Massachusetts School and District Profiles

Wheelock College
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2015
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Annual Goals

This report lists the annual improvement goals reported to ESE in the educator preparation program provider’s state annual report. Providers may report up to three goals for the upcoming year and are asked to report on progress made toward the prior year’s goals. Annual goals are reported in May of the academic year listed.

Annual Goals - 2015
Educator preparation program improvement goals for the upcoming program year
Goal #1 Re-evaluate and modify as needed the current MTEL advising and preparation system for Wheelock students. It is the intention of the Education Division to provide additional advising, test taking and content preparation support for Wheelock students, alumni and partner school teachers who prepare to take and pass the state licensure (MTEL) exams that are required for the educator preparation programs offered at Wheelock. Outcomes of this goal include a reduction in number of teacher candidates who fail and must repeat a required exam in order to move forward in or complete their program. By vote of the full Wheelock Faculty, the passing scores on all required MTEL exams are a program requirement, as part of an effort to assure that graduates are employment ready and that they have the knowledge and skills to teach all students effectively.
Goal #2 Based on work completed in the past year by the educator preparation departments and the Division, Wheelock Ed Prep faculty will complete the review and revision of all remaining key assessments, and the alignment of the revised assessments with revised state and national standards, including MA PST. This includes education baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate and the professional certificate programs offered by Wheelock College.
Goal #3 The Education Division and school partners will continue to evaluate and determine how to renew and strengthen collaborations with partner schools in the urban districts surrounding Wheelock College, and for the mutual benefit of the schools and the college and education unit.

Annual Goals - 2014
Educator preparation program improvement goals from the prior year
Goal #1 Create an MTEL academy to provide additional advising, test taking and content preparation support for Wheelock students, alumni and partner school teachers who prepare to take and pass the state licensure (MTEL) exams that are required for the educator preparation programs offered at Wheelock.
Goal #2 Review and revise key assessments in alignment with revised national standards for special education and early childhood programs.
Goal #3 Evaluate and strengthen collaborations with partner schools with which the college has had long standing relationships. One objective of the review is to assure that partnerships improve experience for PK-12 students and teachers as they benefit candidates and the preparation programs.

Progress Toward Goals - 2014
Progress made toward prior program year goals
Goal #1 The Education Division requested funding in FY16 for a half time support position focused on monitoring and using MTEL data to support student advising and prep for the required MTEL exams across all preparation programs offered by Wheelock. The request for funding was denied in the budget development process. The Education Chairs and Faculty are re-evaluating the MTEL Academy proposal to determine another way to reach the same confirmed goals: to provide additional advising, test taking and content preparation support for Wheelock students alumni and partner school teachers who prepare to take and pass the state licensure (MTEL) exams that are required for the educator preparation programs offered at Wheelock. The prior Goal 1 continues to be the 1st goal for the upcoming year.
Goal #2 The key assessments for the Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education Departments have been realigned and updated. The program report for NAEYC based on the new Birth to Five undergraduate program has not been completed and will be revised and resubmitted for review in the next year. The revised program is designed as a BS/MS program, using the already recognized master?s program as part of the BS/MS program. The key assessments across all four departments and all programs are being reviewed and their alignment evaluated with revised state and national standards. Therefore, the prior goal #2 continues to be the 2nd goal for the upcoming year.
Goal #3 The goal of evaluating and strengthening collaborations with partner schools with which the college has had long standing relationships was partially addressed in the prior year. School partners were invited to campus for breakfast meetings to discuss the current partnerships and to share ideas, requests and new objectives going forward. The school partners were also invited to a dinner at Wheelock with the NCATE and MA DESE representatives during the joint continuing accreditation visit in November, 2014. Evaluating and strengthening collaborations with partner schools, both long term partners and newer partners, continue to be the third goal for the upcoming year. It is with renewed commitment and appreciation for these partnerships and their appreciation of Wheelock, that we move forward with these three goals for the upcoming year.

Annual Goals - 2013
Educator preparation program improvement goals from the prior year
Goal #1 Two new and required courses in Sheltered English Immersion will be added to each full Early Childhood, Elementary and Special Education teacher preparation undergraduate and graduate program. Courses will include demonstrations of proficiency in content and applied practice, as aligned with new state standards for content knowledge and for teaching.
Goal #2 Complete significant revisions of an advanced graduate course approved by the state as one of four advanced courses that can be utilized with a master's degree to move an Initial license to the Professional level in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Moderate Disabilities licensure areas when all other state requirements have been met. The revisions will focus on the addition of knowledge and proficiency in administering and using the WIDA as a diagnostic and assessment tool with students learning English as a second language. Some other related updates will be made across the full cluster of courses.
Goal #3 Continue to increase the diversity of students in teacher preparation programs as the college strives to contribute to a diverse teacher population in partner schools in the districts of Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline, and as compared to the student population of the districts.

Progress Toward Goals - 2013
Progress made toward prior program year goals
Goal #1 This goal is met in 2012-2013 through the design, approval by the state and full implementation of six new courses in sheltered English immersion. Two courses are required for each initial preparation program leading to a state license. The courses require demonstrations of proficiency in content and applied practice, as aligned with new state standards for content knowledge and for instruction.
Goal #2 This goal is met in 2012-2013. Revisions have been made in the content of four graduate courses that were approved in 2007 by the state for advancing an initial license to the professional level for a teacher who has a master's degree and has completed other state requirements (including three years of teaching under that initial license and mentoring). The four courses (12 credits) are designed to meet the content requirements for advancing a license in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Moderate Disabilities licensure areas. The revisions focused on the addition of knowledge and proficiency in administering new diagnostic tools (as the state no longer uses WIDA) with students learning English as a second language. Other related updates have been made across the full cluster of courses which will be reviewed again by the state department for continued approval.
Goal #3 This goal is met in 2012-2013. Diversity in the student population has continued to increase across the college. The diversity among candidates in the education programs has also increased, but more modestly than the increase across the college. The Education Division continues to require students to complete at least one and usually both supervised clinical experiences in partner schools in the surrounding urban districts of Boston, Cambridge, and the Boston side of Brookline.