tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post8885785786147845607..comments2023-11-03T04:00:24.785-04:00Comments on Kentucky School News and Commentary: What is NCTQ? (and why you should know)Richard Dayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14586435007687942849noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-79795879690447421522012-06-12T13:27:54.833-04:002012-06-12T13:27:54.833-04:00Along the same lines, school administrators receiv...Along the same lines, school administrators received surveys we were suppose to complete on each student teacher who served in our school this year. The questions were obviously a means of trying to tie the student teacher's performance in a variety of ares to the college/university which educated them. <br /><br />As I reflect upon my student teaching experience, my performance was actually more closely tied to my supervising teacher's influence than my pre-service preparation. I was basically handed the grade book and told they would all be mine next week and if I had any discipline issues my supervising teacher said he would handle it. He then retreated to the faculty lounge were he spent much of his time working on coaching matters and election materials for one of the local political parties. I like to think that doesn't happen any more, however, one must realize that for good or bad a student teaching experience is shaped significantly by the supervising teacher. Similarly, I don't believe that asking a principal, who has very limited exposure to a student teacher, to make judgements about the individual's ability and skills in order to assume a direct relationship with the quality of an entire college of education is going to produce reliable data.<br /><br />I hate to think that my personal and institutional credibility as a university faculty member in a college of education is going to be significantly rooted in a survey like this harvested through EPSB who really is not staffed or trained for type of post secondary analysis. If the pre-service teachers are receiving degrees, passing national teaching exams and being credentialed by EPSB no less, then why are we assuming to gather survey data which runs counter to the gates we have already established?<br /><br />I wouldn't participate either, give me the zeros.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-33534730293019568152012-06-12T13:27:21.775-04:002012-06-12T13:27:21.775-04:00Along the same lines, school administrators receiv...Along the same lines, school administrators received surveys we were suppose to complete on each student teacher who served in our school this year. The questions were obviously a means of trying to tie the student teacher's performance in a variety of ares to the college/university which educated them. <br /><br />As I reflect upon my student teaching experience, my performance was actually more closely tied to my supervising teacher's influence than my pre-service preparation. I was basically handed the grade book and told they would all be mine next week and if I had any discipline issues my supervising teacher said he would handle it. He then retreated to the faculty lounge were he spent much of his time working on coaching matters and election materials for one of the local political parties. I like to think that doesn't happen any more, however, one must realize that for good or bad a student teaching experience is shaped significantly by the supervising teacher. Similarly, I don't believe that asking a principal, who has very limited exposure to a student teacher, to make judgements about the individual's ability and skills in order to assume a direct relationship with the quality of an entire college of education is going to produce reliable data.<br /><br />I hate to think that my personal and institutional credibility as a university faculty member in a college of education is going to be significantly rooted in a survey like this harvested through EPSB who really is not staffed or trained for type of post secondary analysis. If the pre-service teachers are receiving degrees, passing national teaching exams and being credentialed by EPSB no less, then why are we assuming to gather survey data which runs counter to the gates we have already established?<br /><br />I wouldn't participate either, give me the zeros.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5776587.post-41821198676102472122012-06-11T22:25:27.368-04:002012-06-11T22:25:27.368-04:00Having served as a program reviewer for EPSB as we...Having served as a program reviewer for EPSB as well as a committee member on a number of SAC's accreditation reviews, I think it becomes quite clear once you get on the ground and start doing some observations and interviews that an accurate review of any level or type of program can be not only inaccurate but even misleading when based upon self reporting of the organization through documentation. On more than one occassion I have found myself involved in a paradox of contradiction when reviewing documentation and data and comparing that with things like culture, collegiality and genuine, focused student need based support. <br /><br />I think in the end we will see that acreditation standards and governmental expectations become idealistic targets created by those who don't have to fullfil their implementation but instead gain power and pulpit (and financial gain) through the regulatory group. Institutions attempt to present themselves fullfiling the current standards in theory but in practice they often are just fabricating or at least puffing up their alignment. Just as teachers seem to have little faith in data as a means of making decisions, so too do higher education folks see the entire accreditation/review process as mostly a burdensome task to be completed in hopes of getting the stamp of approval during the year of review and afterward a retreat to what really matters to the indivdiuals and institution as their reports and artifacts are boxed up and filed away for a few years.<br /><br />Not to sound too petty, but what bugs me as someone who has done a few of these reviews is the professional expecation by folks at places like AdvancEd that you should serve on these review committees pro bono and that institutions are required to annually pay the organization to maintain their credential. I can understand how some institutional leaders would seek ways of avoiding any sort of involvement when possible. Give me my zero, I will keep my money and we will work on what we think is important at our institution instead of dancing to your homogonized general ideals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com