ASSESSMENT REPORT

Education Department

Submitted by Lynn Lindow

 

Since the completion of the assessment plan in May, the focus has revolved around the student portfolio. The goal was to adapt the portfolio to reflect the student outcomes as stated in the assessment plan.

Summer work:

• Review current completed portfolios to determine the steps needed to realign them with the assessment plan.
• Reviewed the Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice (MSEP), identifying the standards that would be addressed in the six student goals as identified in the Assessment Plan.
• Compiled a list of learning outcomes from the MSEP for each of the six student outcomes as identified in assessment plan.

 

Work completed Fall, 2002

• Meetings were held once a month with the Education Faculty to review the work completed over the summer in regard to how the portfolio would be used as an assessment tool.
• Much discussion arose on the purpose of the portfolio and how it might be used as an assessment tool.
• Should it reflect growth? How might that be reflected in the portfolio?

With the questions and concerns of the faculty, it was determined that more discussion needed to take place before any type of portfolio could be put into use.

• During the next meeting, the faculty was asked to review the MSEP to become familiar with the realignment process completed during the summer months and to identify any missing components that should be added.
• The faculty discussion then returned to the purpose of the portfolio and what design it should reflect.
• This dialogued continued through November at each meeting that this topic was brought forward.

In November, we piloted the student self-assessment form with the current student teachers to determine its effectiveness. Results will be included in this report.

 

Conclusions:

• We have determined that, at this time, the student portfolio is not appropriate to use as an assessment tool to assessment student learning outcomes.
• The portfolio will be realigned with the Education Department’s four dimensions as identified in the department framework-What we do, Who we teach, Where we work, and Who we are as individuals and teachers (see attachment).
• This portfolio will be produce in EDC 480, required for all students, and will be assessed in that course.
• The student teaching portfolio will be used to prepare student for the interview process.
• We will reexamine the Student outcomes as identified in our assessment plan to realign those outcomes to reflect the four dimensions of the department framework.
• At this time the plan will be to not use the portfolio as an assessment tool for program assessment.
• We will reexamine the assessment tools to determine if the portfolio needs to be replaced what a different assessment tool or if we have appropriate assessment tools in place to assess student learning.