Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Program Improvement

Edited by:
Christine Carrino Gorowara, University of Delaware
Erica M. Brownstein, Independent Consultant
Timothy Wall, Northwest Missouri State University

A volume in the series: Contemporary Issues in Accreditation, Assessment, and Program Evaluation Research in Educator Preparation. Editor(s): Joyce E. Many, Georgia State University.

Published 2023

This volume provides a synthesis of protocols, and strategies to support assessment leaders in effectively using data for educator preparation program improvement. Data-informed decision-making has become increasingly important in quality assurance for both internal and external audiences, yet there are scant resources to guide those charged with managing the development and application of data for monitoring and improving the quality of their programs. Until this work, there has been little explication of how assessment directors working in educator preparation should conceptualize, organize, and implement best practices in data collection, analysis, interpretation, and sharing.

As state and national expectations for evidence of quality are growing, it is essential to chronicle the collective wisdom of assessment leaders in education preparation in one manuscript. For both novice and experienced assessment directors, this volume offers insightful perspectives and excellent strategies to facilitate the journey from complying with external expectations to strategically using data and evidence to achieve goals, leveraging assessment to achieve socially just outcomes, involving multiple voices and interpreters, and opening windows to further inquiry.

The editors have gathered experts in all phases of the assessment process and organized their work in an easy-to-follow manner. This work provides both conceptual underpinnings of educator preparation quality assurance as well as practical lessons learned that will support the transformation of an assessment professional into an assessment leader.

ENSORSEMENTS

"Finally, a book that shows what we can learn from accreditation, collectively. The strength of the volume lies in the concrete examples of evaluation and improvement that are woven throughout the chapters. Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Improvement is a welcome addition to the small but growing body of useful literature related to quality assurance work in the field."

Mark LaCelle-Peterson, Ed.D.
President and CEO
Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation

"The volume Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Program Improvement provides many examples of how providers collect data and evidence to establish or enhance quality assurance. The publication will be of value to any provider seeking to enhance quality and improve their programs. The publication is particularly timely given many state efforts to increase enrollments and diversity which have resulted in lowered standards. Having measures and evidence of quality provide a necessary counter balance to these efforts."

Christopher Koch, Ed.D.
President
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

"Effectively Using Data for Educator Preparation Program Improvement assists educators in data-informed research and practice to improve programs, diversify the profession, and ensure that our teacher candidates are “profession-ready.” Written predominantly for the assessment director—or leaders as the editors posit, this volume goes beyond that goal to add a valuable resource for all of us who care about the field of educator preparation. I highly recommend this book to the field as we work together to elevate the teaching profession."

Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D.
President & CEO
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

CONTENTS
Introduction, Christine Carrino Gorowara, Erica M. Brownstein, and Timothy Wall. SECTION I: WHY (AND WHY NOT) ENGAGE IN ASSESSMENT-BASED PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT? From Box Checking to Program Improvement: Our Student Outcome Assessment Journey, Heather R. Gallivan, Catherine M. Miller, Elizabeth K. Hughes, and Samuel L. Eskelson. Retaining Diverse Educator Preparation Program Candidates in the STEM Pipeline: Ways to Improve On-Time Progress, Retention, and Graduation Rates, Deb Eldridge, Alton James, Esther Dale, Rachel Wedemeier, and Kandi Duff. Approaches to Socially Just Evaluation Methods: Using Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Research With Grow-Your-Own Models, Sheri Hardee and Lauren Johnson. Embracing edTPA: Our Journey With Data-Informed Practices, Srimani Chakravarthi, Tracy Spesia, Deborah Glenn, John Gambro, and Cindy Sloan. SECTION II: WHAT KINDS OF ASSESSMENTS ARE (AND ARE NOT) USEFUL FOR MONITORING AND IMPROVING PROGRAM QUALITY? How Ohio Educator Preparation Programs Are Demonstrating the Impact of their Graduates on Student Learning, Leah Chamberlain and Amy Farley. Guidelines for Assessment Coordinators: Conducting Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning for Program Improvement, Susan Colby and Monica Lambert. SECTION III: HOW DOES ASSESSMENT-BASED IMPROVEMENT WORK IN PRACTICE? Improvement Science: A Vehicle for Continuous Improvement, Matthew D. Campbell. Servant Leadership-Inspired Assessment Practice: A Model for Assessment Professionals to Promote Creative Data Use for Program Improvement, Angela P. Wetzel. Leading Assessment Efforts with the Heart and Curiosity of a Teacher, Jessica Marotta. 10 Tenets of Educational Assessment, John R. McConnell III. Continuous Improvement Modeling: Ten Steps to Educator Preparation Improvement, James P. Van Overschelde. Lessons Learned During the First Year at a Small, Rural College, Jane Bogan. Designing and Implementing a “Quality” Quality Assurance System, Cynthia A. Conn, Kathy J. Bohan, and Nicole J. Bies-Hernandez. SECTION IV: WHOSE VOICES CAN AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT? Solving the Teacher Response Rate Challenge: Digital, Scalable, and Manageable, Jessica Evans and Miguel Gomez. Transforming Teachers Into Researchers Using an Action Research Model, Deborah McCuin and Lisa K. Bonneau. Using Data to Inform Program Changes and Foster Stakeholder Relationships, Gina Anderson, Sarah McMahan, and Brandon Bush. Statewide Quality Assurance in Educator Preparation: The Many Roles of the Assessment Professional, Jillian McGraw and Amanda B. Turner. Listening to the Voices of Preservice Teachers to Guide Program Improvement, Bobette Bouton and Benita Bruster. Efficiency and Engagement in Program Assessment Conversations: Working Together to Create Useful Data, Amy Kline. About the Editors.