Satisfaction of Employers (Initial)
To gauge employer satisfaction, the EPP utilizes the "Employer Perceptions of Preparation Survey" administered annually by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC). The GaPSC provides these data to the EPP each spring for the previous year. The survey is based on state and national standards, including the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) standards. The survey questions and results, including a discussion of the results, are included in the GaPSC Survey of Employers of Induction Teachers (PDF).
Satisfaction of Employers (Advanced)
For our advanced programs, the EPP created surveys to ascertain employers' satisfaction with program completers. We send a survey to each employer one year after the alumni have completed their advanced program and have been employed in a public P-12 school in Georgia. These surveys are based on program-specific standards and state program requirements, and they measure perceived comfort or skill regarding meeting these standards in the classroom or at the school or district level. The survey questions and results, including a discussion of the results, are included in the attachments entitled "Tier 1 Employer Survey" and "Curriculum and Instruction Employer Survey" located at the end of Measure 2. The Tier II Educational Leadership Employer Survey will be administered for the first time in 2022, following the timeline of surveying employers one year after program completion. The survey will be developed, reviewed, and piloted during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Stakeholder Involvement (Initial and Advanced)
The EPP is fortunate to have stakeholders willing to commit their time and energy to contribute to the ongoing improvement of our programs. Our three most engaged stakeholder groups are our College of Education (COE) Advisory Council, Mentor Teacher Advisory Board, and Educational Leadership Taskforce. Each group is comprised of external (school or district personnel) and internal (faculty and administrators; students are included in the COE Advisory Council) stakeholders. We routinely discuss needs, innovations, evaluations, and decisions with our stakeholders. During the 2020-2021 academic year, each stakeholder group continued to meet semesterly. However, we shifted to a virtual meeting format. The meeting agendas are included at the end of Measure 2 and are titled “Stakeholder Involvement Evidence.”
COE Advisory Council
The COE Advisory Council is a stakeholder group that collaborates to serves the entire EPP. Membership consists of school and district personnel, such as teachers, principals, human resources officials, and superintendents, and EPP personnel, such as students, faculty from varying departments, staff members, and administrators. During the 2020-2021 school year, the COE Advisory Council provided the EPP feedback on a wide array of topics, such as evolving COVID policies, using a P-12 student survey for CAEP standard 4/A.4, changing to a new web-based assessment system, developing a COE Mission Statement, and using virtual vs. face-to-face practicum and internship supervision methods. The members also reviewed and discussed hiring data, field placement data, and completer survey data and volunteered to be interviewed during the spring 2021 site visit. Additionally, members from the EPP provided updates on innovative programming and new program offerings established to serve partnering schools’ needs. The innovative programs included Summer Scholars, Steps to College, Camp Appalachia, GenCyber Warrior Academy, CyberStart, “Grow Your Own” programs – RISE and ATP, and a new online cohort group for the Elementary and Special Education Program.
Educational Leadership Task Force
The Educational Leadership Task Force is a group that collaborates to serve the Tier I and Tier II Educational Leadership Programs. This group is composed of school administrators, program faculty, and EPP administrators. The program faculty sought feedback from Task Force members on recruiting strategies and assessing leader dispositions. The members also reviewed and discussed program data such as enrollment, GACE Content Assessment results, PASL results, employer survey results. Members volunteered to review new EPP-created assessments, review the new Tier II employer survey, and serve on an assessment validation panel. The EPP shared updates on partnership agreements and memorandums of understanding, the use of educational simulations, and the spring 2021 site visit.
Mentor Teacher Advisory Board
The Mentor Teacher Advisory Board is a group of educators from partnering schools who serve as mentors to teacher candidates during the practicum and internship portion of the programs. Faculty and staff from the EPP facilitate the board. The mentor teacher members span our educator preparation programs in terms of grade levels, content areas, and school districts, so we are able to have diverse perspectives. During the 2020-2021 school year, the advisory board members provided feedback on the impact of the pandemic on clinical experiences, mentor teacher training, mentor teacher survey questions, mentor teacher survey results, and clinical assessment due dates. EPP members shared updates on the state discontinuation of EdTPA and plans for the spring 2021 site visit.
Supporting Evidence: