Standard Two Compendium 1 - RA2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Experiences

Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1 RA2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation

Alignment to National Standard: CAEP Standard RA2 The provider ensures that effective partnerships and highquality clinical practice are central to preparation so that candidates develop the knowledge, skills and professional dispositions appropriate for their professional specialty field.

RA2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation—Partners co-construct mutually beneficial P-12 school and community arrangements for clinical preparation and share responsibility for continuous improvement of candidate progression.

How Alignment is assured: The Assessment Coordinator in consultation with Program/Discipline Chairs, 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

Description of Evidence: The Office of Professional Laboratory Experiences oversees field experiences that provide graduate candidates in the M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction-Reading and M.Ed. in Special Education opportunities for practical application of pedagogical skills and knowledge base in collaboration with our partners. These experiences include planning, presentation, assessment, and evaluation within the teaching experience. At all levels of field experiences, candidates develop and practice a repertoire of professional skills and competencies that prepare them to increase their standing as outstanding professional educators who are experts in specialized subject matter content, facilitators of learning, and enhancers and nurturers of affective behaviors. Collaboration and effective communication are keys to developing, maintaining, and evaluating the success of this program.

Candidates in both M.Ed. programs are certified teachers, and often use their own classrooms as placements for the diverse experiences, skills and research that they are expected to develop and use. This allows advanced candidates to develop their skills, collaborate with colleagues and apply those skills to all students. The benefits of the partnerships include the following:

• Advanced candidates can identify areas of need or question in their classrooms and research studies that address those specific issues.

• Methods developed and practiced as a part of the field components of the course and using evidence and research-based techniques can affect the academic and/or social environments of P-12 students, making the classrooms more equitable, supportive and inclusive.

• Skills developed and practiced can be shared with other professionals and stakeholders in the school community promoting better outcomes for all students, including those not in the advanced candidates’ classroom.

GSU uses the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to articulate the goals and responsibilities, of each party associated with continuous development and implementation of clinical and field experiences, including, but not limited to observations, school site-based coursework, practical, collaborations, graduate internships, and opportunities to engage in school-based research.

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 Two Compendium 1 RA2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation

Sample MOUs follow thereafter illustrating collaboration details, diversity of placements, and the clinical components available within each district to promote mutually beneficial partnerships. In addition, candidates are required to include a School Agreement form signed by the principal of the school indicating that s/he is aware of the action research project(s) and approves of its/their implementation for ED 549 Intro to Techniques of Research and ED 545 Evaluation and Assessment in P-12 Educational Settings. A sample of the School Agreement form is included below to illustrate collaboration and demonstrate the mutually beneficial partnership.

Sample of School Agreement Form

GSU’s PK-16 Advisory Board provides a space to communicate with internal and external stakeholders around all levels of field experience and meets quarterly. The committee members include:

• GSU faculty

• GSU alumni who are teaching in partner districts

• Mentor teachers

• Principals

• Superintendents

• District Personnel

• College of Arts and Science (COAS) faculty

Appendix F: Table of Program Stakeholder Committee Members

GSU’s Reading Advisory Board was developed in Spring 2023 provides a space to communicate with internal and external stakeholders around the levels of field experience related to the M.Ed. program in Curriculum & Instruction-Reading and meets 1-2 times per year. Reports or decisions will be shared with the PK-16 Advisory Board. The current committee members:

Reading Advisory Board

Dubach Elementary School 7710 Fellowship Rd, Dubach, LA 71235

318 -777-3470

tcurry@lincolnschools.org

Delta Elementary 7661 Mer Rouge-Collinston Rd. Mer Rouge, LA 71261 318-647-3443

jejones@mpsb.us

Retired Associate Professor

Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Grambling State University and Past President of North LA Reading Council 37 Lakeview Drive Monroe Louisiana 71203 318557-3425

fosterelaine750@gmail.com

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

Mrs. Tiffany Curry, M.Ed Principal

Mrs. Jericka Jones

Interventionist / Graduate Student Member

Dr. Elaine Foster

Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1 RA2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation

Reading Advisory Board

5th Grade Math/ Science Teacher

Ruston Elementary School

200 N Bernard St Ruston, LA (862) 754-9009

laurie.fernandez@lincolnschools.org

Brittani Mandigo. 4th grade ELA/ SS teacher and campus mentor

Westwood Elementary, Caddo Parish Schools

7325 Jewella Ave, Shreveport, LA 71108 318-686-5489

bmandigo@ymail.com

GSU’s Special Education Advisory Board was also developed in Spring 2023 provides a space to communicate with internal and external stakeholders around the levels of field experience related to the M.Ed. program in Special Education and meets 1- 2 times per year. Reports or decisions will be shared with the PK-16 Advisory Board. The current committee members:

Special Education Advisory Board

Inclusion English Teacher

Ruston Jr. High School

481 Tarbutton Road Ruston, La. 71270 318-251-1601

Willie.butler@lincolnschools.org

Teacher

Green Oaks Performing Arts Academy

2550 Thomas E Howard Drive Shreveport, LA 71107 601-927-9350

candacetanicka@hotmail.com

Jonesboro-Hodge Elementary

2105 South Polk Avenue

Jonesboro, LA 71251 318-259-4489 ext. 8101 work 214-500-0156 cell

danielle.copeland@jpsbschools.us

Kindergarten Teacher

Glenview Elementary

1601 Bittersweet Ave Ruston, LA 71270 318) 514-8855

Deidra.Dunbar@lincolnschools.org

Teacher of Chemistry and Integrated Science and Head of Science Department/ Graduate Student Member

Edward P. Yorke High School

Princess Margaret Drive, Belize City, Belize 501-2244554

epyorke@yahoo.com

Mrs. Laurie Fernandez

Mr. Willie Butler

Mrs. Candace Westbrook Science

Mrs. Danielle Copeland Principal

Mrs. Deidra D Scott

Mrs. Camille Diane Ellis

Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1

RA2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation

Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements

Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details

Crawford Elementary Points of Contact: William Wysinger

Implementation Date: 02/20/2020

Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR

Collaborative Clinical Components (more detailed information found in the next section)

Practicum

Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience Year Long Residency

Bienville

Gibsland Coleman Points of Contact: William Wysinger

Implementation Date: 02/20/2020

Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR

Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements

Parish School Links MOU Outcome / Collaboration Details

Cypress Springs Elementary Points of Contact: Rickey Durrett

Implementation Date: 07/21/2021

Practicum

Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience Year Long Residency

Lincoln

Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR

Ruston Junior High School Points of Contact: Rickey Durrett

Implementation Date: 07/21/2021

Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR

Lincoln Preparatory Charter School Points of Contact: Gordon Ford

Implementation Date: 02/17/2020

Outcome: Accept MOU and all field-based expectations including YLR

Collaborative Clinical Components

Practicum

Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience Year Long Residency

Practicum

Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience Year Long Residency

Practicum

Traditional Student Teaching Collaborative Partnership Experience Year Long Residency

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 Two Compendium 1

Partnerships for Clinical Preparation

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

To ensure that partnerships are mutually beneficial and include mutually agreeable expectations for candidate entry, preparation and exit, Memoranda of Understanding are created in collaboration with each district to personalize the experiences for candidates and the schoolhouse. Additionally, each Memorandum of Understanding is developed to highlight the specific collaborative clinical components active within the district. Two sample Memoranda of Understanding can be viewed through these links:

Sample MOU 1 – Bienville

Sample MOU 2 - Caddo

Sample MOU 3- Morehouse

These Memoranda of Understanding/Partnership Agreements provide evidence for how Grambling State University’s clinical partnerships co-construct mutually beneficial P-12 school and community arrangements for clinical preparation shared accountability

The sample Memorandum of Understanding with the Parish School district also outlines the multiple ways in which Grambling State University and its partners exhibit shared accountability in the preparation of teacher candidates. Within the “District Approved Program, Placement, and Clinical Experience Parameters” section of the MOU, a list of responsibilities highlighting the expectations of the district, the mentor teacher, and the Grambling faculty teaching the courses are provided for each type of clinical experience (practicum, traditional student teaching, collaborative partnership experience, and yearlong residency). Accordingly, the Parties agree to the following collaborative goals:

• Co-construction of effective measures of clinical and field experiences to support continuous improvement was paused during Covid as teachers were required to transition to online and hybrid teaching. A spring 2023 meeting will focus on modifying and innovating field experi ences now that schools are back face-to-face. Lessons learned from the Pandemic will be shared and discussed for Advanced candidates as well.

• Establish a framework for transferring data between the Districts and GSU COE/EPP for the purposes of monitoring and evaluating the preparation and effectiveness of advanced candidates, and advanced completers working in Districts pursuant to all applicable federal and state regulations governing the sharing of student-level data, teacher evaluations, and personally identifiable documentation.

Grambling State University Standard Two Compendium 1 RA2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation

Focus Area(s):

1. While we have MOUs with the local districts and schools where many of our advanced candidates are teaching, we have relied upon the MOUs with the school districts to be “blanket” for the initial and advanced candidates to document partnerships for our advanced and online candidates.

2. As with the initial programs, we realized that we were also relying on close-knit professional relationships, and informal meetings rather than formal meetings. Therefore, the decision stated in the initial R2.1 compendium to rely on more formal meetings is valid here as well.

3. We realized that we needed Advisory Boards at the Advanced level to specifically collaborate with the EPP in the areas of Reading Specialist and Special Education. Those boards were created this spring and will have initial meetings this summer. These smaller boards will provide specific actions to be reported to the PK-16 advisory board.

4. At the time of the Self-Study Report, the Master of Education programs did not have a formalized field and clinical handbook. The handbook is being created this summer and will be available at the time of the CAEP Site Visit.