Overview of California’s Accreditation Process

1. Overview of California’s Accreditation Process Year-Out Pre-Visit Webinar Spring 2012 Ensuring Educator Excellence

2. Agenda • Overview • Steps in the Site Visit Process • Planning • Program Assessment, Biennial Reports • Common Standards Narrative • Interview Schedule • Two-Month Pre-Visit • Site visit and post site visit • Role of the Consultant

3. Roles and Responsibilities in an Accreditation Site Visit • Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) • Committee on Accreditation (COA) • Your Institution

4. Institution Education Unit as an entity Common Standards address institutional infrastructure and capacities Programs Individual Programs offered by institution Adopted Program Standards: PA reviews to assure that programs are still meeting the standards Focus of Accreditation HO-Sample Org Structure (1)

5. What does Unit Mean for Your Institution? What if we only have one program? Aren’t program and unit the same thing? What if we have more than one program, but limited faculty and instructional personnel, what is our unit? What if we have programs but they don’t have anything in common, or are housed in different departments/colleges?

6. A Pictorial Approach to Unit Assessment 6

7. Apple Program Orange Program THE UNIT Pear Program Fertilizer Water Transportability Yield

8. Apple Program Orange Program THE UNIT Pear Program Fieldwork Advising Resources ?

9. Comparing Across the Unit A Matrix Approach to Unit Assessment 9

10. THE UNIT Fieldwork Advising Resources MS/SS 3 Way Survey Candidate Exit Interview Data across programs Ed. Adm. Survey ? Interviews Ed Spec. 3 Way Survey Candidate Exit Interview ? 9

11. Common Standards (2008) • Educational Leadership • Unit and Program Assessment and Evaluation • Resources • Faculty and Instructional Personnel • Admission • Advice and Assistance • Field Experience and Clinical Practice • District-Employed Supervisors • Assessment of Candidate Competence

12. Program Review • Each credential program is reviewed through Program Assessment and by the site visit team • CTC needs a FINAL Program Assessment document prior to the site visit • Standard Options available to programs • Adopted California Standards • National or Professional Program Standards • Experimental Program Standards—onlyif operating an approved Experimental Program HO: Program Review (2)

13. Accreditation Cycle Biennial Report Follow up to the site visit Collect and Analyze Data Annually Site Visit Biennial Report Biennial Report Program Assessment

14. Continuing Accreditation Visit Cycle • Consultant Assigned • Institutional Overview webcast: ~1 Year Prior • Preconditions Report: 6 mo. to 1 year prior • Team Structure: Team Leader, Team Members, and Program Clusters • Planning for the Team Visit • Accreditation Team Visit • Committee on Accreditation

15. Team Composition Size and structure of the team is negotiated between the institution and the Commission • Team Lead (1) • Common Standards Cluster (2) • Program Sampling team members (2-4, depends on number of programs) • CTC Consultants (1) For most, team size will range from 5-6 If necessary, program focused team members added

16. Planning within the Institution • Team Approach • Logistics • CTC pays for transportation to the review, lodging, and meals for team members and consultants • Institution is responsible for transportation at the visit, securing hotel, planning meals • Program Specific Preparation • Institution Preparation • Checklists

17. Logistics • Lodging • Meals • Develop and sign a contract with the CTC to get reimbursed for lodging and meal expenses for team members • Plan for Transportation during the site visit • For team members: hotel to campus and back HO-Hotel-Meals planning (3-4)

18. 3-6 Month Out Phone Call Have all logistics information ready • Hotel identified • Lodging rate • Team room rate • Parking fee, if applicable • Identify who at institution will sign the contract—2 weeks to 1 month prior to the site visit • Notify State Consultant if you need a phone conversation earlier than 6 months prior to visit

19. Presenting Evidence to the Team Electronically/Web pages: • Organize by both Common Standards and approved program standards • All documentation should be electronic whenever possible HO-Site Visit Documentation (5)

20. Preconditions Report • Due six months to 1 year before the visit • Report includes • Characteristics of the Institution—including matrix of programs, number of candidates, and number of program completers • Addresses all Preconditions*—General (state law and Commission Policy) and Program Specific * Includes evidence to support meeting the Preconditions HO-Preparing Preconditions Report (6-7)

21. Preconditions Report (cont.) • Matrix of Approved Programs • Report is reviewed by CTC Staff http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/STDS-preconditions.html

22. What Programs are Reviewed? All CTC Approved Educator Preparation Programs Teaching Credentials Services Credentials Certificate Programs, added authorizations All programs offered by the institution that lead to a California credential or certificate

23. Program Sampling What does this mean?

24. Program Sampling HO: Program Sampling or Full Program Review (8) • Most programs will do Program Samplingafter having completed Program Assessment • Some programs will not have done Program Assessment (transitioning or new programs) • If many standards have More Information Needed, a full Program Review will take place • What documentation will then be needed?

25. Program Sampling Cluster • Complete Program Summary is needed for each program • Review team member(s) will be looking across groups of approved programs through the lens of • Program Design • Course of Study (Curriculum & Fieldwork) • Assessment of Candidates HO: Program Review (2)

26. Biennial Report • A Biennial Report (Year 5) is due before your site visit • Be sure to turn it in by your self-selected submission date (August 15, or Sept. 15, 2011). It may be turned in earlier. • Staff will return the feedback as quickly as possible – site visits have priority • Biennial Report Part B—provides evidence for Common Standard 2

27. Biennial Report—Part B • Part B of the Biennial Report requires the unit head to reflect upon the program specific data—for Common Standard 2 consider • Aggregating data up to the unit • Report on unit level analysis of data and decisions to act on the analysis

28. Common Standards Narrative • Document that addresses the Common Standards • Supporting evidence should be available electronically • Hyperlinks are great, but lists of exhibits are also helpful • Consultant will provide feedback on one narrative if the institution requests it of him/her HO: Program and Common Standard Review (2)

29. Post SVD 60 days prior to visit Include links to supporting documentation • Common Standards Narrative • Program Documents including • Preliminary Report of Findings • Program Summaries • Biennial Reports and CTC Feedback Please ensure these items are on a flash drive, delivered to the team members 2 months in advance, if website not being used Site Visit Documentation (5)

30. Sample Interview Schedule • Common Standards • Program Sampling • Program specific issues, if needed See Accreditation Handbook: Appendix B

31. Interviews CTC Common Standards • Approved Programs • Organized into clusters • Preliminary Teaching Programs • Special Education Programs • Advanced Teaching Programs • Services Programs Focus on Institutional and Unit support for all programs Who can answer or demonstrate how the programs are supported by the larger unit and institution? Resources, Leadership, Quality Faculty/Instructional Personnel, etc. Talk with your State Consultant

32. Focus of the Interviews • Common Standards—interview across the education unit focusing on concepts in the Common Standards • Programs—interview one stakeholder constituency at a time within the assigned cluster of programs • The Schedule: • Columns—for Each Reviewer: Program cluster and Common Standard cluster • Rows—time of day, room, constituency

33. Schedule Essentials Program Sampling team members need 1 ½ hours on the first day, early in the review, with the Program Coordinators, organized by Program Cluster 1 ½ hours for lunch each day for the team to eat and have a team meeting Provide 10-15 minutes between interviews Each team member needs a minimum of 1 hour per day not to be in a scheduled interview Mid-Visit Report needs to be on the schedule (First thing, Day 3)—formal meeting with unit head on the progress and what is still needed

34. Planning for the Team Visit • Interview Schedule includes • Candidates • Graduates • Master teachers/Supervisors • Employers/Administrators • Administration and Faculty of the Institution • Collaborative partners in governance (advisory) • Off Campus/Satellite visits • Credential Programs outside the School/Department of Education

35. Two Month Out Pre-Visit On-site visit to your institution by State Consultant Team Lead Purpose: Finalize all logistics including interview schedule

36. Site Visit Sunday noon through Wednesday noon or Monday noon through Thursday noon Sunday Interviews for constituencies not available on other days Day 2 morning through Day 3 morning/early afternoon, i.e. employers, advisory board, completers, district-employed supervisors. Day 3 morning, Mid-Visit Report Leave campus Day 3 with all data and interviews completed Plan for Exit Report around 1:00 pm on Day 4

37. Team Report Team makes decisions on all standards—Common and Program Team makes a recommendation on the accreditation status COA hears the report within 1-2 months COA makes an Accreditation Decision

38. Accreditation Team Report Each Common Standard Addressed Separately Each Credential Program Area Addressed Program Design Course of Study (Curriculum/Fieldwork) Candidate Assessment

39. Accreditation Team Report • Team makes DECISIONS about all standards: Common and Program • Common and Program Standard Findings • Standard Met • Standard Met with Concerns • Standard Not Met

40. Accreditation Team Report Team makes an Accreditation Recommendation to the COA on the unit and all of its approved programs • Accreditation • Accreditation with Stipulations • Accreditation with Major Stipulations • Accreditation with Probationary Stipulations Draft report is left with institution for factual corrections. In one week, submit to Consultant.

41. Presentation to COA • Consultant - Introduces Report • Team Leader - Presents Report • Institutional Representative - Responds to Report • Committee Discussion • Committee on Accreditation Decision • Appeals Available on the process

42. Accreditation Decision • Committee on Accreditation accepts and reviews the team report • Committee on Accreditation makes the Accreditation Decision • Accreditation • Accreditation with Stipulations (Stipulations, Major Stipulations, Probationary Stipulations)

43. After the Site Visit • Accreditation Decision by COA • Report due next year addressing any and all • Stipulations • Concerns • Questions • Continue in the accreditation cycle, completing the activities of the Red Cohort – See Cohort Map Cohort Map (9)

44. Consultant • Monthly contact • video conference • Skype • phone calls • emails • ask any question! • Webinar software—if you need a presentation to advisory board or others

45. CTC Webcasts http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/webcasts.html Accreditation 101 Common Standard 2Unit and Program Evaluation System

46. Additional Information • www.ctc.ca.gov (Program Sponsors) • Site Visit Web page: http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/program-accred-site-visits.html • Accreditation Framework • Accreditation Handbook http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educator-prep/accred-handbook.html • Cheryl Hickey, Administrator of Accreditation • Assigned State Consultant