Novel initiatives, along with the usual assessment-related activities, are underway at the Neag School.  With diverse projects such as the first time administration of school-wide exit survey and second Alumni in Connecticut Public Schools report, the Office of Assessment is pleased to report that the culture of assessment is thriving.  Here is a summary of what to expect as the semester comes to close, and a few things on the horizon for fall.

End-of-Semester Student Evaluations for Field Experiences.  End-of-semester evaluations will soon be completed and reported for Teacher Education students now completing their student teaching experiences. Students from the UCAPP, School Counseling, and School Psychology programs will also be receiving end-of-semester evaluations for their practicum and/or internship experiences.

Clinic/Cooperating Teacher Surveys.   Every two years, we solicit feedback regarding the school-based clinic experiences offered to Teacher Education students from the perspectives of the both the students themselves and those they work alongside in the schools. These will be issued this year to all IB/M and TCGCP students, and their clinic teachers, cooperating teachers, and school supervisors.  The surveys are not intended for evaluation; rather, they have allowed faculty to assess the strengths and needs and adjust accordingly to make the clinic, student teaching, and internship experiences more meaningful for Neag students.

School-wide Exit Surveys are Coming!  For the first time, a common exit survey will be extended to students school-wide.  While a few programs have developed and used their own exit surveys for some time, the new Neag School-wide Exit Survey is aligned across all programs, departments and the Teacher Education unit.  Common items will be related to students’ general educational experiences and the survey then branches into more department or program-specific sections that will only be presented to students from the respective program and/or department.  The purpose of this survey is threefold, as it provides the following:

• An up-to-date database of contact information for all students.
• Immediate feedback regarding students’ educational experiences at Neag.
• Immediate feedback regarding department-related issues.

Alumni in Connecticut Public Schools. The first report on Neag alumni working for Connecticut public schools, “Where Are Our Alumni?” was produced in 2010-11.  The updated report, Alumni in the Connecticut Public Schools, is now in production. It captures employment data of all 3,412 Neag alumni graduating since 1984 who are now working among Connecticut’s 166 districts. Colored maps generated using ArcGIS software from UConn’s Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC) are included to aid in visualizing this information.

Staying on PAR.  Faculty from each program and concentration area are in the process of working on Program/Concentration Assessment Reports (PARs).  Included in the report are the mission, goals, and objectives developed by each program; measures chosen to assess progress and data tied to the measures; and a summary of the information provided.

Assessment Colloquia Series: Open for Suggestions! If you have a great idea for a fall 2013 session, topic, or presenter, please contact mary.yakimowski@uconn.edu

Below is a list of the sessions that were offered in the spring.  Additional information about each of these sessions and the presenters is available on the Neag Office of Assessment website.

Popular Music and Informal Pedagogy in Music Education

Presenter: Dr. Joseph Abramo

Adolescent Literacy Assessment: Observing and Coaching Evidence-Based Instruction in Discipline Specific Classrooms

Presenters: Dr. Faggella-Luby. Mr. Joshua Wilson, and Ms. Yan Wei

How New Core Arts Standards Will Impact Common Core, Assessment & Evaluation

Presenter: Dr. Scott Schuler

Grant Writing for School Leaders: How to Select a Fundable Idea, Conceptualize a Proposal and Write a Competitive Grant Narrative

Presenter: Dr. Stan Shaw