Governors State University is strongly committed to rigorous evaluation of its candidates preparing for professional positions in the public schools. The university believes that this evaluation must include the student's knowledge, skills, and dispositions. "Disposition," as used here, refers to "a tendency to exhibit frequently, consciously, and voluntarily a pattern of behavior that is directed to a broad goal" (Lillian Katz, Dispositions as Educational Goals, ERIC Digest, September, 1993, Urbana, IL: Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education).
Thus, the faculty evaluates each student's performance in both academic and practical settings and assesses the dispositions displayed as the student confronts problems, works with children and other adults, and pursues his/her own development.
The program faculty assesses the extent to which students:
seek to excite and expand students' learning as well as their own;
seek to explore subject matters far beyond the level of mere competence;
understand and use a variety of teaching strategies;
believe that all children can learn and implement supportive, structured behaviors;
are dedicated lifelong learners;
seek, embrace, and celebrate human diversity;
exhibit academic integrity and high ethical standards;
employ technology as a tool for teaching/learning;
pursue knowledge of best practices and innovations that effectively respond to educational challenges;
seek to understand and interact with their communities;
value and engage in self-reflection and assessment;
exhibit flexibility in dealing with ambiguity;
exhibit commitment to collaboration with colleagues and parents; and
exhibit habits of mind that reveal reasoned eclecticism.
The faculty are committed to the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession as presented by the National Education Association (http://www.nea.org/aboutnea/code.html).
The Governors State University Alternative Certification Partnership Coordinating Council in collaboration with the Dean and faculty have created the GSU Alternative Certification Assessment Committee to assure that program quality is maintained and that each student's progress is supported, assessed, and matched to program expectations at a series of checkpoints between admission and program completion. The Committee consists of representatives from the College of Education and from partner school districts. The Program Director and the University Supervisor serve as ex-officio members. Program faculty routinely monitor student progress in the areas of knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Indicators in these three areas include conduct in a course or clinical experience, class attendance, academic performance, communication skills, and dispositions for a career in teaching.
The Assessment Committee monitors and evaluates student progress at critical checkpoints:
After Cores I and II
After Core III, Fall Trimester
After Core III, Winter Trimester, and
After Core IV.
At all points in the student's progress through the program the program's Assessment Committee determines the status of students. In making these determinations, the Committee reviews information about student performance and promise in four areas: knowledge, skills, dispositions, and impact on student learning. The Committee considers the student's performance and relevant information holistically. That is, the faculty's determination to include or exclude candidates is not based solely on any single item or threshold score, except failure to document passing the Illinois Basic Skills Test or Elementary Education Content Area Exam and the Assessment of Professional Teaching Exam. This approach is consistent with current best practices in assessing student progress.
In addition to these routine assessments the Committee may intervene when candidates are referred by program faculty. These interventions may range from written acknowledgement of faculty concern to recommendation for dismissal from the GSU Alternative Certification Partnership.
