Massachusetts School and District Profiles

Boston College
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2016
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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 - 2016
Educator preparation program improvement goals for the upcoming program year
Goal #1 The Lynch School has a long history of developing a culture of evidence based on 10 years of candidate and alumni survey data, recently enhanced by feedback from PK-12 Advisory Board and ESE employment and educator evaluation data. One goal for the next year is to study and triangulate data from these evidence sources to inform strategic decisions in the spirit of continuous improvement across all educator preparation programs to ensure that that candidates who complete our programs are prepared to be effective in the licensure role.
Goal #2 Having successfully piloted the BC-CAP (BC enhanced version of the ESE CAP; Candidate Assessment of Performance) in both Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters with 100% (180) of our teacher candidates and their supervising practitioners and 35 adjunct clinical faculty program supervisors, LSOE is well positioned for full implementation when CAP is in regulation in Fall 2016. Our goal in the next year, informed by feedback from the pilot, is to amend and revise our already rich array of resources for the triad members to include a specific LSOE BC-CAP website which will offer a series of webinars, animated training clips, Toolkits, BC-CAP Newsletter, and requests for PK-12 school-based BC-CAP workshops to ensure that all supervising practitioners are well supported and well prepared for their enhanced roles as teacher evaluators and evaluators. Moreover, a related goal is to revise the pre-practicum program requirements to align with the BC-CAP essential elements in ways that are developmentally appropriate to ensure seamless transition into the full practicum for all teacher candidates
Goal #3 Consistent with LSOE's commitment to respond to the needs of partnering PK-12 district schools, public, Catholic and independent, and informed by feedback from the PK-12 Advisory Board, we are developing a series of non-degree certificate specialization programs for practitioners. These offerings will include certificates in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Serving Exceptional Learners in Catholic Schools, Assessment Literacy & Data Use for Educators, Positive Youth Development, and Child & Family Mental Health & Wellness. Moreover, we are committed to developing 1 and 2 credit online and hybrid offerings based on surveys completed by partnering practitioners and administrators. Two such online offerings include Universal Design for Learning and Linguistically Responsive Instruction. These were piloted during the 2014-2015 academic year. Practitioner registration will be tracked and updated in each practitioner profile to strategically place our teacher candidates with practitioners whose practice reflects current professional development in targeted areas aligned to candidates' programs and areas of interest

Annual Goals - 2015
Educator preparation program improvement goals from the prior year
Goal #1 Faculty will continue to identify CAEP Standards and their intersection with ESE Program Approval Standards in preparation for CAEP/ESE joint visit in Fall 2016. The Evidence Task Force will continue to collect & use data to enrich the culture of evidence that supports effort to preparing competent & caring educators that meet partnering district needs as well as districts across the country that hire our candidates. Data sources will include surveys from candidates, alumni and principals, as well as research projects funded by LSOE Collaborative Fellows program that draws on longstanding PK-12 partnerships & A&S collaborations across academic disciplines. Faculty focus will be on reviewing & refining outcome measures that assess the learning of our candidates & their effectiveness in the field over time. Anticipated MA ESE employment data linking educator evaluation of alumni with pupil learning will also provide evidence to inform ongoing program development in a spirit of continuous improvement
Goal #2 Given the longstanding B.C. participation in several NTEP Task Forces and Advisory Boards, in collaboration with MA ESE and NIET, the Lynch School is well positioned to pilot the new Teacher Performance Assessment with all Initial licensure candidates during the full practicum experiences in both Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 semesters. Delivery of the new TPA is expected in June 2015 and a series of rigorous professional development sessions for clinical faculty supervisors is under way and will continue throughout the field pilot, utilizing all expected materials, resources and training support that ESE will provide. B.C. administrators will develop training sessions with a focus on inter rater reliability using the MA ESE TPA rubrics when they are made available. Practicum directors and clinical supervisors will provide regular updates to LSOE faculty and administrators, as well as MA ESE, to include feedback from candidates, cooperating teachers and supervisors throughout the TPA Pilot period.
Goal #3 B.C. Faculty & administrators recognize the extent to which technology is transforming teaching and learning in our increasing global society. Toward that end, and in light of CAEP, ESE and IN TASC standards, B.C. has been awarded an Academic Innovation Program Grant, to develop & implement opportunities for all teacher education candidates to learn, practice and demonstrate technology competencies aligned to ISTE/NETS to ensure their readiness to use technology to enhance critical thinking, problem solving and pupil learning. Faculty and administrators serving on the Tech Task Force are engaged in identifying specific competencies across the developmental continuum of candidates? knowledge and skills to ensure that they are able to experience, practice and demonstrate effective use of instructional technology in coursework and field experiences. Candidates will earn a series of badges as evidence of their growth and include authentic artifacts in a digital portfolio over the course of their programs.

Progress Toward Goals - 2015
Progress made toward prior program year goals
Goal #1 In anticipation of ESE Partnership Agreement with CAEP finalized in Feb. 2016, faculty & administrators at BC's Lynch School continued to attend CAEP & AACTE Conferences in AY2014-2015. A CAEP Oversight Committee was established in March 2015 & key members met with MA ESE Educator Preparation team to learn more about the Program Approval process & its emphasis on evidence based review. Faculty rigorously reviewed the MA ESE Program Approval Standards & how they intersect with CAEP Standards, focusing on reviewing & refining outcome measures that assess the learning of our candidates & their effectiveness in the field over time. Anticipated MA ESE employment data linking educator evaluation of alumni with pupil learning will also provide evidence to inform program development. Faculty and administrators continue to make effective use of ESE & CAEP resources and are deeply engaged in preparing for the ESE Program Review Site Visit in Dec. 2016 & subsequent CAEP Accreditation visit in Spring 2018
Goal #2 BC's Lynch School was well positioned to pilot the new ESE CAP during Fall 2015/Spring 2016 semesters with all graduate/undergraduate programs, thereby gaining data from over 180 teacher candidates, supervising practitioners & 35 program supervisors. A Clinical Task Force was established in July to review & design strategies for orienting, communicating & training all stakeholders. CAP Toolkits were developed for each triad member. BC enhancements were added to reflect the Lynch School themes of Inquiry & Social Justice Teaching, with appropriate rubrics and retitled BC-CAP. Summer and ongoing professional development initiatives & options followed for all stakeholders. Data was collected in forms of focus groups & surveys, as well as feedback from the PK-12 Advisory Board in both Fall & Spring semesters. Teacher Ed faculty received monthly updates from Practicum Directors. Pilot data, a valuable evidence source for CAEP, will provide effective guidance for 2016/2017 when CAP will be a program requirement
Goal #3 During the AY 2014-2015, Lynch School faculty & administrators serving on the Academic Innovation Program Task Force have successfully developed a series of instructional technological "micro-credentials" that students must demonstrate as a pre-requisite for entrance into the full practicum experience. The program has been piloted during the AY 2014-2015 and has been approved by the Lynch School Educational Policy Committee for full implementation in the next AY 2016-2017. The competencies are aligned to ISTE/NETS to ensure candidates' readiness to use technology to enhance critical thinking, problem solving and pupil learning, and also reflect CAEP, ESE and INTASC standards.

Annual Goals - 2014
Educator preparation program improvement goals from the prior year
Goal #1 Faculty and administration at Boston College?s Lynch School of Education will continue their commitment to continuous improvement with an explicit focus on the emerging CAEP Standards and their intersection with ESE Program Approval Standards as we prepare for our CAEP/ESE joint visit in Fall 2016. Toward that end, we will continue to collect and use data as we enrich our culture of evidence that supports our commitment to preparing competent and caring educators that meet partnering district needs as well as districts across the country that hire our candidates.
Goal #2 Consistent with the B.C. commitment to collaborate with school districts across a broad range of social contexts, public and private, we will establish an Advisory Board to include B.C. faculty across an array of disciplines, and Prek-12 teachers, guidance counselors and administrators, to ensure that together we are preparing candidates to meet the needs of the children and families in schools and communities. Focus areas will include the needs of English Language Learners, implementation of the Common Core State Standards, College Readiness, Social Emotional Learning and Teacher Performance Assessment.
Goal #3 The ESE Network for Transforming Educator Preparation (NTEP) initiatives provide the context for a goal for the forthcoming year as Boston College faculty & administration consider how these initiatives will impact our teacher education programs in terms of curriculum, field experiences, supervision, and the specifically the course content for the Inquiry Seminar. Toward that end, three B.C. senior administrators are serving on two NTEP Task Force groups. One group is charged with exploring options for a reliable & valid teacher performance assessment to replace the ESE PPA. B.C. has agreed to pilot the new assessment in the next year. The other group is charged with developing indicators for the new Professional Standards for Teachers at the pre-service level thus establishing a common language across the professional lifespan.

Progress Toward Goals - 2014
Progress made toward prior program year goals
Goal #1 Faculty and administrators at Boston College?s Lynch School of Education have attended CAEP & AACTE Conferences, established an Evidence Tak Force, and participated in multiple meetings with MA ESE Educator Preparation key personnel in an effort to demonstrate the commitment to continuous improvement with an explicit focus on the emerging CAEP Standards and their intersection with MA ESE Program Approval Standards. Faculty and administrators are making effective use of the CAEP resources recently posted (February/March 2015) and anticipate a confirmed CAEP and State Partnership p Agreement, to further clarify roles, responsibilities and expectations for the CAEP/ESE joint visit in Fall 2016.
Goal #2 A PreK?12 School Partnership Advisory Board, consisting of classroom teachers, school liaisons, administrators & school support personnel, working collaborating with B.C. faculty and administrators was established to share teacher preparation, mentoring and induction practices that will effectively impact pupil learning & enhance life chances for children and families. The board met in June, November, & March. Meeting notes & data collected from teacher surveys informed the development of a new menu of B.C. offerings for professional development opportunities aligned to district based initiates and teacher preferences. A Principal Survey will be distributed to gain data on their evaluation of B.C. alumni currently employed as teachers in their schools, as well as that of B.C. pre-service candidates who are completing practica in their schools. These data will be shared with faculty to guide continuous improvement of teacher preparation, and professional development across the professional lifespan.
Goal #3 B.C. engagement & collaboration with MA ESE as participants in the NTEP initiatives resulted in successfully meeting this goal as well as serving the broader Massachusetts educator preparation community. B.C. is well represented on the ESE TPA Advisory Board as ESE moves toward the development of a new Teacher Performance Assessment, in collaboration with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching. The new TPA will be aligned to the new Professional Standards for Teaching, and includes recently approved pre-service indicators, that are aligned to the MA Educator Evaluation System, in ways that are developmentally appropriate for the candidate to demonstrate at the conclusion of the teacher preparation program. A senior B.C. administrator also serves on the PST Alignment Working Group and is actively engaged with LSOE faculty to ensure alignment with coursework, and with adjunct clinical faculty to ensure alignment with field supervision in preparation for the new TPA Field Pilot in Fall 2015.