Nebraska Administrative Code
Topic - EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
Title 92 - NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Chapter 20 - GUIDELINES RECOMMENDED FOR USE WITH RULE 20 (APPROVAL OF TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS)
Section 92-20-006.05 - Unit Program Standards
Current through March 20, 2024
Each Nebraska teacher education institution must have on file, within the institution, a plan which identifies the program standards and data which will be used to assess the quality of the teacher education unit.
THE FOLLOWING ARE RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR INCLUSION AS PART OF THE INSTITUTION'S PLAN UNDER THIS STANDARD
A. A conceptual framework(s) establishes the shared vision for the 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.
B. Candidate Performance
Element- content knowledge for teacher candidates: Teacher candidates have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter they plan to teach as described in professional, state, and institutional standards. They demonstrate their knowledge through inquiry, critical analysis, and synthesis of the subject.
Element- content knowledge for other professional school personnel: Candidates for other professional school roles have a thorough understanding of the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of their fields as delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards and shown through inquiry, critical analysis, and synthesis.
Element- pedagogical content knowledge for teacher candidates: Teacher candidates reflect a thorough understanding of pedagogical content knowledge delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards.
Element- professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills for teacher candidates: Candidates reflect a thorough understanding of professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards, as shown in their development of meaningful learning experiences to facilitate student learning for all students. They reflect on their practice and make necessary adjustments to enhance student learning. They know how students learn and how to make ideas accessible to them. They consider school, family, and community contexts in connecting concepts to students' prior experience, and applying the ideas to real-world problems.
Element-professional knowledge and skills for other school personnel: Candidates have an in-depth understanding of professional knowledge in their fields as delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. They collect and analyze data related to their work, reflect on their practice, and use research and technology to support and improve student learning.
Element-dispositions for all candidates: Candidates' work with students, families, and communities reflects the dispositions expected of professional educators as delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Candidates recognize when their own dispositions may need to be adjusted and are able to develop plans to do so.
Element-student learning for teacher candidates: Teacher candidates accurately assess and analyze student learning, make appropriate adjustment to instruction, monitor student learning, and have a positive effect on learning for all students.
Element-student learning for other professional school personnel: Candidates for other professional school roles critique and reflect on their work within the context of student learning. They establish educational environments that support student learning, collect and analyze data related to student learning, and apply strategies for improving student learning within their own jobs and schools.
Element-assessment system: The unit, with the involvement of its professional community, is implementing an assessment system that reflects the conceptual framework(s) and incorporates candidate proficiencies outlined in professional and state standards. The unit continuously examines the validity and utility of the data produced through assessments and makes modifications to keep abreast of changes in assessment technology and in professional standards. Decisions about candidate performance are based on multiple assessments made at multiple points before program completion. Data show the strong relationship of performance assessments to candidate success. The unit conducts thorough studies to establish fairness, accuracy, and consistency of its performance assessment procedures. It also makes changes in its practices consistent with the results of these studies.
Element-data collection, analysis, and evaluation: The unit is implementing its assessment system and providing regular and comprehensive data on program quality, unit operations, and candidate performance at each stage of a program, including the first years of practice. Data from candidates, graduates, faculty; and other members of the professional community are based on multiple assessments from both internal and external sources. Data are regularly and systematically collected, compiled, summarized, analyzed, and reported publicly for the purpose of improving candidate performance, program quality, and unit operations. The unit is developing and testing different information technologies to improve its assessment system.
Element-use of data for program improvement: The unit has fully developed evaluations and continuously searches for stronger relationships in the evaluations, revising both the underlying data systems and analytic techniques as necessary. The unit not only makes changes when evaluations indicate, but also systematically studies the effects of any changes to assure the effects of any changes to assure that the intended program strengthening occurs and that there are no adverse consequences. Candidates and faculty review performance data on their performance regularly and develop plans for improvement.
C. Unit Capacity
Element-collaboration between unit and school partners: The school and unit share and integrate resources and expertise to support candidates' learning in field experiences and clinical practice. Both unit and school-based faculty are involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating the unit's conceptual framework(s) and the school program; they each participate in the unit's and the school partners' professional development activities and instructional programs for candidates and for children. The unit and its school partners jointly determine the specific placements of student teachers and interns for other professional roles to maximize the learning experience for candidates and P-12 students.
Element-design, implementation, and evaluation of field experiences and clinical practice: Field experiences allow candidates to apply and reflect on their content, professional, and pedagogical knowledge, skills, and dispositions in a variety of settings with students and adults. Both field experiences and clinical practice extend the unit's conceptual framework(s) into practice through modeling by clinical faculty and well-designed opportunities to learn through doing. During clinical practice, candidate learning is integrated into the school program and into teaching practice. Candidates observe and are observed by others. They interact with teachers, college or university supervisors, and other interns about their practice regularly and continually. They reflect on and can justify their own practice. Candidates are members of instructional teams in the school and are active participants in professional decisions. They are involved in a variety of school-based activities directed at the improvement of teaching and learning, including the use of information technology. Candidates collect data on student learning, analyze them, reflect on their work, and develop strategies for improving learning.
Clinical faculty are accomplished school professionals who are jointly selected by the unit and partnering schools. Clinical faculty are selected and prepared for their roles as mentors and supervisors and demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and dispositions of highly accomplished school professionals.
Element-candidates' development and demonstration of knowledge, skills, and dispositions to help all students learn: Candidates demonstrate mastery of content areas and pedagogical and professional knowledge before admission to and during clinical practice. Assessments used in clinical practice indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards and have a positive effect on student learning. Multiple assessments are used by candidates and clinical faculty to determine areas that need improvement and to develop a plan for improvement. Candidates work collaboratively with other candidates and clinical faculty to critique and reflect on each others' practice and their effects on student learning with the goal of improving practice. Field experiences and clinical practice facilitate candidates' exploration of their knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to all students. Candidates develop and demonstrate proficiencies that support learning by all students as shown in their work with students with exceptionalities and those from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups in classrooms and schools.
Element- design, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum and experiences: Curriculum, field experiences, and clinical practice help candidates to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to diversity. They are based on well-developed knowledge bases for, and conceptualizations of, diversity and inclusion so that candidates can apply them effectively in schools. Candidates learn to contextualize teaching and to draw upon representations from the students' own experiences and knowledge. They learn how to challenge students toward cognitive complexity and engage all students, including students with exceptionalities, through instructional conversation. Candidates and faculty review assessment data that provide information about candidates' ability to work with all students and develop a plan for improving their practice in this area.
Element- experiences working diverse faculty: Candidates interact in classroom settings on campus and in schools with professional education faculty, faculty in other units, and school faculty who represent diverse ethnic racial, gender, language, exceptionality, and religious groups. Faculty with whom candidates work throughout their preparation program are knowledgeable about and sensitive to preparing candidates to work with diverse students, including students with exceptionalities.
Element- experiences working with diverse candidates: Candidates interact and work with candidates with exceptionalities and from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, language, socioeconomic, and religious groups in professional education courses on campus and in schools. The active participation of candidates from diverse cultural backgrounds and with different experiences is solicited, and valued and accepted in classes, field experiences, and clinical practice.
Element- experiences working with diverse students in P-12 schools: Extensive and substantive field experiences and clinical practices are designed to encourage candidates to interact with exceptional students and students from different ethnic, racial, gender, socioeconomic, language, and religious groups. The experiences help candidates confront issues of diversity that affect teaching and student learning and develop strategies for improving student learning and candidates' effectiveness as teachers.
D. Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development. 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.
Element- faculty qualifications, performance, and development: Professional education faculty at the institution have earned doctorates or exceptional expertise, have contemporary professional experiences in school settings at the levels that they supervise, and are meaningfully engaged in related scholarship. All clinical faculty (higher education and school faculty) are licensed in the fields that they teach or supervise and are master teachers or well recognized for their competence in their field.
Element- modeling best professional practices in teaching: "Faculty have an in-depth understanding of their fields and are teacher scholars who integrate what is known about their content fields, teaching, and learning in their own instructional practice. They exhibit intellectual vitality in their sensitivity to critical issues. Teaching by the professional education faculty reflects the unit's conceptual framework(s), incorporates appropriate performance assessments, and integrates diversity and technology throughout coursework, field experiences, and clinical practices. Faculty value candidates' learning and adjust instruction appropriately to enhance candidate learning. They understand assessment technology, use multiple forms of assessments in determining their effectiveness, and use the data to improve their practice. Many of the unit faculty are recognized as outstanding teacher by candidates and peers across campus and in schools.
Element- modeling best professional practices in scholarship: Professional education faculty demonstrate scholarly work related to teaching, learning, and their fields of specialization. They are actively engaged in inquiry that ranges from knowledge generation to exploration and questioning of the field to evaluating the effectiveness of a teaching approach.
Element- modeling best professional practices in service: Unit faculty are actively engaged in dialogues about the design and delivery of instructional programs in both professional education and P-12 schools. They work in schools with colleagues. They provide leadership in the profession, schools, and professional associations at state, national, and professional levels.
Element- collaboration: Faculty are actively engaged as a community of learners regarding the conceptual framework(s) and scholarship of the classroom. They develop relationships, programs, and projects with colleagues in P-12 schools and faculty in other units of the institution to develop and refine knowledge bases, conduct research, make presentations, publish materials, and improve the quality of education for all students.
Element- evaluation of professional education faculty performance: The unit's systematic and comprehensive evaluation system includes regular and comprehensive reviews of the professional education faculty's teaching, scholarship, service, collaboration with the professional community, and leadership in the institution and profession.
Element- unit facilitation of professional development: The unit has policies and practices that encourage all professional education faculty to be continuous learners. Experienced unit faculty mentor new faculty, providing encouragement and support for developing scholarly work around teaching, inquiry, and service.
E. Unit Governance and Resources. 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.
Element- unit governance and resources: The unit provides the leadership for effectively coordinating all programs at the institution designed to prepare education professionals to work in P-12 schools. The unit and other faculty collaborate with P-12 practitioners in program design, delivery, and evaluation of the unit and its programs. Colleagues in other units at the institution involved in the preparation of professional educators, school personnel, and other organizations recognize the unit as a leader. The unit provides professional development on effective teaching for faculty in other units of the institution.
Element- unit budget: Unit budgetary allocations permit faculty teaching, scholarship, and service that extend beyond the unit to P-12 education and other programs in the institution. The budget for curriculum, instruction, faculty, clinical work, scholarship, etc., supports high-quality work within the unit and its school partners.
Element- personnel: Workload policies and practices permit and encourage faculty not only to be engaged in a wide range of professional activities, including teaching, scholarship, assessment, advisement, work in schools, and service, but also to professionally contribute on a community, state, regional, or national basis. Formal policies and procedures have been established to include on-line course delivery in determining faculty load. The unit's use of part-time faculty and of graduate teaching assistants is purposeful and employed to strengthen programs, including the preparation of teaching assistants. Clinical faculty are included in the unit as valued colleagues in preparing educators. Unit provision of support personnel significantly enhances the effectiveness of faculty in their teaching and mentoring of candidates. The unit supports professional development activities that engage faculty in dialogue and skill development related to emerging theories and practices.
Element- unit facilities: The unit has outstanding facilities on campus and with partner schools to support candidates in meeting standards. Facilities support the most recent developments in technology that allow faculty to model the use of technology and candidates to practice its use for instructional purposes.
Element- unit resources including technology: The unit aggressively and successfully secures resources to support high-quality and exemplary programs and projects to ensure that candidates meet standards. The development and implementation of the unit's assessment system is well funded. The unit serves as an information technology resource in education beyond the education programs--to the institution, community, and other institutions. Faculty and candidates have access to exemplary library, curricular, and electronic information resources that not only serve the unit, but also a broader constituency.
