Standard Four Compendium 3 - R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3

R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

Alignment to National Standard CAEP Standard 4 The provider demonstrates the effectiveness of its completers’ instruction on P-12 student learning and development, and completer and employer satisfaction with the relevance and effectiveness of preparation.

R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers The provider demonstrates program completers perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they encounter on the job, and their preparation was effective.

How Alignment is Assured: The Assessment Coordinator in consultation with Program Leads and Department Heads, aligns the evaluation measures and assessment tasks with CAEP, InTASC, and appropriate Technology Standards. The Assessment Coordinator maintains alignments and adherence to multiple Louisiana state laws and policy regulations. All Standards have been maintained utilizing Watermark – Taskstream. This standards database is maintained by the Assessment Coordinator so that alignments can accommodate updates to standards, program competencies, courses, or assessments.

Evidence Overview

The evidence section below presents data from the Completer/Alumni Satisfaction surveys to document the satisfaction of completers to determine if they perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they confront on the job, and that the preparation was effective (CAEP Standard R4.3). The surveys are to ascertain how well the program prepares graduates to meet the needs of their students with respect to content knowledge, applicational skills and critical dispositions required to ensure that their classrooms are inclusive and meet the needs of diverse students. This feedback allows the EPP to document areas of strength, need and pinpoint new areas of improvement.

Details of Assessment Administration: The following surveys were sent out to completers following graduation to those who are teaching and currently working in the field of education. If the surveys are not returned within a timely manner, the Certification Officer follows up with completers with a phone call to encourage completion of the surveys. Surveys are sent out by mail, and/or electronically.

In addition, Completers representing three fields of certification and three different school settings participated in a Focus Group Interview. All were teaching in their various fields of preparation and had six months to two years of experience after graduation. They were interviewed in early 2023. The interview was recorded and transcribed by an external evaluator with a background in qualitative research and data analysis.

CAEP Reviewers may view the Surveys and Interview Questions below:

Completer Survey

Focus Interview

Template for the Presentation of Evidence by Dr. Michele Brewer and Dr. Amber Vraim is licensed under Attribution

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

Completer and follow up Interviews are aligned with InTASC, CAEP, the GSU PETE, and an alignment chart to Professional standards. See Table below:

Template for the Presentation of Evidence by Dr. Michele Brewer and Dr. Amber Vraim is licensed under Attribution 4.0 International "College of Education Office of Technology, Assessment, and Compliance: Template for the Presentation of Evidence." Copyright 2020 by Wilmington University.

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3

R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

Presentation of Data

The tables below display the results for questions related to initial teacher candidate satisfaction with their teacher preparation experiences at Grambling State University. Overall, teacher candidates reported that they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied with teacher preparation experiences (responded either “3” or “4” on a four-point scale), although there were areas for improvement noted.

One indicator of satisfaction of completers is beginning teacher performance ratings in Louisiana public and private schools. The ratings completed by program completers are performance areas aligned to the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) standards. To demonstrate, program completers perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they encounter on the job, and their preparation was effective. A Follow-up Survey of Curriculum and Instruction Graduates was electronically sent to program completers in 2019-2020, 2020-21, and 2021-2022. Of these completers, response rates were obtained over the years ranging from 30 to 80 % for those in undergraduate programs, and from 50100% for completer s in the MAT programs The respondents were representative of the completers that year, and of the program in which they were enrolled

Source: 2022: Follow-up Survey of Curriculum and Instruction Graduates

The following tables include responses to questions from program completers (Traditional Undergraduate and MAT) of Grambling State University EPP initial-licensure programs. The survey included completers from academic years 2019-2020, 2020- 2021 and 2021-2022.

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge).

Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge.

Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

1 and 2

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs.

5. My ability to manage my classroom.

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge).

Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge.

Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs.

Standard 2

5. My ability to manage my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge). InTASC Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge. InTASC standards 5, 6, 7 and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs. InTASC Standard 2

5. My ability to manage my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning. InTASC Standard 6

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge). InTASC Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge. InTASC Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs.

Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

10.My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities.

Standard 9

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

11.My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers

Standard 10

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge). InTASC Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge. InTASC Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction). InTASC Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs. InTASC Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom. InTASC Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards. InTASC Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom. InTASC Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

10. My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities.

Standard 9

11. My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers.

Standard 10

Secondary Education and Teaching

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge). InTASC Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge. InTASC Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs.

Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

10. My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities

11. My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge).

Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge. InTASC Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction). InTASC Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs. InTASC Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

10. My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities. InTASC Standard 9

11. My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers.

Standard 10

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge).

Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge.

Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs.

Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

10. My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities

Standard 9

11. My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers

Standard 10

Kinesiology: Pedagogy (Teaching) K-12

Respondents N=1

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge). InTASC Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge.

InTASC Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

InTASC Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs.

InTASC Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom.

InTASC Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

InTASC Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom. InTASC Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning. InTASC Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom. InTASC Standards 7 and 8

10. My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities.

11. InTASC Standard 9

12. My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers.

13. InTASC Standard 10

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge).

Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge. InTASC Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

InTASC Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs.

InTASC Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

10. My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities. InTASC Standard 9

11. My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers

Standard 10

Secondary Education & Spec Ed. (Mild/Mod) Respondents N=2

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

1. My knowledge of subject area (content knowledge).

Standard 4

2. My mastery of instruction and pedagogical content knowledge. InTASC Standards 5, 6, 7, and 8

3. My ability to teach diverse P-12 students (Differentiated Instruction).

Standards 1 and 2

4. My ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs. InTASC Standard 2

5. My ability to create a safe and managed learning environment in my classroom.

Standard 3

6. My ability to align my teaching with state and national standards.

Standard 5

7. My ability to encourage family and community engagement in my classroom.

Standard 10

8. My ability to assess P-12 student learning.

Standard 6

9. My ability to utilize technology in the classroom.

Standards 7 and 8

10. My ability to engage in professional learning opportunities and communities

Standard 9

11. My ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities to assist other teachers.

Standard 10

FOCUS INTERVIEW:

To Triangulate the data, we conducted focused interviews with four (4) recent completers. All graduated from the traditional/undergraduate program and all are currently teaching. The interviews were analyzed by an outside consultant with qualitative experience. Below are the questions and a summary of the themes revealed.

Completer #1 Elementary 1-5 teacher in Charter School (female, African-American)

Completer #2 Elementary 1-5 teacher in Public School (male, African-American)

Completer #3 Secondary Science 6-12 teacher in Public School (female, African-American)

Completer #4 All Levels (K-12) Music teacher in a Public School (male, African-American)

All are teaching in their fields of certification

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

Question 1. How well did we prepare you to teach your subject areas?

THEME: FELT WELL- PREPARED TO LEAD FROM THE BEGINNING

Consensus Explanation: “Currently, in addition to uncertified teachers and veteran teachers who are not changing, there are some teachers who have not been through our program and did not have the content we received.”

Sample Statement:

“I think I was well-prepared, especially having student teaching in Math and Science. I know about different ways to teach it and about the various manipulatives being used.”

Question 2. Have you had a chance to teach with colleagues who went through other programs?

THEME: COMPARED TO COLLEAGUES, I AM CONFIDENT IN MY TEACHING PREPARATION

Sample statements:

“At Grambling, we did participate in doing lesson plans, so when hired to teach, I was already doing them. When lesson plans were required by the school where I started teaching, it was a ‘walk in the park.’”

“At the high school level, colleagues have been there more than 10 years. When I first started teaching, I was put in charge of lesson plans for the [more experienced] “group” because I made the best lesson plans. For the past two years, I have been on Lesson Plan Duty”

Question 3. Do you think you were prepared to teach diverse students (economically, ethnically, language, etc.)?

THEME: PREPARED FOR DIVERSITY BUT NEEDED MORE PRACTICE

Sample statements:

“We definitely had the strategies (like a guidebook) on how to teach them but nothing compares to personal experience.”

“In music, some students have ‘put me through the ringer’ but I learned to sit down and make a plan for how to instruct the students. It was a matter of taking the time to evaluate each one. I use a combination of technology, hands-on of me performing with the students and peer study. With peer study, everybody’s mind works differently so they sometimes learn better from each other.”

Question 4. How do you think the University prepared you to create a safe learning environment in your classroom?

THEME: PREPARATION AND DESIRE TO PROVIDE SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT BASED ON TRAINING AND MODELING OF PROFESSORS

Sample statement:

“Making students feel safe came from ' Y’all being sincere human beings. When we were in y ’all’s presence at Grambling, you were always bright and welcoming and calm…That in my mind was the way a teacher was supposed to be… Also, many students come from a single-parent household with no male figure. I had to take on that role and they developed a certain amount of trust. That effort 'tore down barriers to learning’ the music when I tried to teach them”.

Question 5. In terms of aligning your teaching with state and national standards, how do you think we did in preparing you?

THEME: WE ARE WELL ACQUAINTED WITH THE CONTENT AND IMPORTANCE OF STANDARDS

Sample statement:

“In every class, we had to do lessons plans based on standards. The training was beneficial. For example, we are very familiar with the Louisiana Believes website.”

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

Question 6. How well do you feel you are able to work with families and community and colleagues?

THEME: FEEL PREPARED AND HAVE EXPERIENCED SUCCESS WITH PARENTS, COMMUNITY AND COLLEAGUES

Sample statement:

“Not all parents have a positive impression or experience with teachers. When I am nice, it gives off an energy which is reciprocated. So, I have had great success with parents and community and I am encouraged by school staff to keep that up.”

Question 7. How do you think we did in helping you utilize technology?

THEME: WE WERE EXTREMELY WELL PREPARED TO WORK WITH TECHNOLOGY

Sample statements:

“At my school, I am the “Go-To” Person for technology. Everybody asks me, “How do you use those activities, etc.?”

“At first, I was hard headed, thinking I will never have to integrate technology into my [music] lessons, but it was another thing you all pushed for and it was a big help. First instance at the school site came from professional development then monthly sessions. However, all of it was something we had already done in our Grambling program. They gave me the stink face because I would say I already know how to do this.”

Question 8. How well were you prepared to assess students?

THEME: TAUGHT TO ASSESS BUT THE MORE EXPERIENCE THE BETTER THE ASSESSING Sample statement:

“I felt well-prepared to assess after teaching took place but less prepared to assess student status before teaching them.”

Question 9. Although you all have been at the schools for fewer than three years, have you been able to take the lead on some things?

THEME: DEMONSTRATED LEADERSHIP EARLY IN TEACHING CAREER

Sample statements:

“I sponsor extracurricular activities, serve as assistant coach and have an assistant principal role.”

“After being partnered with experienced teachers, I was “pushed” to take on the leadership role and was sent to the state Teacher Summit as a teacher leader.”

Question 10. How can we improve our teacher preparation program?

THEME: EVEN A GOOD PROGRAM CAN BE IMPROVED

Sample statements:

“Provide more practice with IEPs. For example, there can be more experience with how to collect data to understand your students before you teach them. (One suggestion is to hold some class sessions at the school sites.)”

“Encourage students to start preparing for PRAXIS early, instead of waiting the way they usually do.”

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium

Satisfaction of Completers

Analysis and Interpretation Survey

Overview: The Louisiana Department of Education webpage on first-year program completers teaching in Louisiana was used to track the number of program completers teaching in the content area for which they were prepared. Based on the 2021-22 academic year of information, Traditional: 56% of our graduates are employed in education. Another 11% were in graduate school, military, out-of-state and unemployed. Advanced: 80% of our graduates are employed in education and 20% were in an administrative position Completer effectiveness data triangulated with employer and candidate satisfaction ratings demonstrated the positive impact of the EPP. While this survey yields overall positive results, the data also provides valuable insight to inform EPP leadership and program faculty in the examination and development of programmatic improvements and innovations to meet the needs of employers, completers, and P-12 students. It should be noted that the completer survey changed in the 2019-2020 version to reflect a greater emphasis on the InTASC standards. From that change, we noted that all of the MAT completers completing the survey were “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” with their program. The survey data demonstrated that undergraduate completers viewed themselves as having strengths in classroom management, creating safe environments and sometimes in assessment, but reported weaknesses in their knowledge of content, and in diversifying instruction.

Survey: Data from surveys completed by program completers in education programs demonstrated that most of the completers were satisfied with their preparation by their EPP and are able to meet the requirements of a teacher described in the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) standards related to Planning and Preparation, Classroom Environment, Instruction and Professional Responsibilities. The 2019-2020 survey contained an Elementary completer who was the most dissatisfied the program. This completer rated all areas as “Dissatisfied” or “Very Dissatisfied”, and was the only one to do so. The EPP is not sure if this was due in part to the Covid shutdown in March which eliminated part of the clinical experience as schools went to online learning. The other Elementary completers ranked all areas as “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied”. Of all Elementary completers, the lowest rating was in the area of “ability to teach diverse P-12 students” which was echoed in the focused interview. The Music Education completers rated all areas as “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” and both of them rated the areas of “ability to teach diverse P-12 students”, “ability to manage my classroom”, “ability to encourage family and community engagement…” and “ability to utilize technology” as “Very Satisfied”. The Kinesiology completer rated all areas as “Satisfied”.

The 2020-2021 surveys yielded valuable data. One of the Elementary respondents rated “ability to teach diverse students”, “ability to teach P-12 students with diverse/special needs” and “ability to encourage family and community engagement…” as “Dissatisfied”. However, there were areas of improvement in that all Elementary respondents rated “ability to create a safe and managed environment”, “ability to assess P-12 student learning”, “ability to utilize technology” and “ability to engage in leadership” as “Very Satisfied”. The Music Education and Secondary Education and Teaching respondents were also satisfied with the program overall as evidenced by ratings of “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” in most areas, but gave the lowest average rating by program in the area of “knowledge of subject area”. Respondents from all three undergraduate programs were “Very Satisfied” with their abilities to assess their students. Both of the respondents from the MAT program were Elementary and Special Education completers. Their ratings were either “Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” for all areas.

Grambling State University Standard 4 Compendium 3 R4.3 Satisfaction of Completers

The 2021- 2022 survey respondents across all areas and programs were generally more satisfied than in the previous years. It was noted that there were fewer Elementary respondents than in past years that might account for the increase in ratings; however, there were several areas of strength. Both of the Elementary respondents were “Very Satisfied” with their “ability to create a safe and managed learning environment”, “ability to align their teaching with state and national standards”, their “ability to utilize technology” and their “ability to engage in leadership and mentoring activities”. Both were satisfied with their ability to teach diverse P-12 students but not “Very Satisfied”, which indicates again a need for more focus in this area. The Kinesiology respondent rated all areas as “Very Satisfied” with the program’s preparation. All of the MAT respondents rated all areas as “Satisfied” or Very Satisfied”. Looking further into how they responded by program, the MAT Elementary and Special Education respondents rated all areas as “Very Satisfied”, while the MAT Secondary Education and Special Education respondents were “Very Satisfied” with all areas except for “ability to utilize technology” and “ability to teach diverse P-12 students” where one respondent rated both areas as “Satisfied”.

Focused Interview

The four completers from the undergraduate programs and all had been teaching for less than three years. They represented Elementary, Secondary and Music education preparation programs. As a group they spoke of their confidence in teaching, how some were already acting in leadership or mentoring positions, and that overall, they expressed the belief that they had been well-prepared in contrast to completers from other teaching programs. They were especially positive about their abilities to work with technology and the different software programs available to educators. Still, they would like to have had more preparation in working with diverse students, especially students who are struggling or have specialized learning needs.

Summary: Triangulated data from the Follow-up Survey of Curriculum and Instruction Completers and the Focused Interview indicated that completers are mostly satisfied with the preparation program. The focused interview revealed that completers believed they were well-prepared, but as seen in the survey, would have liked to have had more information on differentiating instruction in order to reach diverse learners. They felt extremely comfortable with the technology and how they incorporated it in the classroom. Interestingly, they noted in the interview that the work load that they encountered in their EPP program prepared them for the workload of a teacher in the schools.

Continuous Improvement

Focus Area(s):

- Continue using focus group to pinpoint specific areas of need, especially in response to ongoing Covid and post-Covid environments, and include MAT completers in interviews or conduct interviews with them separately.

- Using data to increasing pinpoint needs across the areas in which completers teach— are completers in some areas more successful or less successful in certain teaching environments? This can be done by looking at all results more closely across the teaching environments urban, rural, suburban, regional, economic area, size of district, traditional, online, hybrid, etc., to pinpoint specific areas of need and strengths both generally and for specific areas.

- Providing more practice in classes for completing pre-lesson assessments and diversifying instruction to meet the needs of students

State University Standard 4

Satisfaction of Completers

- Provide more experience and training in working with diverse P-12 students.

- Work with College of Arts and Science to provide more content knowledge to their candidates and provide more practice with the content knowledge, and the P-12 curriculums used in the schools (e.g., annotating lessons as advocated by the Resource Coordinator/Liaison).