Advanced Licensure Data - Coastal Carolina University

Advanced Licensure Assessments

Measure 1: Completer Effectiveness

The CAEP Technical Report does not require the reporting of Advanced Program Data for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Measure 2: Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Involvement (Advanced)

Stakeholder Involvement

Coastal Carolina University involves both internal and external stakeholders in program design, evaluation, and continuous improvement processes. The involvement from stakeholders comes in a variety of formats, including participation in our Leadership Advisory Committee, our Teacher Education Advisory Committee, and through the regular review of our Memorandums of Understanding with partnering districts.

Leadership Advisory Committee (Advanced Programs)

The Leadership Advisory Council (LAC) is comprised of ten local teachers, administrators, community members, educational leadership students, and faculty. The committee provides counsel to the Educational Leadership Department regarding recruitment, program classes, resources, guest speakers, internships, and other related areas. In addition, they offer insight and perspective in regard to leadership needs and policies impacting the context of leadership development and serve as a networking opportunity for various CCU stakeholders.

In September 2021, the LAC was contacted to gather their feedback on a new assessment instrument being used by the Educational Leadership Program, the Guide to Home, School, and Community Relationships. The members of the committee were asked to provide both content and construct validity ratings on the instrument, as well as recommendations for change: LAC September Email. Six committee members completed the content validity evaluation for the instrument, and three committee members completed the construct validity evaluation. Based on the low response rate from the committee, the program ultimately decided to leave the instrument in its current form until the Winter 2021 meeting, where time would be allocated to review the instrument itself.

Memoranda of Understanding (MOU)

Each year, Coastal Carolina University works with partner districts to review and renew MOUs. These MOUs allow both the EPP and the partnering district to ensure that their needs are met; for CCU, this includes (but is not limited to) opportunities for both initial and advanced candidates to participate in field experiences and for the university to gather data on candidate and completer performance. For partnering districts, this includes, but is not limited to, the opportunity to engage in professional development, to ask for support/modifications to programs to meet district needs, and to take graduate coursework at a discounted tuition rate. The 2020-2021 signed MOUs can be located here:

Measure 3. Candidate Competency at Completion

R3.4

Progression Level Thresholds/Criteria for Success at Completion

At CCU, candidates in the M.Ed. Educational Leadership program progress through their respective programs by progressing through three “portals”: Portal 1: Admission to the Program; Portal 2: Admission to Internship; Portal 3: Program Completion. At each portal, candidates are required to complete a series of action items before they may move into the next phase of the program, including passing Praxis II exams, maintaining the required G.P.A., and meeting required scores on program-specific assessments.

Information on the Portal requirements can be located in the 2020-2021 Graduate Catalog: https://catalog.coastal.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=17&poid=3251&returnto=611.

College-Wide (EPP-Wide) Assessments

Coastal Carolina University utilizes both EPP-created and proprietary (third-party) assessments to measure advanced candidates’ professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions in the Master of Educational Leadership program. Candidates must earn required mean scores on each assessment in order to complete their programs. The key assessments are implemented once yearly and are as follows: Measure 3 Advanced Table 1.

Praxis II

The Praxis II is a proprietary, computer-based assessment created by Educational Testing Services that is aligned to InTASC Standards 1-10. Candidates are required to earn specific scores on their Praxis II as directed by the South Carolina Department of Education: https://www.ets.org/praxis/sc/requirements/. In 2020-2021, all completers met the state-required Praxis II score: Measure 3 Advanced Table 2.

Coastal Carolina University’s goal is for at least 80% of all candidates to pass the Praxis II on their first attempt. The college has established baseline measures to work towards a target first-time pass rate of 80% in each respective program by 2024. As noted in Table 2, 100% of program completers passed on the first attempt in 2020-2021, with a mean score (167) that was significantly higher than the required qualifying score (146).

Comprehensive Examination

The Comprehensive Exam was created by university faculty to assess candidates’ overall knowledge and skills at the culmination of their program. The rubric is implemented in the last year of internship, and is aligned to the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) Standards. Candidates must earn a mean score of 2.0 or higher for successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam. A copy of the rubric may be located here: Key Assessment 2 - Comprehensive Examination Assignment.

In Fall 2020, 30 candidates completed the Comprehensive Exam, and all 30 met the required passing mean score of 2.0 or higher. Candidate data, including mean scores, score ranges, standard deviations, and the number of candidates earning “Proficient” or “Accomplished” on each indicator may be found here: EDAD 694 KA2 Fall 2020.

Observation and Conference Project

The Observation and Conference Project was created by university faculty to provide practical experience with the supervision of teachers to assess candidates’ content knowledge of instructional and supervision concepts contained in the ELCC standards. The candidate’s overall performance on the Observation and Conference Project provides an assessment of each candidate’s proficiency relative to ELCC Standard 2. Candidates must earn a mean score of 3.0 or higher for successful completion of the Observation and Conference Project. A copy of the assignment and rubric may be located here: Key Assessment 3 Observation and Conference Project.

In Spring 2021, 23 candidates completed the Observation and Conference Project, and all 23 met the required passing mean score of 2.0 or higher: Measure 3 Advanced Table 3.

Internship Project

The Internship Project was designed by faculty to assess the candidate’s knowledge and skills related to strategic leadership, ethical leadership, and management of school discipline policies and procedures. As a culminating internship project, this assignment aligns with ELCC Standards 1, 3, and 5. Candidates must earn a mean score of 2.0 or higher for successful completion of the Internship Project. A copy of the assignment and rubric may be located here: Key Assessment 4 Internship Project.

In Spring 2021, 35 candidates completed the internship assignment, and all met the required score. Data for each indicator can be found in Table 4: Measure 3 Advanced Table 4.

School Improvement/Performance Plan

The School Improvement/Performance Plan was designed by faculty as an assessment of a candidate’s proficiency in ELCC standards related to the area of teaching and learning. Candidates develop plans that engage in data-driven decision making and develop actions to support a process of continuous school improvement. This assignment aligns with ELCC Standards 2, 3, and 6. Candidates must earn a mean score of 2.0 or higher for successful completion of the School Improvement/Performance Plan. A copy of the assignment and rubric may be located here: Key Assessment 5 School Improvement Plan.

In Fall 2020, 27 candidates completed the School Improvement/Performance Plan, and all met the required score. Additionally, one candidate completed the School Improvement/Performance Plan, and met the required score, in Spring 2021 due to extenuating circumstances. Data for each indicator can be found in Tables 5 and 6:

Guide to Home-School-Community Relationships Project

The Guide to Home-School-Community Relationships Project is an assignment designed to assess the candidate’s knowledge and skills related to school operations (ELCC 3.1 and 3.2) and building and sustaining positive school relationships with families and community stakeholders, especially in using the community’s diverse resources, using technology and projecting resource needs, and serving diverse community interests and needs (ELCC 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4). Candidates must earn a mean score of 2.0 or higher for successful completion of the Guide to Home-School-Community Relationships Project. A copy of the assignment and rubric may be located here: Key Assessment 6 (Guide to Home-School-Community Relationships).

In Fall 2020, 17 candidates completed the Guide to Home-School-Community Relationships Project, and all 17 met the required mean score of 2.0 or higher: Measure 3 Advanced Table 7.

Additional Measures of Candidate Competency

Assessment of Candidate Dispositions, Advanced Level

In addition to utilizing both EPP-created and proprietary instruments to measure candidate’s content and pedagogical knowledge, Coastal Carolina University also utilizes a program-created assessment instrument to assess candidate dispositions throughout the program. Dispositions are the commitments, values, and professional ethics that influence candidate behaviors toward students, families, colleagues, and communities; they are the driving forces that affect candidate learning, motivation and development toward continual professional growth. The dispositions are based on the Spadoni College of Education and Social Sciences’ Conceptual Framework and also reflect entry‐level licensure competencies. Evaluators rate each candidate on each professional disposition indicator. Scores that approach ‐2 are given to candidates who exhibit less than acceptable habits and practices. Scores that approach 2 are reserved for candidates who show especially positive behaviors. A score of 0, "No Evidence to Believe Otherwise," signifies that there have been no observations of behaviors that would suggest a disposition that is not acceptable.

In Fall 2020, dispositions were assessed for 29 Educational Leadership candidates, and all 29 candidates met the required mean score of 0 or higher for the dispositions. The Assessment of Candidate Dispositions rubric and scores are located here: Professional Dispositions, Advanced 20FA_M.Ed. Educational Leadership.

Analysis of 2020-2021 Data

Overall, candidates in the Educational Leadership program demonstrated strength on each key assessment, with all candidates meeting both the required mean scores on EPP-created assessments as well as the required state score on the Praxis II exam. Candidates demonstrated strength in their scores as related to ELCC Standards 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, which were consistently above the required mean on each key assessment, thus indicating that candidates have a strong grasp of the content needed to enter their professional careers. One area where candidates appeared to experience more difficulty was with indicators related to ELCC Standard 3, which focuses on school organization, operations, and operational systems. Although candidates met the required mean score on each indicator related to ELCC Standard 3, these mean scores were consistently lower than those for other ELCC Standard Indicators. As such, faculty will continue to monitor these areas to determine what further supports are needed for Educational Leadership candidates.

Measure 4: Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Have Been Prepared

To collect data on graduate employment, CCU began by pulling the names of all candidates completing the Praxis II exam for Educational Leadership during the 2020-2021 assessment window, which is required by all programs for successful completion of the degree program. A total of 20 completers took the PLT exam during the 2020-2021 assessment period.

Next, the EPP checked the South Carolina Department of Education records site, student records, and school district websites to locate the completers; in addition, completers were emailed to ask their current employment status. The findings from the search can be found in Table 1: Measure 4 Advanced Table 1.

The majority of the 18 completers located from the Educational Leadership program maintained their current district positions upon program completion; one served as the direction of special education for a local district, three served as curriculum coaches, one served as lead teacher, and twelve served as classroom teachers. One completer opted for a career in real estate instead of teaching. To determine if completers opted to remain in teaching positions by choice, or because administrative jobs were not available, a survey was sent to those in teaching roles; however, none of the completers responded. Given the demand for educators and administrators across the nation, finding employment after degree completion is not an issue for candidates. The EPP plans to examine further ways to better get feedback from completers as to their choices to remain in the classroom upon graduation.