The University of Alabama’s College of Education provides impact and outcome indicators based on the accountability measures designated by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). These measures allow the EPP to provide information to the general public about EPP program outcomes and EPP candidates’ and program completers’ impact on P-12 learning.
Below are the four CAEP measures with links that provide additional supporting evidence for the measures:
| Impact Measures | Outcome Measures |
|---|---|
| Measure 1 (Initial). Completer Effectiveness and Impact on P-12 Learning and Development (Component R4.1) | Measure 3 (Initial and/or Advanced). Candidate Competency at Program Completion (Component R3.3 | RA 3.4) (see below.) |
| Measure 2 (Initial and/ or Advanced). Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Involvement (Components R4.2| R5.3| RA.4.1) (see below.) | Measure 4 (Initial and/or Advanced). Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Are Prepared (see below.) |
UA College of Education Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Highlights
edTPA
edTPA is a nationally recognized performance-based assessment. Teacher candidates will participate in this process during their student teaching internship. The assessment focuses on the teaching and learning cycle of plan, instruct, and assess. Similar to other licensure exams, the edTPA adds prestige to the teaching profession by ensuring the quality of teacher candidates. edTPA portfolios are scored by highly trained educators from around the country on a double-blind platform, to promote unbiased scoring. Starting September 1, 2018, Alabama teacher candidates have been required to obtain a predetermined cut score on the edTPA to be eligible for a teacher certification. The University of Alabama provides multiple support systems to promote candidates’ success on the edTPA. During the 2020-2021 school year over 92% of the University’s teacher candidates passed edTPA on their first attempt with 100% of our student teaching interns passing edTPA prior to graduation.
Praxis Subject Assessments
Teacher candidates take the Praxis Subject Assessments tests as requirement to enter the teacher internship. Passing this content knowledge assessment is required as part of the Alabama State Department of Education’s certification process. According to Educational Testing Service (ETS), these assessments measure subject knowledge, as well as subject-specific and general teaching knowledge and skills.
Accreditations and Recognitions
To review UA COE programs currently recognized by national organizations, as well certification programs approved by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), please go to https://education.ua.edu/accreditation/
Measure 2 (Initial and/ or Advanced). Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Involvement (Components R4.2| R5.3| RA.4.1)
Initial
The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) report card displays survey results for Employer’s rating First-Year Teachers. The data provides the percentage of employers who rate their first-year teachers as teacher leader, effective teacher, emerging teacher, or ineffective teacher. Employer responses (percentages) of First-Year teachers from The University of Alabama were compared with Alabama Statewide Colleges First-Year teachers. Group comparison percentages were examined across all 26 of the items. The following infographic highlights three of the areas where the teacher leader/ effective teacher percentages were higher for The University of Alabama than Alabama statewide colleges. While these were not the only areas The University of Alabama scored well in, the comparison of percent of teachers scoring in the two highest categories from The University of Alabama compared to that of the statewide collective was noteworthy.
Advanced
The EPP has developed a phase-in plan to demonstrate satisfaction of employers (RA4.1) by developing, implementing, and administering and advanced certification employer survey.
During Summer 2022, the EPP will initiate the survey development process and ask for stakeholder feedback before finalizing the survey for piloting. From Fall 2022-Spring 2023, the EPP will pilot the employer survey. It is expected that the EPP will analyze the pilot data and determine if modifications are needed late Spring 2023 or early Summer 2023.
Stakeholder Involvement (Initial and Advanced Certification)
The EPP values the importance that both internal and external stakeholders play in support of the EPP and in the preparation of educators. The involvement of both internal and external stakeholders strengthens the EPP’s continuous improvement efforts. The EPP’s stakeholders engage in discussions that provide feedback to the EPP. These stakeholders include alumni (e.g., Board of Advisors) and school district practitioners (e.g., Clinical Experiences Advisory Committee). The EPP has provided some highlights of the involvement that our stakeholders have had for our initial certification candidates. Additionally, the EPP has included a description of the key internal and external EPP stakeholders.
Measure 3 (Initial and/or Advanced). Candidate Competency at Program Completion (Component R3.3 | RA 3.4)
Initial
edTPA is a nationally recognized performance-based assessment. Teacher candidates will participate in this process during their student teaching internship. The assessment focuses on the teaching and learning cycle of plan, instruct, and assess. Similar to other licensure exams, the edTPA adds prestige to the teaching profession by ensuring the quality of teacher candidates. edTPA portfolios are scored by highly trained educators from around the country on a double-blind platform, to promote unbiased scoring. Starting September 1, 2018, Alabama teacher candidates have been required to obtain a predetermined cut score on the edTPA to be eligible for a teacher certification. The University of Alabama provides multiple support systems to promote candidates’ success on the edTPA. The following infographic displays the success The University of Alabama candidates have experienced with edTPA by highlighting the mean score of The University of Alabama candidates as being higher than that of the state of Alabama mean score and the national edTPA mean score.
Advanced
Measure 4 (Initial and/or Advanced). Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Are Prepared
The EPP is committed to preparing effective educators who positively impact P-12 student learning, growth, and development. As part of the EPP’s commitment to preparing effective educators, the EPP recognizes its part in ensuring our completers are employed in positions for which they have been prepared. The infographics detail EPP completers’ ability to be employed in positions for which they were prepared.