College of EducationRetention Plan

Influences

Two initiatives which positively impact student success:

1.Reorganization of the College of Education in fall 2010 created a professional unit that allows more emphasis on both retention and advising in the preparation of teachers, counselors, and school leaders.

2. Effective implementation of Ready2Teach includes strengthened P-12 partnerships that provide relevant experiences for our students.

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Goals of Retention Plan

• Goal 1: Enhance the student support structure (advising, admission and exit procedures, field placements, licensure) to improve retention.

• Goal 2: Use multiple data sources to monitor and improve:• candidate progress through academic programs;• student knowledge, skills, and dispositions; • effectiveness of retention efforts.

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Basic AssumptionsThe plan developed by departmental retention committees is based on three fundamental assumptions:

•Strategies are designed to positively impact both non-academic support (advising, admissions, placement, etc.) and academic support (classroom work and key assessments).

•Strategies are data-driven utilizing a system of data collection, collaborative analysis of data, decision-making, goal setting, and monitoring of results.

•Strategies are integrated and aligned for SACS, NCATE, and Ready2Teach so that Retention is a key component of a comprehensive plan.

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COE Students• Undergraduate Majors 1,296

• Early Childhood Education 444

• Interdisciplinary Studies 724

• Special Education 128

• UG Secondary Education Minors 702

• MS and EdS 875

• Elementary/Special Education 278

• Professional Counseling 63

• Educational Leadership (cohorts) 322

• Educational Leadership (on campus) 212

Department of Elementary and Special Education:Fall 2011 First-time Freshmen Who Returned Fall 2012

• Average COE retention is 77.5% (University 70.2%)

• Retention within COE majors is 62.7%

• Freshman retention rates in COE range from a low of 40% in Early Childhood Education to 46.7% in Special Education and a high of 63% in Interdisciplinary Studies

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Secondary Education Minor

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Secondary Education Minor: Program Completers

Year Admitted to Teacher Education

2nd Year Persistence (MTSU)

3rd Year Persistence (MTSU)

2008-2009 76.73% (85.34%) 83.63% (87.07%)

2009-2010 80.48% (88.98%) 86.6% (98.43%)

2010-2011 82.07% (94.48%) NA

Goal 1: Student SupportCOE Academic Advising Model

UCAC Liaison Advisor Freshmen until admitted to Teacher Education

COE College Advisor Transfer and Re-enrolling Students

COE Faculty Advisors Transfer students w/AST, Post-bac. students, students admitted to teacher education

Goal 1: Student SupportAcademic Advising

Graduating Student Survey

Goal 1: Student Support Academic Advising Model

• Intake Advising Model

• Specific Duties for UCAC and College Advisors

• UCAC Liaison to COE

• UCAC Advisor for all Freshmen and CUSTOMS

• College Advisor for all Transfer and Re-Enrolling Students

• Teacher Education Admission Workshops Each Semester Led by College Advisor (attendance required for education majors)

• Faculty Advisors Assigned to All Education Majors and Secondary Education Minors

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Goal 1: Student Support Academic Advising Model

• Intake Advising Model – Current Status

466 Students advised by UCAC advisor 111 students applied to teacher education program 303 students with less than 45 hours are on track to apply to

teacher education; 52 students with GPAs too low for teacher education

redirected to other majors UCAC advisor relocated to the COE building to allow better

communication and cross training to assist students assigned to other advisors

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Goal 1: Student Support Academic Advising Model

UCAC Advisors and COE Liaison Advisor:•Retention Advisors will hold to a 300:1 ratio.•Advisors will begin communicating with students on a regular basis beginning shortly after the student is accepted to begin building a relationship with the student.•Advisors will be responsible for seeing that all assigned students register for classes. They will track students and employ intrusive advising measures to assist students in registering while served by the UCAC.•Retention targets for assigned students will be part of the evaluation criteria for all UCAC advisors.•Detailed advising notes of every contact will be kept and transferred upon admission to teacher education.•Advisors will respond promptly to Academic Alerts by faculty (within 2 business days).•All course scheduling advising will be overseen by the COE liaison in the UCAC.•The COE liaison will participate in COE freshman recruiting events and all meetings and trainings for the faculty advisors.

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Academic Advising Model, cont.College Advisor:• Respond promptly to Academic Alerts by faculty (within 2 business days) for

students advised by COE faculty;• Consult with the COE Liaison advisor regarding students close to admission to

teacher education;• Coordinate a series of Admission to Teacher Ed workshops for students;• Record student attendance at Admission to Teacher Ed workshops on SOATEST

in Banner;• Provide on-ground community college visits and advising for community

college students planning to transfer to MTSU;• Participate in all recruitment activities for transfer and re-enrolling students.• Develop a program for all students lacking the appropriate requirements for

admission to teacher education;• Maintain detailed advising notes of every contact in AdvisorTrac that will be

transferred upon admission to teacher education;• Assign faculty advisors in Banner for all COE students;• Be responsible for seeing that all assigned students register for classes, tracking

students and employing intrusive advising measures to assist students in registering;

• Maintain retention targets for assigned students as part of the evaluation criteria. 13

Academic Advising Model, cont.

• Faculty Advisors:• Participate in CUSTOMS advising activities;• Advise students admitted to the teacher education program• Maintain a record of all student advising efforts;• Assist students in filling out upper division, substitution, and intent to

graduate forms; • Work with students on process for admission to Teacher Education;• Mentor students through program completion;• Serve on intervention and remediation teams for students experiencing

difficulty or deficiencies;

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• Assign faculty advisor to community college for outreach, communication, and advising.

• Establish a COE Advising Team to review and revise processes (i.e. change of major, faculty advisement, transfer advisement, secondary education advisement, internal and external training and communication).

• Establish a COE Retention Team to implement and support initiatives such as a mentoring program for COE students, student teacher exit interviews with Dean, COE advising nights, a “Celebrate Teaching” focus, “Ask a Teacher” sessions, Ready2Teach information using multi-media.

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Focused Intervention Strategies:Academic Advising

• Track retention of students from Admission to Teacher Education to Licensure.

• Create communication models to better advise students of program requirements (brochures, step-by-step benchmark timeline, web page, multi-media for Customs, meetings with other Colleges).

• Evaluate annual survey of students on COE advising experience.

• Focus on Student Service16

Focused Intervention Strategies:Academic Advising

Goal 2: Enhancing Academic Success Using Multiple Data Sources

Enhance the academic success of students admitted to the Teacher Education Program by utilizing multiple data sources, including:

•COE Assessment of Student Teacher Preparation (ASTP)•Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA data)•Praxis Data•Dispositions Assessment•Grade Distribution Reports •Residency I and Residency II Performance Data•Surveys of Graduation Seniors, MTSU faculty, P-12 Partners•Formative Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes (Tk20 data management system)

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Focused Intervention Strategies:Assessment Data – Analyzing Student Performance

• Use edTPA, ASTP, the THEC Higher Education Report Card, TK20, and other data to identify competencies not mastered by students.

• Ensure that courses emphasize what students need for key assessments and professional preparation.

• The Grade Distribution Survey indicates no specific course in which an abnormal number of students struggle. However, further analysis indicated a potential disconnect between course grades and student performance on key assessments such as Tk20, Praxis II, and edTPA.

• Adjust specific course content to integrate into pre-service programs instruction in those areas that will ensure student success in the profession (i.e. TVAAS instructional modules, Common Core Standards, TEAM Teacher Evaluation Training).

• Provide opportunities for training for faculty members in these areas.

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Focused Intervention Strategies:Assessment Data – Analyzing Student Performance

• Intervene in problem areas as students progress through pre-service field experiences and Residency I and Residency II prior to completion of key gateway assessments.

• Conduct intensive skill training for students with significant, deficiencies, monitoring individual student proficiency, involving faculty, P-12 educators, and Ready2Teach master clinicians.

• Monitor teacher candidate progression of skill attainment.• Conduct surveys to determine teacher candidate perceptions

of the quality of their experience and P-12 partner perceptions of student performance and preparation.

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Collaborative Analysis of edTPA Assessment Data

Through the use of the edTPA assessment required by Ready2Teach, student proficiency can be tracked for intervention and/or remediation.

Row Labels

Planning for Increasing

Student Knowledge

Using Knowledge of Students

Justification of Planning

Planning Assessments

Engaging Students

Deepening Student Learning

Analyzing Student

WorkUsing

Feedback

Using Assessment

to Inform Instruction

Analyzing Teaching

Effectiveness

Understanding Students' Language

Development

Scaffolding Academic Language

Developing Students' Academic Language

ECE 3.2 3 3.2 2.9 2.8 2.6 2.9 2.3 2.1 2.8 2.5 2.9 2.8

El. Math 2.76 2.44 2.6 2.36 2.71 2.46 2.4 2.24 2.16 2.44 2.08 2.16 2.36

EL-Literacy 2 2.33 2.33 2.33 2 2.33 2.33 2 1.67 2.33 2.33 2.67 2.67

MS-English 2.33 2.67 3.33 2.67 2 2 2.33 2.33 1.67 1.67 2.67 2.67 2.33

MS-History 3.33 3 2.67 3.33 3.33 3.33 3 3 3.33 3.33 3 3.33 3.33

MS-Math 2 1.5 2 2 2 1.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2 1.5 2.5 1.5

MS-Science 2.25 1.75 2 2.5 1.67 1.67 2 2.25 1.75 1.75 2 2 2.5

Grand Total 2.74 2.5 2.68 2.54 2.58 2.42 2.5 2.3 2.14 2.44 2.24 2.44 2.5

Spring 2012

Data indicate that our students struggle with “analyzing data for the purpose of differentiating instruction.”

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COE Assessment of Student Teacher Preparation

Focused Intervention Strategies:”Dispositions” Assessment

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Implement a support plan to assist students who experience difficulty in progressing through their education coursework and/or the student teaching residency semesters.

• If a student is identified by two faculty members as deficient in a specific disposition, the student is referred to a team of faculty members that will address and attempt to remediate the deficiency.

• A faculty team meets with the student as often as necessary to provide advice, support, skill acquisition, resources, and attitude development in an effort to identify and remediate the area of difficulty.

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Dispositions: Unit, University Supervisors (Both Placements, Spring, 2012)

Dispositions # Unacceptable % Unacceptable # Acceptable % Acceptable # Target % Target# No

Response% No

ResponseTotal

Response Average

Collaborative 4 0.93% 53 12.35% 372 86.71% 5 1.15% 429 1.86

Reflective 2 0.47% 94 21.91% 333 77.62% 5 1.15% 429 1.77

Professional 6 1.4% 52 12.09% 372 86.51% 4 0.92% 430 1.85

Self-Directed 9 2.09% 64 14.88% 357 83.02% 4 0.92% 430 1.81

Ethical 2 0.47% 37 8.64% 389 90.89% 6 1.38% 428 1.9

Critical Thinker 3 0.7% 134 31.09% 294 68.21% 3 0.69% 431 1.68

Total/Percentage 26 1.01% 434 16.84% 2117 82.15% 27 1.04% 2577

Use data related to student dispositions to monitor and enhance student performance and to develop individualized instructional and remediation plans to enhance student performance.

Dispositions Assessment

Focused Intervention Strategies: Assessment Data

•Share Praxis data results with the appropriate department chair and dean, and provost.

•Use Praxis data to set departmental goals and strategies as part of their Institutional Effectiveness Plans.

•Develop College of Education strategies to improve performance on the professional education section of the Praxis II assessment.

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Drilling Deeper: Specific Departmental Plans

• Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences and Teacher Licensure

• Womack Department of Educational Leadership

• Department of Elementary and Special Education

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Praxis II Data

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MTSU’s pass rate is lower than other TBR institutions at 94% (THEC

Report Card Nov., 2012). Most Praxis II assessment data reflect how students perform in their academic major/content area, and one section reflects knowledge of professional education content.

PRAXIS II – Selected Content Area Exams By College2011-2012

TestState Cut-Off

ScoreTotal # Passing

(MTSU)Total # (MTSU) % Passing

Basic & Applied Sciences Biology: Content Knowledge 148 6 7 85.71%Mathematics: Content Knowledge 136 11 16 68.75%Mathematics: Pedagogy 125 13 14 92.86%

Behavioral and Health Sciences PE: Content and Design 164 10 15 66.67%

Business Business Education 154 6 7 85.71%Economics 530 5 8 62.50%

Education Early Childhood Education 155 9 9 100.00%Exceptional Child.: Mild 164 17 19 89.47%ELED: Curr., Instr., Assess. 159 79 81 97.53%ELED: Content Knowledge 140 93 93 100.00%Reading Across Curriculum 151 106 106 100.00%

Liberal Arts Art: Content and Analysis 530 8 9 88.89%English: Content Knowledge 157 9 9 100.00%Spanish: Content Knowledge 163 3 6 50.00%World & U.S. History 136 9 9 100.00%

Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences and Teacher Licensure

• Implement the Ready2Teach initiative to improve teacher preparation effectiveness at all levels of the teacher education experience.

Integrate clinical preparation throughout every facet of teacher education through course work, laboratory-based experiences, and school-embedded practice.

Cultivate collaborative partnerships among schools, districts, and teacher preparation programs to ensure each teacher candidate receives a robust, high-quality clinical experience.

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Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences and Teacher Licensure

• Use technology to track student residents’ progress electronically for meeting Ready2Teach requirements, such as TK20 and edTPA.

Upload academic maps in TK20 to support students in meeting Ready2Teach benchmarks.

Design interactive workshops, help sessions, and multiple resources to build capacity to fully use TK20 and Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA).

Create multiple sources of written and social media communication such as, media print, blogs, electronic mail and webpages to inform and advise students of Ready2Teach benchmarks.

Identify and implement interventions by faculty, LEA and university supervisors and master clinicians for

individual and small groups of students.28

Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences and Teacher Licensure

• Conduct surveys of Residency I and Residency II student residents, university faculty, and P-12 partners to identify and respond to areas of needed support.

Use survey data to design interactive workshops, seminars, and focus groups to target specific interventions and technical assistance.

Monitor the implementation of suggested strategies and interventions to measure progress through continuous observation and feedback.

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Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences and Teacher Licensure

• Use multiple data sources to identify and respond to common needs of key stakeholders in the clinical experiences of student residents.

Establish clear expectations for effective data use at all levels by key stakeholders.

Model and monitor the use of data to inform instruction and clinical experiences, measure the degree of implementation of strategies, and to evaluate the effect of strategies on student learning and performance.

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Womack Department of Educational Leadership

• Implement Ready2Teach for students minoring in secondary education.

Revise education coursework to reflect less “seat time” in classes and increased time in public school settings.

Use problem based learning methodologies as a primary emphasis of the Ready2Teach program.

Utilize multiple sources of data to strengthen the pre-residency and residency courses, identify competencies not mastered by students, and revise coursework, seminars, instruction, and clinical experiences to address and strengthen identified areas needing improvement.

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Womack Department of Educational Leadership

• Provide support and assistance to students who experience difficulty in mastering competencies as they progress through their courses.

Develop plans to monitor student progress on critical performances as they proceed through their pre-residency and residency courses.

Work with students who have deficiencies on critical performances to provide assistance in strengthening those areas as they progress through the pre-residency and residency courses.

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Womack Department

of Educational Leadership• Conduct ongoing meetings to enhance communication between

Educational Leadership advisors and advisors and key faculty in the “major departments” of secondary education students.

• Communicate “curricular maps” and course rotation schedules to students and their “major department” advisors to:

• allow undergraduate students to navigate the teacher education minor more effectively and

• enable graduate students to experience less difficulty progressing through their graduate degree program.

• Promote off-campus graduate cohort programs by increasing program accessibility through Department representative interest meetings.

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Department of Elementary and Special Education

• Use COE Comprehensive Assessments (e.g. interview, survey, and course data) to monitor student progress and review for content revision and student support.

• Provide an explanation of program criteria, standards, and transition points in the two introductory courses .

• Analyze course by course data to implement programmatic changes and enhance skill attainment of each student.

• Design the website, brochures, and other media to identify transition points, program expectations, and tutoring opportunities.

• Implement flexible advising hours (e.g. Saturday, evening, off-campus, group advising, Skype).

• Establish a mentoring program for teacher candidates.

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Department of Elementary and Special Education

• Use academic alert and multiple sources of data to monitor student progress.

• Provide tutoring and remediation plans for key assessments throughout program.

• Maintain academic maps for each program area and coordinate these with student Pipeline account.

• Revise interview protocol for program admission.

• Systematically implement edTPA and Problem Based Learning.

• Provide teacher candidates training on the TEAM evaluation model.

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• Post a curricular map for the degree program in the undergraduate catalog and on the department website; review and update map annually.

• Host regularly scheduled open-door time for students to meet with Department Chair, brown bag seminars, “hot topic” discussions that involve P-12 partners.

• Create multiple sources of written and social media communication such as, media print, blogs, electronic mail, Twitter and Facebook to inform and advise students of departmental benchmarks .

• Improve communication through multiple initiatives that include: bulletin boards, upcoming events, academic maps and brochures, and information regarding financial assistance and other

student resources.36

Department of Elementary and Special Education

COE Retention and Advising Initiatives

•Remediation and Intervention Teams – Engage P-12 educators and faculty to develop plans and assist students who exhibit difficulty and/or specific deficiencies - $25,000

•Course and Program Redesign– Engage P-12 educators and faculty to develop and implement courses and field experiences to ensure that students are prepared for key assessments and entry into the profession - $18,000

•Initiatives to Link Students to Professional Educators and Faculty - Brown Bag Seminars, Advising Nights, Ask a Teacher, Celebrate Teaching, etc - $12,000

•Enhanced Web Page and Multi-Media Communication – Develop and utilize various media, including the COE Center for Educational Media video and pod cast productions, to communicate program requirements, transition points, program expectations, and training opportunities to students - $42,000

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COE Retention Plan Summary

The College of Education is committed to improving student success and retention through multiple changes and initiatives.

While we cannot guarantee every student will be successful in every course, we can guarantee that every student will be provided with focused, meaningful assistance and support throughout their teacher preparation journey.

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