Educational Affairs Office: Teacher/Faculty Preparation & Enhancement

TEACHER/FACULTY PREPARATION & ENHANCEMENT (... our endeavors to ... create learning opportunities, and enlighten inquisitive minds.)

Training Effectiveness

INDICATOR What are characteristics of good professional development?

SUPERIOR Focuses on specific, higher-order teaching strategies in content areas to increase the use of those strategies in the classroom.
Provides opportunities for active learning; is coherent or consistent with teachers' goals, and involves the participation of teachers from the same subject, grade level, or school.
The effort is both sustained and cumulative.
Teacher networks or study groups greatly enhance the professional development experience.

GOOD Provides opportunities for teacher learning in content area.
Fairly aligned with teachers' goals; participants are from the same subject, but may be from different schools or grade levels.
The effort is often sustained; teacher networks or study groups are an option, but not a requirement.

ACCEPTABLE Provides opportunities for teacher exposure in content area.
Participants are from the same subject, but from different schools and grade levels.
The effort is either sustained or cumulative; teacher networks or study groups are not well-structured or managed.

NEEDS REVISION Provides opportunities for teacher exposure in content area.
The effort is neither sustained nor cumulative. Teacher networks or study groups do not exist.

Teacher In-service Programs, K-12

INDICATOR Are the workshops well-designed and frequent?

SUPERIOR Programs or activities are frequent and coherent to enable positive change in teacher performances

GOOD Programs or activities are frequent enough to enable positive change in teacher performances

ACCEPTABLE Programs or activities are coherent, possibly not frequent enough for significant change in teacher behavior.

NEEDS REVISION Programs or activities too infrequent or non-coherent to make observable change in teacher performance

Relevance

INDICATOR How is the training topic chosen, and how important is it?

SUPERIOR Activities are interesting and aligned with the expressed needs of teachers from large samples and indicators

GOOD Activities are interesting, and somewhat aligned with the needs of teachers

ACCEPTABLE Activities are interesting, but not necessarily aligned with the needs of teachers, or aligned from a sample too limited in scope

NEEDS REVISION Activities are not aligned with the expressed needs or teachers

Professional Development Standards

INDICATOR Are national standards for professional development used?

SUPERIOR Exceptional alignment with standards for staff development, as well as national standards in science education. Consistently addresses teachers' needs as learners, opportunities for sharing experiences, reflection, and construction of knowledge and skills.

GOOD Good alignment with standards for staff development, as well as national standards in science education. Often addresses teachers' needs as learners, opportunities for sharing experiences, reflection, and construction of knowledge and skills.

ACCEPTABLE Aligns somewhat with standards for staff development, or with national standards in science education. Minimal concern for teachers' needs as learners.

NEEDS REVISION No alignment with standards for professional development in general, or for science education in particular. Teachers are viewed as objects of reform rather than partners in reform.

Teacher Effectiveness

INDICATOR How will teachers' skills be improved?

SUPERIOR Educators use information and materials in more effective and observable ways to reach learning objectives. Teachers model and emphasize the skills, attitudes, and values of scientific inquiry.

GOOD Substantial observable change in use of materials and information by teachers, relative to learning objectives. Some attention to skills of scientific inquiry.

ACCEPTABLE Some observable change in use of materials and information by teachers. Some coverage of scientific inquiry

NEEDS REVISION Teacher improvement in performance not observable. Lack of attention to scientific inquiry.

Follow-up

INDICATOR What does good follow-up look like?

SUPERIOR Training experiences include extensive time and support for teachers to improve their practice, eliciting their understandings, approaches, and related elements of instruction.

GOOD Training experiences include some time and support for improvement of teaching practice

ACCEPTABLE Training experiences include some time and support for improvement of teaching practice

NEEDS REVISION Training experiences do not allow or support time for teachers to improve their practice

Delivery

INDICATOR What is the ideal role for teachers in the training?

SUPERIOR Teachers are active participants in the development of their own knowledge or understanding of the enterprise

GOOD Teachers are active participants, emphasis is on understanding the enterprise

ACCEPTABLE Teachers are active participants, emphasis is on knowledge of the enterprise

NEEDS REVISION Teachers are passive recipients of information

Teacher Pre-service Programs, K-12

INDICATOR What are good pre-service programs like?

SUPERIOR Program has excellent balance in both subject-matter content and pedagogy. Program serves a model for replication
Significant and exemplary degree of involvement by Education faculty

GOOD Program has good balance in both subject-matter content and pedagogy
High degree of involvement by Education faculty

ACCEPTABLE Program is adequate in subject-matter content, less than adequate in pedagogy
Some participation by Education faculty

NEEDS REVISION Programs rely too heavily on either content or pedagogy
No participation of Education faculty

Content: Richard Alvidrez
Web Developer: Kristy Kawasaki

INDICATOR	What are characteristics of good professional development?
SUPERIOR	Focuses on specific, higher-order teaching strategies in content areas to increase the use of those strategies in the classroom. Provides opportunities for active learning; is coherent or consistent with teachers' goals, and involves the participation of teachers from the same subject, grade level, or school. The effort is both sustained and cumulative. Teacher networks or study groups greatly enhance the professional development experience.
GOOD	Provides opportunities for teacher learning in content area. Fairly aligned with teachers' goals; participants are from the same subject, but may be from different schools or grade levels. The effort is often sustained; teacher networks or study groups are an option, but not a requirement.
ACCEPTABLE	Provides opportunities for teacher exposure in content area. Participants are from the same subject, but from different schools and grade levels. The effort is either sustained or cumulative; teacher networks or study groups are not well-structured or managed.
NEEDS REVISION	Provides opportunities for teacher exposure in content area. The effort is neither sustained nor cumulative. Teacher networks or study groups do not exist.

INDICATOR	Are the workshops well-designed and frequent?
SUPERIOR	Programs or activities are frequent and coherent to enable positive change in teacher performances
GOOD	Programs or activities are frequent enough to enable positive change in teacher performances
ACCEPTABLE	Programs or activities are coherent, possibly not frequent enough for significant change in teacher behavior.
NEEDS REVISION	Programs or activities too infrequent or non-coherent to make observable change in teacher performance

INDICATOR	How is the training topic chosen, and how important is it?
SUPERIOR	Activities are interesting and aligned with the expressed needs of teachers from large samples and indicators
GOOD	Activities are interesting, and somewhat aligned with the needs of teachers
ACCEPTABLE	Activities are interesting, but not necessarily aligned with the needs of teachers, or aligned from a sample too limited in scope
NEEDS REVISION	Activities are not aligned with the expressed needs or teachers

INDICATOR	Are national standards for professional development used?
SUPERIOR	Exceptional alignment with standards for staff development, as well as national standards in science education. Consistently addresses teachers' needs as learners, opportunities for sharing experiences, reflection, and construction of knowledge and skills.
GOOD	Good alignment with standards for staff development, as well as national standards in science education. Often addresses teachers' needs as learners, opportunities for sharing experiences, reflection, and construction of knowledge and skills.
ACCEPTABLE	Aligns somewhat with standards for staff development, or with national standards in science education. Minimal concern for teachers' needs as learners.
NEEDS REVISION	No alignment with standards for professional development in general, or for science education in particular. Teachers are viewed as objects of reform rather than partners in reform.

INDICATOR	How will teachers' skills be improved?
SUPERIOR	Educators use information and materials in more effective and observable ways to reach learning objectives. Teachers model and emphasize the skills, attitudes, and values of scientific inquiry.
GOOD	Substantial observable change in use of materials and information by teachers, relative to learning objectives. Some attention to skills of scientific inquiry.
ACCEPTABLE	Some observable change in use of materials and information by teachers. Some coverage of scientific inquiry
NEEDS REVISION	Teacher improvement in performance not observable. Lack of attention to scientific inquiry.

INDICATOR	What does good follow-up look like?
SUPERIOR	Training experiences include extensive time and support for teachers to improve their practice, eliciting their understandings, approaches, and related elements of instruction.
GOOD	Training experiences include some time and support for improvement of teaching practice
ACCEPTABLE	Training experiences include some time and support for improvement of teaching practice
NEEDS REVISION	Training experiences do not allow or support time for teachers to improve their practice

INDICATOR	What is the ideal role for teachers in the training?
SUPERIOR	Teachers are active participants in the development of their own knowledge or understanding of the enterprise
GOOD	Teachers are active participants, emphasis is on understanding the enterprise
ACCEPTABLE	Teachers are active participants, emphasis is on knowledge of the enterprise
NEEDS REVISION	Teachers are passive recipients of information

INDICATOR	What are good pre-service programs like?
SUPERIOR	Program has excellent balance in both subject-matter content and pedagogy. Program serves a model for replication Significant and exemplary degree of involvement by Education faculty
GOOD	Program has good balance in both subject-matter content and pedagogy High degree of involvement by Education faculty
ACCEPTABLE	Program is adequate in subject-matter content, less than adequate in pedagogy Some participation by Education faculty
NEEDS REVISION	Programs rely too heavily on either content or pedagogy No participation of Education faculty