serving as a team member on a state evaluation visit may be quite different.
D. Specific Purpose Of The Visit
The institution being visited has expressed the desire to have an approved practitioner preparation program, and therefore, is going through the process of achieving that purpose.
One step in that process is the preparation of an institutional report (IR). Sometime ago, the institution was sent an IR Template and technical assistance manual which were to be used in developing the IR and preparing for the team evaluation visit. The IR serves as the basic document that will be used by the team members.
The IR along with the final report prepared as a result of the team visit, will be placed in the institution's file housed in the Department of Education, and will be the official practitioner preparation program of that institution.
E. Visiting Team Membership
The membership and size of the visiting team will be determined by the institution's enrollment and scope of its practitioner preparation programs. Typically, however, membership includes classroom teachers, administrators, college or university personnel, and Department of Education personnel.
TEAM MEMBERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
A. General Comments
As a member of the team, you are expected to spend the entire length of time on the visit. Please "clear your calendar," so that you will be able to arrive on time and leave only after your job is done and the visit is over. The entire team may be inconvenienced if you arrive late or leave early. The team chair will notify you of exact times and dates for the visit.
Team members who have associations with the institution other than those related to the purposes of the team visit are not to pursue such associations during the team visit.
Individual preferences, judgments, comparisons, or advice are not to be communicated by team members to institutional personnel or to any other persons interviewed during the visit.
Team members are information gatherers, fact finders, and evaluators. Make sure that information is collected and reported accurately and completely.
B. State Review Panel
The State Review Panel consists of experienced site team members and is chaired by the Administrative Consultant in Practitioner Preparation at the Iowa Department of Education (DE). Panel members attend each preliminary review and collaborate with the site visit team in the initial review of the Institutional Report (IR). Each Review Panel member also participates in a minimum of one site visit during the school year. The intent of the system is to provide consistency in reviews and to provide the best possible review for each institution.
C. Responsibilities Before The Visit
First, team members should read and study all the Standards in order to gain a general knowledge of what is expected from the institution.
Second, team members should read the entire IR in order to get an overall picture of the institution. A preliminary review is conducted by the team prior to the site visit. At that time the Review Team will collaborate with the State Review Panel to give initial feedback to the program under review, including issues to be clarified, questions to be addressed, and additional materials for review during the site visit.
Third, team members should study in-depth their assigned portion(s) of the IR and applicable standards. The copy of the IR sent to you is yours, and you may "mark it up" as you desire. You may want to list items you want to verify, make marginal notes, highlight areas, list questions, etc.
Any questions or information needed before the visit should be directed to the team chair. You should never directly contact the institution.
D. Responsibilities During the Preliminary Review
The preliminary review is scheduled before the actual site visit. The preliminary review procedure is as follows:
1. The team chair will assign each panel member and team member a section of the IR. The standard area to which you are assigned will be the standard area that you will review on the visit.
2. After introductions, panel members and team members will work together in standards work groups (about 45 minutes) to talk about their particular standard, compare notes, and prepare to lead the discussion on that standard. You are welcome to bring a laptop; some individuals found it to bring their notes on a laptop, giving them a base from which to work. (This is NOT required, but is encouraged. It does speed up the process.)
3. The entire group will review each standard area, led by that standard work group. Once the work group has presented its findings, others may add to that section of the report.
4. Remember that this is a preliminary review. We don’t need to address the all details that we will address during the site visit. As you make notes, you will want to address:
a. Comments (include strengths please)
b. Questions/Concerns
c. Areas where more information in needed
E. Responsibilities During The Visit
Team members have the following basic responsibilities:
1. Validate the IR from the standpoint of accuracy and completeness for all the standards for which you have been assigned a responsibility.
2. Serve as one of a total team, helping others and providing information when warranted, and help to reach team consensus.
3. Complete all necessary information in final report form for all the standards to which assigned primary responsibility.
E. Advice And Cautions For Team Members
Team members will find there is much to do on a team visit. Team members will validate data, interview people, visit classes, examine documents, and give attention to a lot of information. Remember that the evidence gathered and the draft report should remain confidential.
Institutional personnel will understand the task of team members and experience has show that team members enjoy a fine professional relationship with the institution. In order to enhance your task and this relationship we offer the following advice.
a. Keep interviews to the essentials.
b. Do not be diverted from your basic purpose by lengthy discussions or personal conversations.
c. Move with dispatch from person to person and from group to group.
d. Probe thoroughly and do so courteously.
e. Use tact and understanding when asking questions.
f. Be thorough, be fair, be respectful.
g. Use reason to guard against receiving and considering biased and erroneous information, whether the bias comes from you, the institution, or from others.
h. Remember the importance of maintaining professional confidentiality about the information you’ve accessed in the approval process.
i. Enjoy the visit and learn from colleagues
Note: All documents used as evidence belong to the unit/institution under review. Although team members gain insights into what other programs are doing, it is important to remember that course syllabi, reports, assessment rubrics, and other resources are not for public consumption. If asked and the institution approves, these documents may be taken by team members and shared with home institutions.
General Schedule for Visits
Sunday Evening Prior to Visit
5:00-6:00 Team members arrive at hotel
7:00-8:00 Informal reception and introductions of team, program faculty, and
administration (Option: Breakfast on Monday extended from 8-9:30 to include Overview and Introductions)
8:30-9:00 Team meeting for overview of schedule
.
Monday, Day 1
8:00 – 9:00 Overview of program (presented by program)
9:00 -- 11:30 Team meeting; review of exhibits; classroom visits
11:30 – 12:30 Working luncheon in team room
12:30 – 3:00 Data gathering and appointments with key people
Team members visit classes to meet with students; classroom visits
3:00 – 4:00 Meetings with education faculty
12:30 – 3:30 Team member(s) visit area schools (elementary, middle/junior high, high school)
4:00 – 5:00 Concurrent meetings with local practitioners—teachers and administrators, student teachers, recent graduates, advisory council members, adjunct faculty (Food for participants with several seating area arranged and designated for the identified groups.)
5:00 -6:30 Team meeting to review data collected
6:30 – 7:30 Team dinner (out)
8:00 Team meeting and/or Individual Report Writing
Tuesday, Day 2
8:00-12:00 Team member(s) visit area schools (elementary, middle/junior high, high school)
8:00 – 9:00 Team meeting
9:00 – 12:00 Appointments with key people; data collection; classroom visits
12:00 – 12:30 Catered luncheon in team workroom
12:30 – 3:30 Data Collection and Report Writing; classroom visits
3:30 – 5:30 Team meeting
6:30 – 8:00 Team dinner (out)
8:00 Individual Report Writing
Wednesday, Day 3
8:30 – 9:30 Individual Report Writing
9:30 – 11:30 Final team meeting
11:30 Box lunch/Team leaves (3:00 at the latest)
Thursday, Day 4 – Team Chair Only
8:30 Exit report to Chair
9:15 Exit report to Program Faculty
10:00 Exit report to Key Administrators
INFORMATION ON TEAM MEMBER WORKSHEETS
and REPORTING FORMS
On the following pages you will find sample copies of the worksheets and reporting forms that will be used by team members. Before the visit you will be sent electronic copies for your use in preparing for the visit and during the visit.