Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions

 Content Knowledge for Teacher Candidates

Content expertise is one of the main elements of the Conceptual Framework of the School of Education. Hence, there is a clear commitment to ensuring that Teacher Candidates have the appropriate subject area knowledge. The Teacher Education Programs at the College of William and Mary ensure that teacher candidates have the in-depth knowledge of the subject matter they plan to teach through entrance requirements, the structure of the curriculum, standardized testing, and direct observation.

Entrance Requirements. Undergraduates at the College of William and Mary are able to apply for entry into teacher preparation programs during the second semester of their sophomore year. The School of Education has established a minimum GPA requirement of 2.5 for entry into Education programs. Students must also be in good standing with the College at the time of their admission. The average GPA of undergraduates admitted since the fall 1999 semester is 3.01 on a four-point scale. This GPA is evidence that undergraduate candidates have a strong background in their subject matter upon entry into the program.

Graduate students apply for entry into Teacher Education Programs during the spring semester of each year. Applicants for the master's level Teacher Education Programs must meet the following criteria for admission:

·        Conferred Bachelor’s degree verified by official transcripts.

·        Minimum GPA of 2.5 in undergraduate coursework.

·        A personal essay to demonstrate his/her writing ability and communication skills.

·        Scores above the 40^th percentile on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). (Until 2002, scores from the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) were also accepted.)

·        Three letters of recommendation from persons qualified to evaluate the applicant’s personal, ethical, and academic or professional qualifications for graduate study.

The Teacher Education Program faculty and the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee review all applications to select entering classes and ensure that all requirements have been met. School of Education admissions data for graduate Teacher Education Programs are presented in Tables 1.1 and 1.2. The selectivity of the graduate program is apparent from the data provided. Those admitted to the master's programs scored on average from the mid-50th to mid-60^th percentile on the both Quantitative and Verbal tests of the GRE, and their average scores on the MAT ranged from the high-50^th to mid-70^th percentiles.  Mean undergraduate GPAs have consistently topped 3.0. 

Table 1.1. Master's Degree Teacher Education Programs Admission Data

Year	Applicants	Admitted Students	Offers Accepted	Percent Admitted	Percent Offers Accepted
2000	84	60	33	71%	55%
2001	74	53	25	72%	47%
2002	104	58	32	56%	55%
2003	98	60	31	61%	52%

 

Table 1.2. Master's Degree Teacher Education Programs Test and GPA Admissions Data *

Year	Applicants			Admitted Students			Enrolled Students
	GRE  Q	GRE V	GPA	GRE  Q	GRE V	GPA	GRE  Q	GRE V	GPA
2000	53	59	3.2	56	67	3.2	54	66	3.2
2001	59	62	3.2	58	62	3.3	57	65	3.2
2002	57	68	3.2	59	74	3.3	58	73	3.2
2003	57	71	3.3	57	72	3.4	54	74	3.4

* GRE data are presented as percentile ranks. For 2003, GRE Q percentiles of 57 and 54 equated to standard scores of approximately 620 and 610. GRE V percentiles of 74, 72, and 71 equated to standard scores of 560, 550, and 540.

Structure of the Curriculum. The undergraduate Teacher Education Programs leading to endorsement to teach require a dual concentration (major). Students are required to select a departmental or interdisciplinary concentration in the Arts and Sciences as a primary concentration, and they are also required to declare a second concentration in Education. In addition to meeting the specific requirements of the chosen concentration(s), all William and Mary undergraduates are required to fulfill General Education Requirements (GERs) in seven areas (see http://www.wm.edu/FAS/faculty/ger.php or The 2003-2004 Undergraduate Course Catalog page 47). GERs are each defined by a specific domain of knowledge, skill, or experience that the faculty considers crucial to a liberal education.  The aim of general education at William and Mary is to help students develop critical judgment, imagination, and moral autonomy. Specifically, the GERs are intended to ensure that our students are able to think clearly and communicate thought, are highly literate, are able to understand and deal with numerical data, and can comprehend the fundamental principles of the natural and social sciences. Furthermore, in an age of global interdependence, it is imperative that students be knowledgeable about their own cultural heritage and about cultures very different from their own. Students also need to be aware of the possibilities of artistic creativity as a means of expressing human meaning, and to be familiar with aesthetic forms and achievements, recognizing how profoundly they mirror and shape culture. Finally, it is evident that the complexities of modern society require citizens capable of discerning and analyzing competing values and of dealing responsibly with moral questions of great personal and social importance. When combined with the thoroughness and focus brought by the student’s concentration and the freedom of exploration brought by the elective component of the student’s curriculum, the GERs help to develop the breadth of integrated knowledge that characterizes the liberally educated person.

Each GER is reviewed over a five-year period. During a review, courses that satisfy a GER are evaluated collectively. The university’s Assessment Office collects course portfolios from faculty members teaching GER courses. A Working Group of faculty members evaluates the portfolios to determine the extent to which GER criteria are being met in the courses. In addition, parallel surveys ask students and faculty members to rate the extent to which GER criteria are being met in their GER courses. Based on summary results from the portfolio analyses and student and faculty surveys, the Working Group submits a report to the Arts and Sciences Educational Policy Committee and the Assessment Steering Committee.

 

GER 4 (World Cultures and History) is the last of the GERs to be reviewed in the first round of assessments. The Working Group submitted its report to the Arts and Sciences Educational Policy Committee and the Assessment Steering Committee in June 2003. The committees are reviewing the reports and will present recommendations for the curriculum and the assessment process later this year. The recommendations will reflect an emphasis on institutional effectiveness.

Beyond the GERs and departmental concentration requirements for all William and Mary students, the School of Education, in collaboration with its Arts and Sciences partners, has prescribed particular Arts and Sciences coursework for those preparing to teach. The purpose of these additional requirements is to make certain that those being prepared to teach are exposed to the content required or recommended by professional and state standards. For example, Elementary Education candidates must include at least one three-credit course in each of the following:

1.Study of the English language (English 220 or 406 is recommended, listed under GER 3)

2.Literature (English 201 is recommended, listed under GER 5; any 200-level English literature course is acceptable)

3. American History or American Government (History 201 or 202 satisfy GER 4A)4.Geography (either Geology 110 or Government 381 is recommended; any course identified under Geography in the undergraduate catalog is acceptable)

Candidates in Secondary Education areas have even more extensive requirements to ensure that they are exposed to the content required by state and professional standards. For example, Secondary English candidates are required to have a major in English that includes:

1.  6 hours in British literature: one course in literature before 1800, selected from ENG 312, 323, 324, 331, 332; one course in literature after 1800, selected from ENG 341, 342, 352.

2.  6 hours in American literature, selected from among ENG 207, 361, 362,363, 364.

3.  3 hours in Shakespeare selected from ENG 429, 430, 435, 436, 439, 440, 452, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459.

4.  3 hours in the study of a genre selected from ENG 429, 430, 435, 436, 439, 440, 452, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459.

5.  3 hours in upper level creative writing or advanced composition courses selected from ENG 301, 305, 306, 401, 402, 469, 470.

6.  6 hours in linguistics (ENG 220 and 303 required).

7.  3 hours in world literature selected from ENG 436, 437, or an appropriate 455.

8.  3 hours in Literature for Adolescents (ENG 465-03).

9.  3 hours in a course that heavily emphasizes the work of women writers, such as ENG 463, or an appropriate 455, 465, 0r 475.

 All of these additional requirements are described in the 2003-2004 Undergraduate Course Catalog and in the folios produced for the specialty organizations. The specialty organization folios also detail the alignment of the curriculum with the relevant content knowledge standards.

As indicated in the previous section, all master’s degree applicants to teacher preparation programs are required to hold a Bachelor’s degree and to provide official transcripts as evidence of their academic work. Table 1.2 shows the undergraduate GPA of Candidates admitted to teacher preparation programs has been consistently above 3.2. Program faculty also complete a transcript analysis of each candidate to verify that they have satisfied the requirements of the professional organizations and the state. The specific requirements for each of the areas of initial preparation are outlined in the School of Education Graduate Programs Catalog. The decision of admission is based on the candidates’ providing evidence that they meet the requirements with their current academic history or agreeing that they will satisfy any deficiencies by completing the appropriate course work prior to graduation.

Standardized testing. Since 1996, all candidates for teaching licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia have been required to pass Praxis I.  Passing Praxis II has been required for teaching licensure in the secondary disciplines for a similar time period. Praxis II became a requirement for Elementary Education in 2002, thus no data are yet available.  Table 1.3 shows the number of test takers and pass rates on the Praxis exams for School of Education Teacher Education Program students over the past three years. These pass rates are based on the cut scores established by the state of Virginia, which are among the highest in the nation. Since the School of Education did not require the passing of Praxis I or II prior to entry into or graduation from Teacher Education Programs during the time period reported in the tables, the pass rates indicate a realistic assessment of the individuals that have been selected for preparation in the Teacher Education Programs.  More detailed data on the Praxis I and II test results are available through the examination of the Title II Reports available in the Evidence Room. Data in Table 1.3 indicate that Teacher Education Program Candidates have acquired mastery of the subject matter that they plan to teach. The aggregate pass rates for Praxis I and Praxis II over the three year period were 96% and 91% respectively.

 

Table 1.3. Praxis I and II Pass Rates for School of Education Program Completers

 

Direct Observation. Candidates' ability to apply subject matter knowledge to create meaningful learning experiences is demonstrated thoroughly in student teaching.  Table 1.4 below summarizes four years of student teaching evaluations by University Supervisors and Cooperating Teachers.  Mean ratings over the four-year period in the area of Instructional Skills indicate that William and Mary candidates in the Teacher Education Programs have demonstrated knowledge of subject matter and ways to teach it effectively to diverse learners in K-12 classrooms. Of particular note are the mean ratings on the item “Demonstrates Knowledge of Subject Matter.” The average ratings were 2.80 and 2.85 for Cooperating Teachers and University Supervisors, respectively.

Table 1.4. Final Student Teaching Evaluations Summary for All Teacher Candidates From Fall 1999 to Spring 2003.

Area	Cooperating Teachers	University Supervisors	Number Below Expectations
INSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS
Demonstrates ability to plan, organize and prepare
Demonstrates Knowledge of Subject Matter	2.80	2.85	2
Selects Appropriate Activities/Approaches	2.83	2.83	1
Uses Material and Resources to Effectively Accommodate Students	2.81	2.78	4
Provides for Individual Differences Among Students	2.64	2.54	2
Prepares Lessons for Appropriate Content and Grade Level	2.82	2.85	6
Demonstrates Reflective Decision Making	2.91	2.90	3
Exhibits Effective Delivery and Presentation Skills
Communicates Effectively Based on Planned Lessons	2.76	2.84	2
Uses Instructional Strategies to Actively Engage Students	2.82	2.81	3
Monitors Students Progress	2.77	2.75	1
Accommodates for Individual Differences	2.64