Dive Into Assessment Data, Accreditation Standards, More at AACTE Workshop

By Kristin McCabe

Are you preparing for a CAEP accreditation visit? Wondering how to apply evidence from your candidates’ performance assessments to make sure your program prepares them for key practices? Or perhaps you’re looking for new ideas for recruiting and supporting a more diverse candidate pool? Find the guidance you need at an AACTE Quality Support Workshop!

In just over 6 weeks, AACTE will bring expert facilitators and a selection of workshop sessions to Fort Worth, Texas, April 24-26. We’ve just posted a detailed schedule with descriptions of session choices to help you plan your time effectively (download the PDF here).

Educator Quality Remains Top Focus of Governors

By Aaron Goldstein and Clarissa Garcia

The 41 State of the State Addresses made so far in 2017 show a continued focus by governors on education issues. Education Commission of the States (ECS) has recently updated its searchable database of trends in these speeches and issued a report summarizing the top issues spotlighted in governors’ addresses this year.

According to the report, this year’s top education mentions have included the following:

AACTE Board of Directors Elects New Leaders, Adopts CAEP Action Steps

By Aaron Goldstein

During its meeting March 1, AACTE’s Board of Directors chose officers for the coming year to serve with new Board Chair Renée Middleton (see press release).

Effective now through next February, the AACTE Executive Committee includes the following leaders:

AACTE Celebrates 69th Annual Meeting ‘Acting as One’ in Tampa

By Kristin McCabe

Last week, AACTE was honored to welcome nearly 2,000 members, partners, and friends to hot-and-sunny Tampa, Florida, for the 69th Annual Meeting. Together we shared research, innovative practices, questions, and answers in a robust program addressing the theme “Acting as One: The Power of the Professional Community.”

Over the coming weeks, Ed Prep Matters will bring you a variety of reports from the Annual Meeting, including videos and slides from the general sessions and major forums just as soon as they’re available. Meanwhile, you can view (and share!) our conference photos on Facebook, browse the Twitter feed, and enjoy the following recap videos from Association TV.

Elementary Students Enjoy Having Two Teachers in the Classroom Through Mason’s PDS Model

By Rebecca Gutierrez

The final segments of AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series featuring the George Mason University (VA) clinical model are now available online. This week’s videos present the voices of first and fourth graders from Westlawn Elementary School and Daniels Run Elementary School discussing their experience learning from interns alongside their experienced teachers.

February 2017 State Policy Recap

By Aaron Goldstein

Ed Prep Matters is pleased to bring you this special feature on state policy and AACTE state chapter activity. For a recap of state policy and state chapter activity in January 2017, see this blog.

CRA Resolution on Teacher Prep Regs Introduced in Senate; Our Advocacy Continues

By Deborah Koolbeck

On March 2, U.S. Senator Benjamin Sasse (R-NE) introduced Senate Joint Resolution 26 to rescind the federal teacher preparation program regulations. The measure has eight cosponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

This introduction is an important step in the process to have these regulations rescinded using the Congressional Review Act. Already, on February 7, the U.S House of Representatives passed House Joint Resolution 58 to rescind the regulations. Should the U.S. Senate pass the measure, it will go to the president for his signature.

Call for Proposals, Reviewers for 2018 AACTE Annual Meeting ‘Celebrating Our Professional Identity’

By Matthew Wales

Now through May 30, AACTE is accepting session proposals for the 70th Annual Meeting, to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, March 1-3, 2018. We also invite applications by May 16 for AACTE member faculty to review proposals.

The conference theme is “Celebrating Our Professional Identity: Shared Knowledge and Advocacy,” conceptualized as follows in the call for proposals:

Call for Volunteers: Apply by May 8 for AACTE Board, Standing Committees

By Aaron Goldstein

Your association wants you! Are you ready to become a leader in the national educator preparation community, or do you know someone who is? Nominate yourself or a colleague by May 8 to serve in an AACTE governance role.

AACTE is currently seeking applications from volunteers to serve on the AACTE Board of Directors and the following standing committees:

JTE Author Interview: Fives and Barnes on Teaching Assessment Construction

By JTE Insider

Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the latest author interview below.

This interview features insights from the JTE article, “Informed and Uninformed Naïve Assessment Constructors’ Strategies for Item Selection,” written by Helenrose Fives and Nicole Barnes of Montclair State University (NJ). The article is featured in the January/February 2017 issue of JTE; you can read the article by going to this link (and AACTE members have free access through this login link).

Front of the Class: Tackling the Teacher Shortage

By Debra Cano Ramos

This article originally appeared in the Winter/Spring 2017 edition of Titan Magazine and is reprinted with permission.

Cal State Fullerton education alumna and camp teacher Alex Lehrer leads her students in acting out a scene from the poems that they created about rainforest animals during a Rainforest Safari Camp.

Updated: State Policy Maker Contact Lists

By Aaron Goldstein and Clarissa Garcia

In light of the most recent election cycle and AACTE’s commitment to having its members and state affiliates remain connected with officials in their respective states, we have updated the lists of contact information on our website for each state’s policy makers (member login required). Contacts include that of the governor, chief school officer, relevant legislature committees, and education agency staff.

Preconference Institute to Spotlight Efforts to Increase Teacher Diversity

By Conra D. Gist and Tim Mahoney

Are you coming to Tampa for the AACTE Annual Meeting, and looking for activities March 1? Please consider joining a free daylong institute exploring a variety of efforts to diversify the teaching workforce, organized by the AACTE Diversified Teaching Workforce topical action group. We’ll be in the Grand Ballroom Salon E of the Tampa Marriott Waterside starting at 8:00 a.m.

The Diversified Teaching Workforce (DTW) Institute will convene a group of national leaders at colleges and universities across the United States to spotlight and explore innovative efforts for addressing racial/ethnic teacher diversity across five key areas: recruitment and retention, teacher preparation, mentorship, induction and professional development, and advocacy. Recognizing the need to create spaces within professional networks to discuss and unpack the challenges and possibilities for increasing teacher diversity, the institute offers presentations on current research, opportunities to plan in working groups, and panel sessions focused on best practices from teacher preparation and teacher diversity pipeline leaders.

PDS Partnership Benefits PK-12 Students From Many Angles

By Rebecca Gutierrez

Two new videos are available this week on AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series highlighting the George Mason University (VA) College of Education and Human Development’s clinical preparation program. This week’s videos present partner elementary schools’ experience with having multiple teachers in the classroom and display the readiness of George Mason students after completing their 1-year internships.

The College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University (GMU) and its network of professional development schools (PDSs) benefit PK-12 student learning in several ways. Students enjoy having access to a second adult in the room dedicated to helping them succeed; teacher mentors gain new perspectives and techniques they can integrate in their classroom; and teacher candidates are prepared through a yearlong internship to hit the ground running in their own classrooms in the future.

Free Data-Use Online Course Starts March 20

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE’s enhanced online professional seminars, offered through the Quality Support Center on the FutureLearn social-learning platform, are well under way! More than 5,000 registrants signed up for the first run of our introductory assessment course, which just concluded, and the second course, Using Data to Improve Student Outcomes, opens March 20. (Please note this start date is a change from the original schedule.)

In this free 3-week course, you will discover how to apply data science to deliver better outcomes for students. Led by Linda McKee, AACTE’s senior director for quality support initiatives, you’ll learn to identify a range of data sources, analyze the data, and present your findings, then select indicators and establish actions to achieve continuous improvement.