Program Standards

Graduate Programs

The College of Education has established standards for each of our programs. These standards guide the development of our programs and assist our students in becoming effective professionals in the education field.

The program standards integrate state, national and specialty-area standards into one cohesive set of standards. These standards are used to formatively and summatively assess the knowledge and skills of our students related to their program content and skill sets.

Master of Arts in Education/Elementary Teacher Education

Domain One: Planning and Preparation

1A Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy
The proficient teacher:

1. Demonstrates solid knowledge of content, the structure of the discipline, and content-related pedagogy.
2. Exhibits skills and knowledge that reflect current research and best practices in the field.
3. Can relate his/her disciplinary knowledge to other subject areas.
4. Understands how students' development, prior knowledge, skills, and interests can affect their learning.
5. Uses differing viewpoints, theories, and methods of inquiry in his/her teaching of subject matter concepts.
6. Demonstrates a sound understanding of technology operations and concepts.

1B Instructional Planning and Resources
The proficient teacher:

1. Establishes high expectations for all students.
2. Uses clear goals that are aligned to student outcomes.
3. Plans instruction in order to meet the needs of diverse learners.
4. Creates interdisciplinary learning experiences from several subject areas.
5. Effectively uses and evaluates a wide variety of resources to enhance student learning and to extend content.
6. Applies current research on teaching and learning with technology when planning learning environments and experiences.
7. Plans and designs effective learning environments and experiences supported by technology.

1C Instructional Design
The proficient teacher:

1. Designs instructional activities that are appropriate for all students.
2. Creates instructional activities that reflect different learning styles, skills, and knowledge levels of students.
3. Develops and uses curricula that encourage students to see, question, and interpret ideas from diverse perspectives.
4. Develops instructional activities that are aligned with established goals and state standards.
5. Implements curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning.

1D Assessment
The proficient teacher:

1. Uses a variety of formal and informal assessment strategies that are aligned to instructional goals.
2. Establishes clear criteria that have been communicated to all students.
3. Uses results of formative and summative assessments in planning for individuals, groups and diverse learners.
4. Solicits and uses information about students' experiences, learning behavior, needs, and progress from parents, other colleagues, and the students themselves.
5. Applies technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies.

Domain Two: Learning Environment

2A Managing Classroom Procedures
The proficient teacher:

1. Effectively organizes and manages tasks for individuals and groups.
2. Ensures that transitions occur smoothly.
3. Establishes efficient systems for non-instructional duties and scheduling.
4. Manages student-learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
5. Plans for the management of technology resources within the context of learning environments.

2B Managing Student Behavior
The proficient teacher:

1. Establishes clear standards of conduct.
2. Effectively monitors student behavior.
3. Ensures that disciplinary actions are generally appropriate.
4. Maintains the dignity of the learning community.
5. Is able to apply technology to monitor and improve student behaviors.

2C Creating a Positive Learning Climate
The proficient teacher:

1. Establishes a learning community that is safe, accessible, warm, and caring.
2. Creates a climate that supports diversity and is appropriate for a variety of developmental and cultural norms.
3. Maximizes the amount of class time spent in learning by creating expectations and processes for communication and behavior along with a physical setting conducive to classroom goals.
4. Maintains interactions that are polite and respectful.
5. Creates a smoothly functioning learning community in which students assume responsibility for themselves and one another, participate in decision-making, and engage in purposeful learning activities.
6. Applies technology to increase student productivity.

Domain Three: Instruction

3A Communication
The proficient teacher:

1. Models good verbal and written skills.
2. Effectively communicates expectations for learning.
3. Provides high-quality feedback in a timely manner and provides guidance for students to monitor their own progress.
4. Uses a vocabulary and communication style that reflects sensitivity to gender and cultural issues.
5. Communicates in ways that are appropriate for diverse student populations.
6. Often uses technology to clearly communicate instruction and/or classroom procedures.

3B Student Engagement
The proficient teacher:

1. Designs instructional activities that accurately represent course content.
2. Creates lessons and activities that are cognitively appropriate for all students.
3. Uses effective resource materials, including technology, to engage students.
4. Designs structured well-paced lessons that are aligned with clear goals and objectives.
5. Employs questioning strategies that are of high quality, allow time for student responses and which generally engage all students.

3C Diversity
The proficient teacher:

1. Modifies lessons, instruction, assessments, and teaching style to accommodate the needs of diverse learners.
2. Successfully accommodates questions related to diverse interests within the context of a lesson.
3. Identifies when and how to access appropriate services or resources to meet exceptional learning needs.
4. Brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of subject matter, including attention to students' personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms.
5. Uses technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students.

Domain Four: The Professional Educator

4A Parent and Community Involvement
The proficient teacher:

1. Provides frequent information to families about student learning and achievement.
2. Engages parents and families in the educational process.
3. Participates in professional organizations.
4. Volunteers to contribute to school and community projects.
5. Identifies and uses community resources to foster student learning.

4B Professionalism
The proficient teacher:

1. Establishes a system for maintaining information on student progress.
2. Regularly serves as an advocate for all students.
3. Is able to assess his/her professional growth.
4. Seeks out opportunities for further professional development and inquiry.
5. Works as a team player within the school community.
6. Maintains an open mind in decision-making processes and is receptive to feedback from colleagues.
7. Understands social, ethical, legal, and human issues in education and applies those principles in practice.
8. Understands the social, ethical, legal and human issues surrounding the use of technology and applies those principles in practice.
9. Uses technology to enhance productivity and professional practice.

4C Reflection
The proficient teacher:

1. Uses observations, student information, technology, and professional literature to reflect on the effectiveness of instructional and assessment techniques.
2. Understands the impact of the history of education on today’s educational systems.
3. Can make specific suggestions to improve teaching and student learning.
4. Can implement practices, based on reflective processing, to improve teaching and student learning.
5. Reflects on and cites examples of ethical and legal issues as they apply to educational settings.