Massachusetts School and District Profiles

Simmons University
EPPP
Select an Org
2024
print page

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.
Data last updated January 16, 2025.

Annual Goals - 2024
Educator preparation program improvement goals for the upcoming program year
Goal #1 As the University shifts to a new structure in AY24-25 (from two to six academic units), its three approved licensure programs will fall into three separate units, each with a new dean. Our Licensure Team will adapt to having a new Licensure Officer and a smaller set of licensure programs (three on-campus teacher preparation programs close in June 2024). Navigating these administrative changes with good practices across programs for communication, program implementation, and strategizing for the 2030 Formal Review.
Goal #2 Increasing candidate numbers: Our three continuing licensure programs (School Library Teacher, Teachers of Students with Severe Disabilities, and School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor) are all working to recruit more students. Our new undergraduate EDGE programs (for 3+1 and 4+1 designs) will promote adding master degrees onto bachelor degrees in many fields and graduate admissions for our licensure programs will recruit more directly from among the undergraduates going forward. Our program in Severe Special Needs based at NECC will take advantage of further international student recruitment to boost numbers of licensed completers, and will continue its new fellowship program to support retention of candidates starting the program at partnering district schools. Our SSW/SAC has streamlined the curriculum and thus the cost of its program, which should boost numbers of candidates for this license overall, and has developed a partnership with Boston Public Schools toward meeting that district's needs in this area.
Goal #3 Structures for continuous improvement within licensure programs can be improved. · Surveying of current and past students as well as other constituents takes place independently in the Severe Licensure program at NECC and in the SSW/SAC Licensure program. A goal for the coming year will be to make certain that the Library Teacher program is able to survey its constituents as well. (Program completers in all three of these particular programs go on to work in small numbers or as singletons in any one school or district and thus the Edwin data is not always useful for continuous improvement.) · Other ways to get feedback might include focus groups and cross cohort interaction between current students and alumni.

Annual Goals - 2023
Educator preparation program improvement goals from the prior year
Goal #1 Our goal is to increase numbers: Our School Library Teacher program envisions increasing numbers of applicants via the partnership being sought with Boston Public Schools. Our SSW/SAC program plans to increase numbers of applicants by wide advertising of the new program structure, which reduces the cost and length of the program for candidates. Our Simmons-NECC partnership for Severe Special Needs licensure intends to increase numbers in several ways: 1. Expanding its PSS program to new public school districts, increasing numbers by some 8-10 students next year. We are setting guidelines for transfer among our various NECC licensure programs to increase the flexibility of the PSS. 2. Recruiting internally at NECC with events and fliers and externally via advertising, including use of billboards on Rte 290. Recruitment internal to Simmons can include reaching out to Simmons Education minors and psychology majors via undergraduate career fairs and student liaison groups. Please note that our On-Campus programs in Elementary, Moderate, and Severe are no longer recruiting given the June 2024 closure planned for our department.
Goal #2 Our overall goal is to refine university-wide licensure program systems, encouraging continuous improvement and preparation for our future Formal Review. Over AY 2023-24, successfully teaching out the on-campus licensure programs in Elementary, Moderate and Severe Special Needs will allow us a sharper focus on the programs for the next Formal Review: School Library Teacher, School Social Worker/School Adjustment Counselor, and Severe Special Needs base at our off-site partnership with NECC. We will set a shared timeline in 2023-24 for the remaining programs to anticipate the Formal Review and to set common and clear expectations for documents and for utilizing shared university resources whenever possible in lieu of program director efforts. We hope to capitalize upon new connections possible across licensure programs that may be newly aligned within the new university structure.
Goal #3 Our goal is to implement and further refine curricular changes already made. Our SLT Licensure program is targeting LIS 461, Curriculum and Instructional Strategies, for redesign in summer of 2023. During AY 2023-24, a formal overview of the SLT curriculum will determine if we need major changes or can continue with continuous improvement in each course. Our practice of regular Licensure Team Meetings may allow us to share/compare our various programs to share how AntiRacist Educator Preparation looks across our courses, extracurricular events, and fieldwork. Our SSW/SAC Licensure program will successfully deliver the first course of the newly redesigned curriculum, SW539A: Social Work in Schools I.

Annual Goals - 2022
Educator preparation program improvement goals from the prior year
Goal #1 All programs will share in the university-wide prioritization of DEI concerns in teaching, including curricular assessment, syllabus design, and instruction. Other program revision efforts for the coming year include curricular redesign in the SSW/SAC program set to roll out in fall of 2023. Student feedback surveys and an advisory group including faculty and students will guide the design. One goal will be the overall reduction of credits required, hopefully increasing access to the license for more candidates. The School Library Teacher program will revise pre-practicum assignments and coursework as pre-practicum activity returns to schools in fall of 2022. Two adjuncts, the two full-time SLT faculty and other Library Science faculty will share the planning, and the scope of changes will coordinate with a training planned for PSs and SPs starting in fall semester. The Severe program at NECC has had all candidates fortify technology skills and will incorporate those expectations into instruction. Examples include requiring candidates to get Google Classroom certified and to join MassCue for its professional development training. Candidates will also be held to fluency in use of Smart boards and applications for Zoom and other Chrome extensions. The overall goal is to prepare candidates prior to practicum for the opportunities and challenges of remote instruction during practicum.
Goal #2 A pending reorganization of Simmons University will parallel the University's effort to expand all programs, possibly revisioning our OnCampus Education programming. The next year will be spent exploring ways to support undergraduate interest in school careers, including teaching and school counseling, whether at Simmons or at graduate programs post-Simmons.
Goal #3 In response to partner workforce needs, our Severe licensure program based at NECC will increase its intake of candidates next year, recruiting assistant teachers/paraprofessionals from partner districts both in Massachusetts and in Derry, NH. Along with a push to recruit more candidates for its Abu Dhabi site, this will increase the number of teachers entering the pipeline for Massachusetts severe special needs licensure. In SLT, as the Boston Public Schools shift out of pandemic response and adapt to a new superintendent, our program will attempt to renew the partnership discussion toward increasing the number of school librarians in Boston Schools. As Simmons contemplates a reorganization of its units, the OnCampus Education program may also show growth via strategic partnerships in the area.