TEH Section 7: Assessment and Accreditation
Assessment and Accreditation
Accreditation
As a teacher candidate, it is important for you to know that you are engaging in a teacher education program that has accreditation status. This status means that your program is approved at the state and federal levels showcasing the quality of your program. 51爆料鈥檚 educator preparation programs are accredited through Spring 2030 by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). We were re-accredited in April 2023 under the following CAEP Standards:
- Content and Pedagogical Knowledge
- Clinical Partnerships and Practice
- Candidate Recruitment, Progression, and Support
- Program Impact
- Quality Assurance System and Continuous Improvement
For more information on CAEP accreditation, please visit the College of EHHS website or .
As part of the accreditation process, the educator preparation programs are also reviewed by Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs), the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), and/or other accrediting agencies.
Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs)
SPAs outline content-specific standards that define and advance your profession. It is important to note, SPAs are not accreditors鈥攖hey are program-specific bodies that extend recognition to programs that meet their standards. The recognition decisions are used as evidence of program quality for the CAEP accreditation process (specifically Standard 1). In order to meet SPA standards, program faculty design assignments and corresponding assessments that represent checkpoints of your learning. Much of the data yielded from these assessments are recorded in Student Learning and Licensure (SLL) and the EHHS Portal.
List of SPAs by Undergraduate Program
| Undergraduate Programs | Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs) |
|---|---|
| Art Education | National Association of Schools of Art and Design () (CAEP-recognized 3rd party accreditor) |
| Early Childhood Education | No applicable SPA; aligned with Ohio's PK鈥5 standards |
| Integrated Language Arts | Aligned with National Council of Teachers of English () standards |
| Integrated Mathematics | Aligned with National Council of Teachers of Mathematics () standards |
| Integrated Science | Aligned with National Science Teachers Association () standards |
| Integrated Social Studies | Aligned with National Council for the Social Studies () standards |
| Language (ASL, French, German, Latin, Spanish) | Aligned with American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages () standards |
| Middle Childhood Education | Aligned with Association for Middle Level Education () standards |
| Music Education | National Association of Schools of Music () (CAEP-recognized 3rd party accreditor) |
| Special Education (Deaf Education, Mild/Moderate/Intensive) | Aligned with Council for Exceptional Children () standards |
| Physical Education | Aligned with Society of Health and Physical Educators () standards |
| School Health | Aligned with Society of Health and Physical Educators () standards |
| Teaching English as a Second Language | Aligned with Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages () standards |
Assessment of Candidate Performance 鈥 Unit Level
As we prepare you to assess student learning of P-12 students, it is important that we also assess your performance as a teacher candidate. The Unit Assessment System is designed to collect, analyze, and evaluate data that informs the Unit about your qualifications and progress through your program. The assessment system is a changing, responsive body of work that adapts to changes in standards and the needs of educator preparation. The table on the next page summarizes the assessments common across all undergraduate, initial licensure programs. Graduate initial licensure programs use these same assessments; however, dispositions are evaluated using the same instrument within different courses.
| Data Sources and Focus | Description and Outcomes | Timing of Assessment | Data Collection and Analyses | Monitoring and Dissemination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disposition Assessment (deployed three times) | Assesses Professionalism, Work Ethic, and Personal Qualities. Disposition Assessment (deployed three times) EHHS Portal If there are areas for improvement, the instructor and candidate construct a Professional Development Plan (PDP), which has goals and a timeline for completion (see details below). | Three times:
| Three times:
Data are analyzed by faculty annually. | EHHS Portal |
Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE):
| State Licensure Exam, Assessment of:
| Candidates can take this at any time, but they must pass prior to applying for licensure. | The OAE is scored by Pearson, and then the data are analyzed by faculty annually. | EHHS Portal |
| Student Teaching Evaluations | The instrument is modeled on the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession, as well as CAEP and ISTE standards. Unsatisfactory performance at midterm results in a prescriptive professional development plan; unsatisfactory performance at the final results in remediation (e.g., repeat student teaching, additional placements). | Two times during student teaching, once at mid-term and once at the end of the experience. | Mentor teacher, candidate, and the university supervisor complete, and then the data are analyzed by faculty annually. | EHHS Portal |
| K-STEP | Three-part assessment that explores candidates鈥 ability to plan, instruct, and assess a learning segment and reflect with purpose on student outcomes. | Completed during the first half of the teacher candidacy semester, submitted in week ten. | The K-STEP is scored by external evaluators and then the data are analyzed by faculty annually. | EHHS Portal |
| Program Assessments | Key assessments that vary by program and are aligned with professional standards. | Most program assessment sequences include the OAE licensure test (referenced above), a project or test of content knowledge (may include course grades if SPA recommends use), a unit plan, the student teaching evaluation (referenced above), K-STEP (referenced above) or reflective teaching assignment, and an assessment requiring collaboration with families or incorporation of social justice in to teaching. | Varies; data are analyzed by faculty annually. | Varies; either Student Learning and Licensure, EHHS Portal, or internally to the program. |
Professional Dispositions for Teacher Candidates
Throughout this handbook, we have noted professional dispositions in numerous areas, such as applying for advanced study and successful completion of student teaching. As a reminder, professional dispositions are the professional attitudes, values, and beliefs, demonstrated through both verbal and non-verbal behaviors as educators interact with students, families, colleagues, faculty, and communities. These dispositions are assessed at least three times in your program: Education in a Democratic Society, a methods class with a field component, and student teaching. In addition, a disposition assessment may be completed by a faculty member at any time a situation calls for it. Based on policy, you may not progress through the teacher education program unless evidence shows that progress toward meeting the disposition standards is underway. By the completion of student teaching, all disposition standards must be rated as acceptable. After a faculty member has completed the disposition assessment, an email will be sent to you indicating the assessment form needs to be signed. It is your responsibility to sign the form by going to the Student Portal. If in the faculty judgment, a professional development plan is needed, you will be directed through an email to create one at the student portal address above. Without this signature (and completion of the terms of the professional development plan if one is required), application for advanced study, student teaching, and graduation will be denied.
In the case of two dispositions (see below), there are serious consequences you need to be aware of:
- Consistently protects students鈥, families鈥, and classroom teacher鈥檚 privacy, unless disclosure serves a professionally compelling purpose or is required by law.. Consistently protects identities when using audio recording, video recording, and still images of minors solely for course-related purposes after having obtained written consent from the parent/caregiver and the school/center.
If you do not comply with the above rules, it is a violation of university policy and may result in disciplinary action. Furthermore, if you do not adhere to these confidentiality rules, it may also constitute a violation of state and federal law.
Copies of the Disposition Assessment are available in Appendix A: Education in a Democratic Society Version and Appendix B: Full Version.
Student Teaching Evaluation
Your student teaching semester is a very exciting time as you get the opportunity to teach for a full semester in the classroom/gymnasium with a mentor teacher. During your student teaching, you will be evaluated with the Student Teaching Evaluation (see Appendix H) 鈥 deployed as a mid-term and final evaluation 鈥 that serves as a performance assessment of your clinical experience and is completed by both the cooperating teacher and university supervisor. Scores are based on in-class observations and conversations with the mentor teacher, university supervisor, and you. To achieve satisfactory performance, you must have no fewer than 17 鈥淢et鈥 standard ratings and no 鈥淣ot Mets鈥. 鈥淓xceeded鈥 ratings are for information only and are counted the same as 鈥淢et鈥 ratings for the purposes of evaluation. The 鈥淓xceeded鈥 category simply describes a level of performance to strive for as an in-service teacher. The tool鈥檚 items are aligned with the Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession, InTASC, CAEP, and other relevant elements identified by program faculty and P-12 stakeholders consulted when developing the tool.
A copy of the Student Teaching Evaluation is available in Appendix H.
K-STEP
The K-STEP, a summative teacher education project, is designed to develop and evaluate your ability to plan for instruction, use instructional strategies, and assess student learning during your final student teaching experience. The passing score for this assessment a total score of 39, but the 鈥渕eets expectations鈥 performance level on the rubric is the target for each criterion.
Last updated July 23, 2025