Undergraduate Teacher Education
Candidate Handbook

Introduction  |  Coursework  |   Field Experience |  Candidate Assessment

Candidate Assessment

As an initial certification candidate in the Teacher Education Program, your knowledge, skills, and dispositions as a developing teacher will be assessed in multiple ways throughout your program of study. This section is designed to help you understand the Candidate Assessment System and provide you with the necessary information to participate in the various assessments.

Design of the Assessment System

Our candidate assessment system is designed to help you become an effective teacher in three ways:

1.  The system is designed to help you become a more reflective practitioner, and research tells us that more reflective teachers are better teachers.

2.  The system is designed to help Teacher Education faculty evaluate your performance so that we can plan specific experiences you will need to become an effective teacher.

3. The system is designed to showcase your development as a teacher in order to help you move from one level of the Teacher Education Program to the next and ultimately to exit the program, graduate, receive certification, and obtain a job as a teacher.

Additionally, the system is designed to help Teacher Education faculty continuously improve our program in order to provide optimum experiences for candidates preparing to be teachers.

Three aspects of your readiness to teach will be assessed at different points during your teacher preparation program. These include:

• your academic background.
• your performance on field assignments including teaching and other professional tasks.
• your dispositions related to professional behavior and effective teaching.

Each of these components is explained in more detail below.

Candidate academic background includes your Grade Point Average (GPA) and PRAXIS scores.

GPA requirements will vary at different stages of your teacher preparation program. The GPA requirements for entering each Tier of the program are presented below:

In most cases, Praxis requirements include passing three examinations:

• the Praxis I sub-tests in reading, writing, and math
• the Praxis II content examination in your certification area(s)
• and the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) examination for your certification area(s)

The table below illustrates when each Praxis requirement must be completed. Candidates who have a minimum Composite score of 22 on the ACT or a minimum Combined verbal and math score of 1030 on the SAT are not required by Louisiana Department of Education policy to take the Praxis I examination.

Note that candidates who wish to exit the program with an additional certification in special education – mild/moderate disabilities must complete additional Praxis examination requirements.

Candidate performance is assessed at four different points in the undergraduate Teacher Education Program at UNO. Each performance assessment serves as a transition point in the program of study and presents an opportunity for the faculty and the candidate to assess strengths and professional development needs of the candidate prior to moving into the next phase of the program of study. Candidates are provided a status sheet which is their summary of transition review requirements. Following is a brief description of the performance assessment associated with each transition point:

Tier I to Tier II

The only performance assessments required in this transition point are associated with EDUC 1000 and EDUC 1100. Each course includes specific requirements that result in an assessment of candidate performance. Satisfactory completion of each course (grade of C or higher), in addition to meeting the GPA requirement stated above, will allow promotion to Tier II.

Tier II to Tier III

During the semester in which you are enrolled in EDUC 2200, you will complete a case-based assessment that will require you to read a description of a particular school district, school, and class and evaluate a lesson plan created for that class. This assessment will be taken on a specified date in a computer lab, and will require you to demonstrate a basic level of competence in addressing the four themes included in the UNO Conceptual Framework (i.e., assessment, communication, technology, and diversity) as well as knowledge of key instructional planning concepts. The assessment is also designed to support you in demonstrating basic computer skills (word processing, accessing the Internet, etc.).  Preparation for this assessment is included in the content of the EDUC Tier II coursework.

In addition to the case-based assessment, each candidate begins building an electronic portfolio in Live Text during Tier II coursework. In the majority of courses in the Teacher Education Program, you will be required to engage in field activities and create artifacts that provide evidence of your abilities to meet national, state, and college standards for teacher performance.

The table below provides information related to the national standards for each program area offered by the college. The state teaching standards are known as the Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching or LCET. The college performance standards are described in the Conceptual Framework and include six critical roles in which effective teachers engage and the four themes embedded in the program of study.

The Live Text portfolio system allows candidates to code each artifact according to the standard(s) addressed. Thus, candidates maintain a working portfolio throughout the program of study.

Tier III to Tier IV

The key vehicle used to satisfy the Tier III performance assessment requirements is the electronic portfolio. The Tier III performance assessment requirements are unique to each certification area program of study. It is important that candidates familiarize themselves with the assessment requirements of their particular program area as they begin professional level coursework in Tier III. The artifacts used to complete the performance assessment requirements at this stage of the program do not result from a single course. Rather, the assessment is based on the candidate’s ability to reflect on a body of work completed in multiple courses and document how each standard is demonstrated. In the last semester of coursework (prior to student teaching), candidates enroll in EDUC 3001 which is designed to support the performance review for Tier III candidates. The performance review process varies by certification area and is supported by faculty associated with that area of study.

Throughout your teacher preparation program, you will engage in activities—in both your coursework and field experiences—that will allow you to create artifacts showing your development as a teacher. You will also learn how to write reflections that will help evaluators understand what you believe these artifacts represent about you as a teacher. Because our candidate assessment system is based upon reflective practice, the Teacher Education Program at the University of New Orleans provides you with a structure for reflecting specifically upon your professional practice related to six different roles associated with effective teaching which are listed below:

• designing and delivering instruction.
• managing time, tasks, and environments.
• advocating for children, services, and support.
• collaborating to support group practice.
• using inquiry to inform practice.
• improving classroom, school, and district practice.

These roles create a framework to support candidate reflection aligned with the UNO conceptual framework. As you engage in field activities, you will practice these roles in various combinations depending on the context of the teaching situation, the needs of the students with whom you are working, and your own developing understandings of teaching. You will create artifacts that demonstrate your actions during the field experiences, and you will code these artifacts based on the roles you practiced in each activity. Faculty members in the Teacher Education Program will guide you throughout your coursework and field experiences to create and select artifacts that represent increasingly complex thought and behavior and to engage in deeper levels of reflection about your own performances. For example, in the beginning of your program, you will probably create one artifact for performance review that will reflect engagement in one teaching role. As you progress through the program, you will develop an understanding of how single artifacts from field activities represent engagement in multiple teaching roles, and you will articulate this understanding through written reflection. You will put together sets of evidence and reflections which document your growing understanding of the roles of effective teachers at three distinct points during the program of study.

Tier IV to Graduation

During the student teaching experience, candidates will complete two key performance assessments.

Evidence Sets

Rubrics for thirteen evidence sets which identify teachers’ knowledge and practice that lead to desired results for good teaching and learning were developed by Teacher Education faculty in alignment with state standards for teacher performance—the Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching—and standards from professional associations in education. These thirteen evidence sets of teacher proficiencies include:

• planning effective instruction.
• maintaining an environment conducive to learning.
• maximizing time available for learning.
• supporting learner behavior to provide productive learning opportunities.
• delivering effective instruction.
• presenting appropriate content.
• providing opportunities for student involvement in the learning process.
• demonstrating ability to assess and facilitate student academic growth.
• creating partnerships with parents/caregivers and colleagues.
• using inquiry and reflection to improve practice.
• engaging in advocacy efforts.
• planning for professional development.
• taking an active role in building-level decision making.

These proficiencies will be addressed individually and in combination in increasingly complex ways throughout your education coursework. You will demonstrate evidence of your understanding of these proficiencies in assignments associated with student teaching and EDUC 4000, and you will demonstrate evidence of your ability to apply these proficiencies in the student teaching experience. The entire document will be used by your cooperating teacher and your university supervisor to evaluate your performance during student teaching. More information on this assessment may be found in the Student Teaching Handbook.

Teacher Work Sample

During student teaching, you will also create a teacher work sample—a collection of artifacts—that demonstrate your performance as a teacher and specifically, your impact on student learning. This work sample will be evaluated by a rubric based on standards for effective teaching and learning. Like the evidence sets, the rubric will be completed by both your cooperating teacher and your university supervisor to evaluate your performance during student teaching. Information on the Teacher Work Sample may also be found in the Student Teaching Handbook.

Candidate dispositions are also assessed throughout the Teacher Education Program. Dispositions are defined as attitudes, beliefs, and habits that are usually “assessed along with other performances in candidates’ work with students, families, and communities” (NCATE Standards, p. 22.) Rubrics that identify eight dispositions demonstrated by effective teachers to guide their actions inside and outside of the classroom were developed by Teacher Education faculty in alignment with state standards for teacher performance, standards from professional associations in education, and dispositions developed by the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC). These eight dispositions of effective teachers include:

• Disposition 1: Values and respects individual differences
• Disposition 2: Exhibits intrinsic motivation   
• Disposition 3: Engages in inquiry, reflection, and self-assessment   
• Disposition 4: Supports premise that all students can learn   
• Disposition 5: Practices and models ethical and professional behavior
• Disposition 6: Commits to lifelong learning and professional development 
• Disposition 7: Communicates effectively                                          
• Disposition 8: Engages in collaborative practices with all stakeholders

Faculty in your teacher preparation program will help you to develop these dispositions throughout your coursework and field experiences, and will guide you in reflecting upon your own dispositions. While all Teacher Education faculty will informally assess your dispositions throughout the Teacher Education Program, they will specifically assess your dispositions, using a rubric, at three transition points in your teacher preparation program: at the end of Tier II coursework; at the end of all coursework prior to student teaching, and during the student teaching experience.

The procedures associated with the dispositions review are designed to ensure that multiple perspectives are involved in the review and that expectations for candidate demonstration of these dispositions become more complex over the course of the program of study. A review of the dispositions and rubrics document (Dispositions Review 1, Dispositions Review 2, Dispositions Review 3) illustrates that although the same eight dispositions are assessed throughout the program, the indicators for each disposition change with each review. Thus, candidates need to review the tool carefully and ensure that their body of work, and participation in class and field experience demonstrate each disposition..

The dispositions review process involves five points of view. First, candidates should use the rubric to score their own dispositions. This process will assist you in identifying the strengths you bring to teaching and areas in need of development. During the first review to exit Tier II, the dispositions assessment will be completed by a faculty member who teaches the core (EDUC) coursework in the program of study. During the second review to exit Tier III, the dispositions assessment will be completed by a faculty member, usually your advisor, who teaches in the certification area of your program of study. During the final review, the dispositions assessment will be completed by both the cooperating teacher and college coordinator supporting your student teaching experience.

Outcomes of Each Transition Point Performance Assessment

At each transition point, candidates will receive notification of the results of the performance review. The review will result in one of three decisions:

• Recommendation for promotion to the next phase of the program of study without conditions. In this case, the candidate has achieved a satisfactory score on all assessments and has completed all requirements associated with that Tier of the program of study.

• Recommendation for promotion to the next phase of the program of study with conditions. In this case, the faculty will recommend that the candidate advance to the next Tier of the program; however, additional actions that need to be completed will be identified. Actions may include additional coursework, field work, or participation in supplemental programs or services. These requirements will be provided in a written Prescription Plan and a meeting will be held with the candidate to review the plan. Information on Prescription Plans is provided below.

• Recommendation to be retained in current phase of the program of study. In this case, the performance score of the candidate does not warrant progression to the next Tier of the program. Candidates will be provided with a Prescription Plan that provides specific information regarding the performance requirements that must be addressed prior to attempting the assessment again.

NOTE: The College of Education and Human Development will allow candidates to attempt each performance assessment twice. Any candidate who does not meet the minimum passing score on a given performance assessment after two attempts will automatically be referred to the Candidate Review and Retention committee for consideration of possible dismissal from the program of study.

To ensure fairness, accuracy, and consistency in the candidate assessment system, the Teacher Education Program at UNO has established provisions for prescriptive plans, referral reviews, and an appeals process.

Prescriptive Plans:

If, after completing the requirements of a particular tier or level of the teacher preparation program, your performance and/or dispositions review is unsatisfactory, faculty members have the option of developing a prescriptive plan for you which will focus on individualized coursework and additional performance reviews. Each plan includes a specific time period for these actions to be completed. Completion of the plan will be monitored by the College office and candidates must complete their prescription plan to continue in the program.

Referral Reviews:

If you are unsuccessful at passing through any of the transition gates/portals, an automatic review of all required components (academic, performance, dispositions) as well as the outcomes of the completed faculty review will result. Referral reviews are organized and supported by the Candidate Review and Retention Committee. This committee includes faculty from multiple departments and is supported by the college office.

Appeals:

If you are dissatisfied with the results of your review at any transition point, you may initiate an appeal. Candidates initiate an appeal in writing. Information on the appeals process is available in the College of Education and Human Development office.

Support for Performance Assessment

Faculty will support your performance assessment in a number of ways. In the very first education courses taken, your instructors will introduce you to the components of the candidate assessment system, including:

• Procedures for the academic, performance, and disposition reviews,
• The Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching,
• the UNO Conceptual Framework including the six roles related to teaching which form the heart of our teacher preparation program, and
• strategies to support reflective practice

Throughout your education courses, faculty will introduce you to professional performance standards for specific certification areas and design class assignments and field experiences that help you understand the roles of a teacher, engage in these roles, and create artifacts which demonstrate your performance of each role. These experiences will become more complex as you progress through your program. Faculty members will also guide you in developing habits of reflection so that you will be able to write reflections that will demonstrate to evaluators your growing understanding of teaching. Finally, faculty members will provide you with instruction and experiences that will support you in the development of dispositions needed to be an effective teacher.

The college office will support you by maintaining records of your progress throughout the Teacher Education Program and by supporting your academic review at each transition point. Additionally, the college office will support you by providing training on the LiveText system which will help you manage evidence of your growth as a teacher. All teacher education candidates are required to purchase a subscription to Live Text for the duration of their program of study. The requirement for you to purchase a Live Text subscription enables you to:

• create a standards-based electronic portfolio,
• manage artifacts using web-based tools,
• facilitate communication with program faculty,
• prepare a professional growth plan.

You will receive training in using LiveText in your first education courses. This system will support you in organizing your artifacts so that you can retrieve subsets of artifacts based on particular roles and/or standards.

Graduation and Certification

Successful completion of all program requirements results in two outcomes: award of the bachelor’s degree and recommendation to the Louisiana Department of Education for certification in the field(s) pursued. Note that you must successfully pass both the content and Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Praxis examinations to graduate and be recommended for certification. Candidates who do not successfully pass the Praxis examination(s) prior to or during their student teaching experience will not graduate until this condition is met.

Follow-Up

After you have completed the Teacher Education Program at the University of New Orleans and obtained initial licensure, data will continue to be collected for program improvement purposes. You will be asked to complete two surveys to evaluate the effectiveness of your teacher preparation program: one developed by our program at UNO and one developed by the Louisiana Joint Commission on Education Quality. Please monitor your UNO email following graduation as that will be the means by which you are contacted.

Additionally, you will be able to use the portfolio created for your exit review during the job interview process and add to your portfolio to meet the New Teacher Assistance and Assessment Program (LaTAAP) requirements  that will be required of you by the Louisiana Department of Education during your first two years of teaching (known as the induction period).