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As articulated in our mission, the NKU College of Education “enriches the education profession by preparing skilled and adaptable educators and leaders who effectively promote the learning of all students and positively impact their schools and communities.” It is our goal to prepare educators who are effective teachers in classrooms demonstrated by their application of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions learned while in their preparation program at NKU resulting in a positive contribution to P-12 student learning growth. To evaluate the effectiveness of our program completers and their contribution to P-12 student learning growth, the NKU College of Education engaged in case study methodology (Stake, 2006). Case study methodology allowed the College and its individual programs to conduct an in-depth observation and analysis of selected program completers’ teaching effectiveness as part of our ongoing quality assurance system.

Case Study Findings: 2022-present

Program faculty participated in case study analysis of program completers. After analysis of the video recorded lessons, faculty scored completers related to the desired knowledge, skills, and dispositions taught in the program from which they graduated. The following chart highlights some recurring strengths and areas for growth noted in the analysis of multiple case studies across programs.

Program faculty also analyzed the pre- and post-assessment measures to determine the impact the completers had on P-12 student learning growth. This included an analysis of gap groups, defined as the bottom quartile. Faculty noted that the program completers’ assessment data showed improvement as measured on post-assessments as given by the classroom teachers. This improvement extended to students in the gap group.

Employer satisfaction surveys were also conducted and analyzed by the program teams. Employers scored the completers participating in the case studies in the highest two categories of “prepared” or “well prepared” related to all ten of the Kentucky Teacher Performance Standards. Additionally, employers unanimously indicated they were “highly satisfied,” and they would be “highly likely” to hire an NKU College of Education completer in the future.

Case Study Process

College of Education programs are selected to participate in a case study on a rotating basis. Each initial certification program participates in at least one case study cycle during the seven-year accreditation period. Participating programs recommend several completers from the previous year’s graduating class. From these recommendations, one completer is selected by the accreditation team, and the completer and his/her principal are asked for their consent to participate.

Case study data supplied by the program completer consists of four sources: 

• Video recordings of three lessons from an instructional unit of the completer's choice
• Pre- and post-assessment data for the instructional unit 
  
• A satisfaction survey completed by the completer's principal
• A dispositions survey completed by the completer's principal
• Other documents of the completer's choice (e.g., lesson plan, unit plan, etc.).

Case study data are returned to the program faculty for the following analysis: 

• Video recordings are scored by a minimum of two faculty for inter-rater reliability using the NKU Lesson Observation Form. The form has been validated using Lawshe content validity methodology (Lawshe, 1975). Program faculty discuss the results of the video scoring to arrive at consensus on the lesson observation scores.
  
• Using modified Teacher Work Sample methodology (Schalock & Myton, 1988), program faculty examine the pre- and post-assessment data for the completer’s instructional unit including gap group analysis as evidence of impact on P-12 student learning growth.
  
• The program faculty review the results of the College of Education Employer Satisfaction Survey submitted by the completer’s principal. The survey consists of Likert-type items designed to determine the employer’s perception of the candidate’s preparation related to the Kentucky Teacher Performance Standards and the employer’s overall satisfaction with the candidate’s preparation. 

With a structured template as a guide, the program faculty use the data sources to address questions related to the completer’s teaching effectiveness as demonstrated by their application of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions learned while in the program and the completer’s contribution to P-12 student learning growth. The program report is used by the program for program improvement and is submitted to the accreditation team and Quality Assurance Committee for analysis across programs.

References

Lawshe, C. H. (1975). A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel Psychology, 28(4), 563-575.

Schalock, H. D. & Myton, D. (1988). A new paradigm for teacher licensure: Oregon’s demand for evidence of success in fostering learning. Journal of Teacher Education, 39(6), 8-16.

Stake, R. (2006). Multiple case study analysis. Guilford Press.

The NKU College of Education can only achieve its mission to prepare educators and leaders who will positively impact schools and communities by working collaboratively with community partners. Our engagement with community partners is a truly reciprocal relationship, and the College of Education values feedback from the employers who hire our program completers. The employers' feedback is an integral part of our quality assurance system. To measure the satisfaction of employers, the College of Education annually surveys employers who have hired initial or advanced program completers from the previous academic year.

Employer Satisfaction Survey Findings: 2022-present

Since the 2022 administration of the Employer Satisfaction Survey, a total of 175 employers have been identified as having hired either an initial or advanced program completer. Each was asked to complete the Employer Satisfaction Survey. The following table reports the number of responses received and the survey response rate for initial and advanced programs.

Employer survey response rate, 2020-Present

Analysis of the Employer Satisfaction Survey indicates a high degree of satisfaction with completers of the College of Education’s initial and advanced programs. Since the 2022 administration of the Employer Satisfaction Survey, 100% of employers (n=33) report they are Very Satisfied or Satisfied with initial program completers from NKU’s College of Education. They also all state they are Highly Likely or Likely to hire a completer from an initial preparation program, if given the opportunity.

The majority of employers responding to the survey (n=9) who have hired advanced program completers also indicated they were either Very Satisfied or Satisfied with the completers they have hired. Additionally, 100% of survey respondents indicated they were Highly Likely or Likely to hire completers from advanced preparation programs, if given the opportunity.

Employer Satisfaction Survey Process

The College of Education surveys employers who have hired initial and advanced program completers from the previous academic year. The purpose of the survey is to determine the employers’ satisfaction with the completers’ preparation for their assigned responsibilities in working with diverse P-12 students and their families.

The College of Education developed its own survey instrument. The Employer Satisfaction Survey consists of Likert-type items aligned with applicable standards (e.g., Kentucky Teacher Performance Standards, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders). Each item asks the employer to rate the preparation of recent program completers as well-prepared, prepared, somewhat prepared, or not prepared. The survey concludes with two items asking the employer to rate her/his overall satisfaction with program completers from the NKU College of Education and the likelihood she/he would hire completers in the future.

Each spring, the accreditation team compiles a list of the program completers from a selected academic year. To be included, completers must be from the previous academic year. For example, students who completed programs in 2020-2021 are included in the spring 2022 survey cycle. A thorough search is conducted to locate the employing school/district for each completer in the cohort and the name and email address of the employer. Each employer receives an email invitation with a link to participate in the online survey. After survey responses are collected, responses are aggregated and disaggregated by program and shared with the program faculty for review and analysis. Survey results are also shared with members of the Quality Assurance Committee for analysis across programs and recommendations for program improvement.     

Kentucky requires all teacher candidates to take and pass relevant PRAXIS exams before they can become fully certified as teachers. These exams are part of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Professional Educator Program. During the past academic year, Northern Kentucky University students took a total of 886 Praxis exams (as compared to 1083 in 2021-2022). The total pass rates vary by program; however, the overall pass rate for initial licensure was 75.6%. This is an improvement from a total pass rate of 68.4% in the previous academic year.

The highest pass rates were on the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) exams, with 100% of students taking the middle and secondary level exams passing and 98.81% of students taking the elementary exam passing. Areas for growth include the Writing section of the Praxis Score, for which the pass rate was 56.25%.

NKU College of Education program completers are in high demand in the Northern Kentucky region and beyond. Our graduates have great success attaining employment in the field of study for which they were prepared at NKU. Each year, the College of Education seeks feedback from program completers. Feedback obtained through the Completer Satisfaction Survey regarding overall satisfaction and employment status becomes an integral part of our quality assurance system.

Completer Satisfaction Survey – Employment Status: 2022-present

Since the 2022, the Completer Satisfaction Survey has been administered to a total of 609 program completers of both initial and advanced programs. The following table reports the number of responses received and the survey response rate.

Completer survey response rate, 2020-Present

The Completer Satisfaction Survey asks respondents to report their employment status relative to the preparation they received at NKU. Of those in initial programs responding to the survey (n=54), 92.6% reported full-time employment within one year of program completion that allows them to use the most recent credential earned from NKU. The remaining initial program completers were employed full-time but not employed in a position that allowed them to use their most recent credential, or they were not seeking employment.

Additionally, 60% of respondents completing advanced programs are currently employed in a position requiring their most recent degree, certification, or endorsement. While the numbers for those completing advanced programs who are presently utilizing their most recent credential are not as high as those completing initial certification, this could reflect where these completers are in their career trajectory. For example, Kentucky offers financial incentives for teachers who attain advanced degrees and additional certifications, even if those teachers are not yet ready to transition to a new position that requires the new credential; therefore, these numbers are most certainly a reflection of the fact that some completers have not yet attempted to gain employment related to their most recent degree or certification areas.

Completer Satisfaction Survey Process

The College of Education surveys graduates who have completed initial and advanced programs from the previous academic year. The purpose of the survey is to determine the completers’ satisfaction with their preparation program and their employment status relative to the most recent degree, certification, or endorsement earned from the College of Education.

The College of Education developed its own survey instrument. The Completer Satisfaction Survey consists of Likert-type items aligned with applicable standards (e.g., Kentucky Teacher Performance Standards, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders). Each item asks the completer to rate his/her preparation as well-prepared, prepared, somewhat prepared, or not prepared. The survey concludes with items asking the completer to rate her/his overall satisfaction with program and to report on his/her employment status relative to the credential earned from the College of Education.

Each spring, the accreditation team compiles a list of the program completers from a selected academic year. To be included, completers must be from the previous academic year. Each completer receives an email and text message invitation with a link to participate in the online survey. After survey responses are collected, responses are aggregated and disaggregated by program and shared with the program faculty for review and analysis. Survey results are also shared with members of the Quality Assurance Committee for analysis across programs and recommendations for program improvement.