Council for Educator Preparation

Meeting Agenda/Minutes

May 8, 2020

11:00AM-1PM

Zoom

Minutes in Maroon

1. Call to order and attendance: LJT opened the meeting at 11:03 a.m.  In attendance: LJT, Connie Briggs, Pat Watson, Karen Dunlap, Cathy Banks, Tamby Allman, Becky Fredrickson, Lisa Huffman, Ilana Morgan, Mandy Biggers, Jennifer Moore, Sarah McMahan, Jerry Whitworth, Kathryn Brown, Aimee Myers. We now have a quorum.Student representative, Evelyn, will join us a little later.  Joyce Armstrong on the phone. Annette Torres joined.
2. Approval of Minutes from March 2nd LJT asked for discussion on minutes, and accepted silence. CB moved for approval, KD seconded. Approved.
3. Approval of Minutes from April Stakeholders Meeting LJT asked for discussion on minutes, and accepted silence. CB moved for approval, KD seconded. Approved.
4. Officer Reports

1. Field Experiences and Clinical Practices Committee--Sarah SM - Work of subcommittee over last year has been robust. In the process of revisions per item Di, using a focus group to make more helpful and applicable to CST et al experience. Ilana and others participating. Looking forward to making those changes.

1. Focus Group on CST/Intern Evaluation Instrument

2. Education Student Affairs Committee--Jerry JW - Not a lot to report. Not many appeals. One issue discussed is re: changing EPP admission and testing policies. Appeals work depends on these criteria. Looking at steps of the appeals process, in terms of what students are told. One step not captured on the website, so reviewing discrepancy / location. LJT - Good point. Noted BB not on the call right now, but will be in attendance later in the meeting to discuss admissions changes.
3. Academic Programs Committee--Becky BF - Will speak later to specifics as appropriate.

5. Dean’s Report:

6. Associate Dean’s Report LH - Speaking for GA, who is on medical leave until mid-June. Reported to facts as stated below.  Centers are opening, so encourage students to schedule, and also be informed that refunds will be approved. Timelines will need to be adjusted to accommodate for Covid delays. Encourage taking especially content exams.  Did receive some key waivers regarding length of clinic days and how principals evaluate. Tried very hard to get adjustment in weighting of content area competency exams.

1. TEA/SBEC update

1. No waivers for method or timeline for cert. Exams, including STR
2. 2019-2020 waivers for field requirements & supervision, principal survey, and teacher survey
3. Weight of ASEP accountability measures under discussion

2. Additional Forms of EPP Communication

1. New EPP twitter handle @TWUEdPrep LH - Want to celebrate ALL students pursuing teaching careers, regardless of school/area of focus. Please tag us, follow us, feed us things to celebrate/tweet.
2. Webpage changes LH - Designing a portal/landing page for prospective teachers/parents interested in teaching career, regardless of area of concentration
3. Newsletter LH - How to share what’s happening in various areas of EPP. Exact content and timing still under consideration.

3. #TeachersCan media campaign (teacherscan.org) LH - Media campaign, a great way to share positive stories and offer kudos to educators in the profession. The narrative around teachers is undergoing change as a result of the SiP and homeschooling work done by parents.
4. EPP Virtual Open Houses LH - BF mostly organizing these. Need to refer to them as ONLINE rather than “virtual.” One scheduled next week, then Teach DFW ones for DCCCD candidates. Part of outreach efforts to support increased enrollment, which is currently a concern. Once practiced, can certainly do them more frequently, and encourages each department/program to look into doing their own. BF can help anyone participate in getting these set up.

1. May 15 3:00
2. June 3 11:00 (Teach DFW)
3. June 4 5:00 (Teach DFW)
4. June 12 3:00

5. Continuing Professional Ed Workshops LH - EPP is approved to provide CPE for teachers and education professionals. Invite other topics to present that would help with teachers’ meet their CPE requirements. Low cost and a great way to give back to our community. Would love to have a stronger list, given the amount of talent, knowledge, and expertise in the College.

1. In demand: K-12 and higher ed online teaching & learning strategies; trauma and grief training
2. Contact Sharon (sbailey18@twu.edu) for scheduling

6. EPP Admissions Requirements LH -We are NOT talking about changing testing requirements for CST. We are talking about ADMISSIONS testing for EPP. To date, the PRAXIS, SAT, and ACT have been options. EPP now considering to align with TWU new policy waiving SAT/ACT, and requiring TSI complete instead. We are losing students to other programs because the majority of those programs only require TSI complete. PACT applies to graduate students, as content competency assessment, but not used as such any longer. Laura - TSI mandated by the State of Texas? LH - Yes; asked for discussion/thoughts from council. Note: Timing we’re considering is Spring 2021. If students are not in place for fall, then may consider implementing the waiver for Fall 2020. IM offered an anecdotal situation arguing for Fall 2020 adoption of waiver. Echoed by Kathryn Brown. Joyce Armstrong also supports waiving for Fall 2020. LH - Suggest any recommendation include the word Covid, and limit to coming academic year, with review at the end. BF moved that this recommendation be made, specifically, that due to the COVID 19, the EPP Admission Requirements will require the TSI only for summer, fall, and spring admissions, and in SP 2021, a review of this policy will take place.  Mandy Biggers seconded. LJT said silence indicates approval, and asked that comments be forthcoming. Noted BB has texted that some students have already taken the tests and been approved. LH - Good that some have done so, but it’s not possible to ensure a level of fairness in light of unforeseen Covid-19 consequences. LH - Requested that the recommendation include language approving immediate implementation of the policy. BH-amended the original motion to add that this new policy be put into place immediately. Motion for approval - SM . KD - Second. This includes the MAT; the PACT has been waived for the graduate students applying to the MAT. This means that up to 25 students will be notified and admitted into the MAT program immediately. MB - raised concern that this be communicated to students ASAP, and asked about a communications plan. LH - asked for ideas. CB - Recommended it be shared with chairs. MB - Yes, but not a great way to reach students. CB - She will find all her certification candidates and send an email specifically. LH - Need to share with all appropriate program areas to ensure it reaches students. Talking about those applying for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. IM - recommends also sending to advisors in various schools. BF - May we email students who have applied but haven’t taken tests yet? How would that happen? LH - BB and his department can help. Grassroots style!

1. PRAXIS, PACT, SAT, or ACT not required for undergraduate EPP admission. UG applicants seeking EPP admission for SP 21 must demonstrate basic skills in reading, written communication, and mathematics by meeting the requirements of the Texas Success Initiative.
2. EPP Testing Policy LH - Reports that our students are hired more easily because they have already passed certs before CST. Lots of great feedback from districts about this. Differential of at home testing costs will be covered by COPE. Deadline for testing for Fall 2020 has been pushed to August, due to testing center backlog. Anticipate another adjustment, as not able to foresee exact schedules. Will continue to be attentive and responsive to trickle-down impacts of Covid-19 on these requirements. Lots of student concerns. LH - TEA has been relatively stringent about adjusting their testing requirements. As a result, programs are needing to perform more “pastoral care” in guiding students through anxieties.

1. Examity/online proctoring platform for practice tests LJT - Reported for BB on Examity format and protocols. LH added that prep/testing centers (live) will be constrained by social distancing mandates.
2. Unintended consequences due to the requirement to have all tests passed before clinical student teaching LH - Requested we table this discussion/decision. Believes it serves TWU students well to be required to pass cert exams before CST. 

7. Conceptual Framework LH - This is a living document and starting point to orient potential students and parents to TWU difference and value propositions.

1. Laura, Sharon, and Josh will work on a graphic and placing this on the CEP/EPP webpage.

8. EC-6 methods courses in varying stages of development LH - Looking at methods courses with field experience required, pre-fixing with the EDUC designation, allows using dollars to secure tools in support of teaching online. Not under consideration: Changing faculty.

1. Goal of FA2020 implementation

9. Online degree options LH - These are IN ADDITION to F2F options

1. BSEd with Core Subjects & ESL - degree completion LH - Accelerated online format, designed to meet needs of community college graduates coming into TWU as EPP candidates. Peer programs are all doing this. The need is to meet where students are, offering a block model that is more effective for moving them to completion.

1. Timeline: online courses by FA21; SP or SU 21 to be both online and 7 weeks
2. More field experiences via platforms like TeachLivE and The Teaching Channel LH - Thousands of hours of actual teaching that EPP students can observe. Doesn’t replace an actual classroom, but as an additional tool, especially in context of unknowns as to what schooling will look like in the fall. Noted that research reports that online learning is not the preferred model/format, but it is the format that suits students’ lifestyles, is more accessible. IM - asked about what grades and subjects new format covers. LH - EC-6 only, not dance or art. CB asked LH about the kinesiology class and wait list, which KB also said she has been investigating. KB - We had a meeting yesterday about this, and need to offer another section some place. Always wait-listed, which is a problem, and “something’s gotta give.”  It would be helpful if someone from COPE could initiate conversation. LH - I would be glad to. KB - Wants to be involved, as she is the instructor. Agreed it would be good to strategize the approach to getting another section added. MB - Not clear about how new EC-6 classes in Fall are going to impact course loads. She fills two sections of 48 students each semester. LH - trying to preserve enrollment and meet the needs of community college completer crowds. CB - Education 4913? LH - Shorter versions may be special topics in the short-term, with the goal to eventually be an extra section of that class. LH - these plans only address those coming out of the community colleges into accelerated programs. [SB: This is audience differentiating, adapting an existing service for a specific constituency.] LH - Not mandating how other departments shape their methods courses, but we are at a critical moment to capture attention/business of community college candidates. PW - Noted her department is on track to do something similar. LH - Can use something like a flag “with approval only,” and will receive lists of students who are eligible. It is the same degree, but a specific degree plan for particularly-experienced students. MB - I do not think I’m in a place to re-tool my class to teach both as a 15-week AND a 7-week course. Already re-tooling to be online, so added work seems overwhelming. LH - We have been talking to the deans and wanted to let the council know. BF has a roll-out plan. LH - The concern is that enrollment is down and may continue to decline if TWU formatting doesn’t adjust offerings to meet the needs of these candidates. BF - Reviewed soft roll-out of this degree plan for this audience:  Fall 2020, online format at 15 weeks. Spring 2021, online and at 7 weeks. This eased some worries. BF - So many students, especially those coming from community colleges, are also working, and we lose them to online, accelerated programs. We have to be competitive, even if it’s not our preferred format. I believe we still trump the competition with quality. AM - Is accelerated program just an option? BF - It’s an OPTION. AT - If someone is teaching F2F, would same person be teaching the online section? LH - That depends on the department’s decisions. If we grow suddenly, then, yes, it’s about hiring the appropriate adjuncts to support that expansion. Can’t really answer this until we see how it works. LH - It will be interesting to see how students like the new model, but for now, just for the cohort described. Several agree it’s good to offer students options that will meet their needs.
3. Teaching Channel demo May 11 LH - Send note and she will forward the link to see the demo. Not sure purchase will be approved. AM - Uses the Teaching Channel videos in her classes frequently, but they are condensed. Is that what a contracted version would be like? LH - Probably not, as the expanded version includes more robust features, including the capacity to make our own videos. Discussion.  AM - observed that it would be valuable for her students to see an entire class session, vs. the edited clips. LH - Can use it in different ways, and the paid version is very different from the free version. GA had arranged for us to review the demo. LH - TeachLive/Mersion also offer similar features, and now at a greatly-reduced rate. Great to offer EPP students experience to prepare for CST.

2. M.Ed. in TLC with certification track LH - Discussion item. Goal: Do we add a cert track to the M.Ed.

1. Timeline: online degree designation during FA20; online cert track by SP21; SU or FA21 for both online and 7-week cert. track

7. Director’s Reports

1. Advising & Certification LJT - BB not present. Nothing further.
2. Clinical Practices

8. Chair/Vice-Chair Report LJT & KB - recommends working with Dr. Cato. LH, do you want to reach out to Magda Hernandez in Irving re: recruitment opportunities?

1. Responses from the Stakeholder emails,

1. Dr. Heather Cato would like to conduct research with some of us on the impact of the shutdown on students and teachers.
2. Magda Hernandez, Sup for Irving, is recruiting students for our pre-service teacher program:0 Plus, she wants to partner with us next year and is working with her Chief of Employee to see what the next steps are.
3. Claudia Clavo, AP for Denton ISD, is partnering with Sarah’s office focusing on the STR and pre-service teachers. LJT - Noted

2. Tentative schedule for next year. LJT - Presented
3. ELO Courses--we have permission to offer in the summer and fall.

9. New Business  LJT - Already offering one, but lots of interest, so may need another this fall for prospective Ph.D. candidates.

1. Old Business
2. Information Only BF - Announced. Accepting proposals, and the form is easy! TxATE membership is required. Submission deadline is May 15th. Let BF know if interested but need some wiggle room on deadline. KD - If anyone has prospective articles or grad students who want to submit, please contact her to support TxATE journal.

1. TxATE Virtual Conference June 15-16. Free conference. To submit a proposal, go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdc7nG-ka7fuOJzzhwb6TIBs0tCToOb8ztTxHiLAAKJbawGrA/viewform?usp=sf_link

10. Adjournment - KD moved to adjourn, AM seconded. LJT closed meeting at 12:32 p.m.