NCATE ID: 10826
AACTE SID: 1260
Institution: Gallaudet University
Unit: Graduate School and Professional Programs
Next Accreditation Visit: Spring 2002
Last Accreditation Visit Spring 1997

Unit Head Name: Thomas Allen
Unit Head Phone: (202) 651-5520
Unit Phone: (202) 651-5520
Unit Head Fax: (202) 651-5027
Unit Head EMail: Thomas.Allen@gallaudet.edu
NCATE Coordinator: Pat Hulsebosch
Coordinator Phone: (202) 651-5530
Coordinator Fax: (202) 651-5860
Coordinator Email: Patricia.Hulsebosch@gallaudet.edu
CEO: I. King Jordan
CEO Phone: (202) 651-5005
CEO Fax: (202) 651-5008
CEO Email: king.jordan@gallaudet.edu

The year 2000 was a year of transition: for NCATE, for Gallaudet University, and for Gallaudet’s Education Unit. Gallaudet University is scheduled for a reaccredidation visit from NCATE in spring of 2002. With that date in mind, and also mindful of the need to transition to performance-based assessment as described in NCATE 2000 standards, in the Fall of 2000, Gallaudet’s education unit began the task of shifting from a paradigm of program improvement focused on inputs, to one focused on outcomes.

Fall of 2000 was also a transition time for Gallaudet as we underwent a process of restructuring our Schools and hiring new Deans. The Unit, which was largely contained within our School of Education and Human Services (SEHS), has now found a new home within the larger Graduate School and Professional Programs (GSPP), with a new Dean, Dr. Thomas Allen. One of the final acts of the faculty governance body of SEHS was to describe a transition plan to ensure the integrity of and support for the NCATE Unit.

Gallaudet’s NCATE Steering Committee (made up of representatives from each of the Departments or Programs of the Unit), in conjunction with colleagues in Arts and Sciences, spent much of Fall, 2000 analyzing the NCATE 2000 Standards and developing a preliminary Conceptual Framework to guide our program improvement processes. Steering Committee and Program Committees and partners are now addressing the shift in thinking (from inputs to outcomes) necessary as we move to making fundamental changes in how we go about preparing teachers and school personnel. The results of that programmatic and unit self-study and change, including a detailed assessment plan, will be fully reported in Gallaudet University’s Institutional Report to be completed at the end of 2001.

What follows is a report of the continuing activities of Gallaudet’s Education Unit. These continuing activities are largely based in and tied to the former NCATE standards.

The conceptual framework(s) establishes the shared vision for a unit's efforts in preparing educators to work effectively in P-12 schools. It provides direction for programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, scholarship, service, and unit accountability. The conceptual framework(s) is knowledge-based, articulated, shared, coherent, consistent with the unit and/or institutional mission, and continuously evaluated.

Please indicate evaluations of and changes made to the unit's conceptual framework (if any) during this year:

During the previous accreditation cycle, each Program or Department developed its own Conceptual Frameworks. As part of the current cycle of self-study for reaccredidation, Gallaudet’s Unit decided to develop a Unit-wide Conceptual Framework as a more powerful tool for guidance and cohesion in program restructuring. The NCATE Steering Committee, with input from colleagues in Arts and Sciences, has developed an initial Conceptual Framework. The Conceptual Framework is being refined by "crosswalking" it with institutional and professional standards, and through input from the larger professional community.

Conceptual framework weaknesses cited as a result of the last NCATE review:

Candidates are unable to articulate the unit's knowledge-based model or to relate course content and learning experiences to the model.

Please indicate how the unit has addressed these weaknesses.

• Students expressing and interest in, applying to, and beginning programs within the unit receive written information outlining the program’s Conceptual Framework

• Each of the programs in the unit provides information about their Conceptual Framework during orientations to the program

• Most of the programs incorporate discussion of their program’s Conceptual Framework at key points in the program, such as in an introductory or first semester course, and prior to internships

• Program Handbooks have been revised to include Conceptual Frameworks

• Faculty reinforce key elements of Conceptual Frameworks through interactions

• In the BA in Education and the MA in Deaf Education programs the following changes and/or improvements begun in 1998, have continued in 1999 and 2000 to address weaknesses in Conceptual Framework:

• All course syllabi now describe how the course relates to Program goals and philosophy

• Reflective learning and teaching is modeled and supported in courses

• In addition, in the School Counseling Program concepts related to their Conceptual Framework are taught in a core first semester course, "Orientation to the Profession of School Counseling", the content of which will be tested on for mastery.

Candidates preparing to work in schools as teachers or other professional school personnel know the content of their fields, demonstrate professional and pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions and apply them so that all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards.

• Candidates go through a number of screening processes from the point of consideration for admission to each of the Unit’s programs, to actual graduation from the program.

Admission: Each program has a set of admission requirements designed to provide information about the potential candidate from varying perspectives. Admission requirements include: grade point average; test scores; course or degree background; letters of support; responses to personal essays; and, in many programs, an admission interview through which faculty can assess dispositions, as well as knowledge.

Program Transition Points: All programs in the unit assess candidates at one or more mid-program points for continuation in the program. All programs require a specified grade point average for continuation in the program, as well as specified grades in program courses. At the doctoral level, programs assess candidates through comprehensive and qualifying examinations.

Ongoing Assessment: Personal suitability and dispositions are monitored and assessed in Introductory courses, Practicum, and Internship courses, and through personal ongoing contact with the Academic Advisor and the Program Director throughout the programs.

Clinical Experiences: Candidates in many programs are being assessed through the use of videotapes and observation during clinical experiences.

Graduation: Candidates in the Department of Education are required to submit a Graduation Portfolio for completion of the program.

• School Psychology Program was re-approved by the National Association of School Psychologists in spring 2000 for a five-year period.

• Programs are currently reviewing and developing institutional standards and assessments for alignment with national and professional standards. Programs are discussing the use of these standards, along with accompanying benchmarks and criteria, for performance assessment of candidates throughout the programs.

• Programs are beginning discussions about what dispositions we seek in program graduates and how to assess these dispositions.

• A Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions Committee, made up of representatives from all Programs and Departments within the unit, is currently aggregating and sharing data on:

• Standards of their respective professional organizations around which their programs are designed

• Candidate knowledge, skills, and dispositions as evidence through currently collected data

"The unit has an assessment system that collects and analyzes data on the applicant qualifications, the candidate and graduate performance, and unit operations to evaluate and improve the unit and its programs."

• Each of the Programs within the unit has recently completed a self-study process that led to a Program Review document for submission to their professional organization.

• Assessment regularly takes place at several levels of in Gallaudet’s Unit:

• Candidate Assessment (see description in Standard 1)
• Program Assessment
• Department Evaluation
• Unit Evaluation
• University Strategic Planning

• The School Counseling program uses scores on the Praxis I and Specialty Area, and scores on the National Counselor Examination (NCE) which our students are qualified to take during their internship experience or upon graduation from the program for assessment. The scores of each examination are further broken down into categories that can be compared to the core areas of study of the school counseling program, which gives a perhaps more objective assessment of program strength and weakness.

• The School Psychology Program did a survey of graduates and of their supervisors/employers as part of their program evaluation activity in fall 2000.

• The Unit has formed an Assessment Committee whose charge is to compile information on our current assessment practices, both internal and external, at all levels. They will then identify what’s needed for a Plan for the systematic collection, analysis, and use of assessment data for program improvement (e.g. additional performance assessments, alignment with standards, criteria, aggregating data.

"The unit and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates and other school personnel develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn."

New activities include:

• In the School Counseling Program, additional opportunities for collaboration between site supervisors and department faculty have been created by the addition of "Supervisor Training Workshops" which have been incorporated into a semester end dinner for supervisors. During this meeting, supervisors from a variety of sites have the opportunity to discuss not only their specific site but are also exposed to new supervisory concepts/methods/models for their own growth. The feedback from field supervisors regarding this addition has been overwhelmingly positive. It should also be noted that a new field supervisor’s manual has been developed and distributed for site supervisors. This guide provides information about each of the existing programs, access to all forms and standard information needed by a field supervisor, a copy of the professional association code of ethics and any pertinent legal documentation, as well as general information about the University.

• Collaborative work between Department of Education faculty and Chair and the government of

Nigeria resulting in additional resources for school for deaf children in Nigeria and funding for doctoral study in deaf education for Nigerian school personnel

• Reciprocal resource and information exchange between Department of Ed and Clerc Center faculty as part of the "Signs of Literacy" study of literacy acquisition in deaf children
  
• The Department of Education has found new ways to partner with schools through:

• A funded grant written with school partners to prepare teachers for multiply-disabled students
• Program courses taught on-site at schools by school personnel
• A first-year graduate /intern hired at a "regular education" school site with university support for interpreting

• Revised UG Early Childhood Program through the work of a Task Force made up of teachers, administrators, and faculty in both the graduate and undergraduate programs

• Expanded field experiences at the Clerc Center based in the work of the ECE Task Force

Continuing activities in this area include:

• A full-time faculty member assumes responsibility for all practicum coordination focusing on relationships with partner schools

• The Chair of the Department of Education has initiated contact with partner schools through visits, collaborations on grants, and professional meetings

• The Education and Deaf Education faculty are actively involved in partnerships to promote improved teacher quality in China, Philippines, Mexico, Kenya and Nigeria

"The unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. These experiences include working with diverse higher education and school faculty, diverse candidates, and diverse students in P-12 schools."

• The Department of Educational Foundations and Research offers a course required of all graduate students in teacher education: EDF 730 Multicultural Education. The purpose of EDF730 is to prepare future teachers and others in the helping professions to respond appropriately to the needs of a culturally diverse student or client base.

• Dr. Gerner de Garcia — through Project Threads — has offered an Institute on Multicultural Leadership Skills. The project trained a group of 21 teachers from across the country in multicultural leadership through annual summer institutes.

• Members of departments through the Diversity Council worked to coordinate and plan for campus-wide activities to promote understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. Faculty members also had several publications, workshops and presentations impacting this area. For example, Dr. Gerner de Garcia — as a member of the Diversity Council — has worked to coordinate and plan for campus-wide activities to promote understanding and appreciation of cultural diversity. Dr. Gerner de Garcia also had several publications, workshops and presentations in this area. Dr. Mertens with her publications about transformative theory in research and evaluation in education has brought that perspective to our students.

• In the School Counseling Program, in addition to courses in the general curriculum, diversity was addressed this year through an intensive weekend experience offered in the fall semester of study, "SimSoc". Lead by outside facilitators, the focus was experiential for all participants. Participation was open to all graduate students and faculty.

• The Department of Education has sought to strengthen the diversity of its candidates in the following ways:

• The UG Program Director made presentations on teaching as a career to each student affinity groups (e.g., African American Student Group)
• The UG ECE program has held information sessions featuring candidates and teachers in ECE speaking about their experiences
• A Future Teachers organization was begun at Gallaudet’s Model Demonstration School (high school) which has a large minority population
• There has been an active effort to improve retention of students with diverse backgrounds through advising and mentoring
• The UG program has been discussing ways to reach high school students in other states through our recruitment process

• Kappa Delta Pi, the education honor society, featured "Diversity" as its main professional development event of the year. The panel for that evening represented a diverse group of educators working in schools, who spoke of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for teaching all students

Weaknesses related to Standard 4 cited as a result of the last NCATE review:

The composition of the faculty in the professional education unit represents limited racial diversity.

Please indicate how the unit has addressed these weaknesses.

• The Department of Education has sought to strengthen the diversity of its faculty through aggressively seeking diverse candidates for this year’s open faculty position. As a result of those efforts they were able to hire a renowned expert in Deaf Education, who is herself deaf and African American and who has a reputation for community-based recruitment of diverse students.

• The School Psychology has retained the new faculty member hired in 1999 who is an African-American/Hispanic female

• The Department of Education reappointed the tenure track faculty member who is African-American and deaf.

Faculty are qualified and model best professional practices in scholarship, service, and teaching, including the assessment of their own effectiveness as related to candidate performance; they also collaborate with colleagues in the disciplines and schools. The unit systematically evaluates faculty performance and facilitates professional development.

Please indicate any significant evaluations, changes and/or improvements related to Standard 5 that occurred in your unit this year:

• In the Department of Education, two faculty completed their Ph.D.’s

• All Departments and Programs monitor instructor effectiveness through course evaluations. Course evaluations are included in faculty portfolios and used in faculty’s annual performance reviews. The Department of Educational Foundations and Research uses course evaluations to assess effectiveness across Department. For example, in DEFR, across all courses, about 75% of students taking courses in the department over the past five years have seen the instructor as very effective. This ranges from a low of 60% from EDF 801 to a high of 85% in EDF 802. The variation is due to 801 being a high stress introduction to statistics course that was taught by very unsuccessful adjuncts two of the five years. About 75% of the students across all courses over the five-year period saw a highly effective use of instructional materials. Because of the frequent use of adjuncts in EDF 801, that course defines the bottom of the courses; however, a considerable improvement in student evaluations occurs in EDF 802 because a permanent regular member of the faculty has consistently taught the course. While the instructors in EDF 810 and EDF 811 enjoyed relatively high levels of personal regard from the students, their use of materials in the courses has not been as consistently high.

"The unit has the leadership, authority, budget, personnel, facilities, and resources, including information technology resources, for the preparation of candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards."

Gallaudet is a leader in the use of technology resources for instruction. Within Gallaudet the Department of Educational Foundations and Research DEFR is a pioneer department in the integration of technology in its teaching. All students from undergraduates in educational psychology through masters’ candidates in courses in research methods or Multicultural education to doctoral students in statistics and advanced research design courses experienced state of the art instruction delivered in a multitude of formats and through a variety of delivery systems. DEFR also participated in the pilot project to post syllabi on the web as a means to improve student access to instructional information. For example, Dr. Kluwin has conducted a study of the communicative effectiveness of cochlear implants. Dr. King has developed and evaluated online learning tools for deaf students. Dr. Mertens has ongoing projects related to the provision of services to parents of deaf children.

The Unit, which was largely contained within our School of Education and Human Services (SEHS), has now found a new home within the larger Graduate School and Professional Programs (GSPP), with a new Dean, Dr. Thomas Allen. One of the final acts of the faculty governance body of SEHS was to describe a transition plan to ensure the integrity of and support for the NCATE Unit.

Pat Hulsebosch
NCATE Coordinator

[Gallaudet Campus Overview] [Professional Education Overview] [Partners in Education] [NCATE Overview] [Conceptual Framework]
[Institutional Report] [Standards] [Technology] [Gallaudet Information] [Laurent Clerc Center] [Academics] [Campus Culture] [Faculty & Staff]

Website designed by Susan J. King, GSPP/TIS for NCATE at Gallaudet University, Last updated: 2/5/02
Questions about NCATE at Gallaudet? Contact Patricia Hulsebosch, Department of Education