Educator Preparation Program – Universidad de Puerto Rico en Ponce

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Educator Preparation Program

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Welcome to the Department of Education of the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce. The Education Department (ED) is the responsible unit for the development of a “reflective, professional educational leaders who are committed to serving the diverse learning communities in Puerto Rico and abroad».

CAEP ACCREDITATION

Accreditation is granted at the initial-licensure level. This Accreditation status is effective between Spring 2021 and Fall 2027. The next site visit will take in Spring 2027.

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Standard 1: Content and Pedagogical Knowledge

Standard 1: Content and Pedagogical Knowledge

The UPRP EPP aligns all course syllabi, rubrics, and evaluation instruments with the ten candidate proficiencies established in its conceptual framework (see UPRP Conceptual Framework). These proficiencies align with the InTASC 2013 Standards, the CAEP Standards, the Puerto Rico Professional Standards for Teachers (PR-PST), the ISTE Standards, and the UPRP Student Learning Outcomes (see 1.1.1a, 1.1.1b, 1.1.1c and 1.1.2 for alignments). The principle EPP evaluations that show UPRP teacher candidates meet or exceed criteria based on the InTASC standards are the Formative Evaluation Instrument [FEI] (see 1.1.2a FEI old instrument and 1.1.2b FEI revised instrument) and the Teacher Candidate Work Sample[TCWS] (see 1.1.2d TCWS old instrument and 1.1.2e revised instrument). These instruments are applied during Clinical Practice. See 1.1.2c (FEI) and 1.1.2f (TCWS) appendixes for overall performance levels in the four InTASC categories. The data for these instruments is provided for the last three semesters.

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

Standard 2: Clinical Partnership & Practice

Standard 2: Clinical Partnership & Practice

The clinical practice in Puerto Rico is regulated by Puerto Rico Department of Education’s laws about clinical practice (see 2.1.1- CC 2- 2012-2013: Public policy about the organization and regulation of clinical practice centers) and through dispositions in Law 129 of 2016 about Clinical Experiences (see 2.1.2 Law 129) . The public policies provide the requisites for the selection of clinical centers, cooperative teacher and director, and the roles of each one. Cooperative Teachers (CT) must have a clinical practice certification that is reviewed every three years. The UPRP EPP offers both the certification course (45 hours) and the recertification course (15 hours) to teachers from partner schools and teachers from other universities. Certification Course for new highly qualified CT as well as recertification for teachers is offered by EPP Director and Clinical Practice Supervisors (see 2.1. 3 Coop Teacher Course Syllabus).

2.1

2.2

2.3

Standard 3: Candidate Quality, Recruitment, & Selectivity

Standard 3: Candidate Quality, Recruitment, & Selectivity

A Recruitment plan for the EPP had been in place since 2014. (3.1 Recruitment plan). During this time different efforts have been made to attract highly qualified candidates into the teaching profession. However, the EPP recruit through the University of Puerto Rico Ponce Admission’s Office, hence, candidates must comply with the minimum admission index (IMIS) established for each department (3.1.2 IMIS). UPRP Academic Senate approves the IMIS which is subject to revision every year. Various initiatives take place from the Admissions office and the EPP. Activities such as Career Night, Open House and Expos provided opportunities for recruiting students from different backgrounds and settings. Prospect candidates are personally informed about admissions, requirements and additional information related to the program of studies, curriculum, job opportunities, and other important data. At the Open Houses each year EPP faculty receive students that are interested in the Bachelor’s degree, transfer programs and certifications in various areas of specialty. During the Orientation students are given a questionnaire about the recruitment process, how they know about our program and how satisfied they are with it. (see 3.1.3. Recruitment process and activities EPP). Also, visits to several schools from various geographic areas of Puerto Rico, mostly in the southern area are schedule by the Admission Department.

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.4.2 Protocol for taking the PCMAS

Standard 4: Program Impact

Standard 4: Program Impact

Neither the Puerto Rico Department of Education nor the University of Puerto Rico currently share data related to program impact. Student growth measurements are not available to the provider, therefore, assessing the completers’ contributions to student-learning growth is particularly challenging. In the absence of state data regarding teacher effectiveness, the UPRP EPP implemented a case study to analyzed school data from the EPP completers in service students, completers in service and supervisors’ surveys. Even thou some data was collected and presented in the Annual Report 2019; it did not provide enough information to be used as evidence. The case study was redesigned in order to collect the type of information needed to provide evidence for 4.1 and 4.2 standards. During the months of May and June 2019 participants were identified and two sets of data was collected: a survey and a semi structured interview. Nevertheless, data from schools or students was not available by that time. The case study will continue during the academic year 2019-2020 (see UPRP EPP Case study). Employers are satisfied with the completers’ preparation for their assigned responsibilities working with K-6 students. Data from 12 employers of 28 graduates that work in public and private schools were collected in and analyzed. In general, employers found that the preparation of the candidates is excellent or good (see 4.3.1).

4.1

4.1.1UPRP EPP Case study St.4

4.3

4.3.1 Employers Survey

4.4

Standard 5: Provider Quality, Continuous Improvement & Capacity

Standard 5: Provider Quality, Continuous Improvement & Capacity

UPRP EPP maintain a quality assurance system comprise of valid data from multiple measures. UPR institutional policy requires every department and program to develop an assessment system to measure student proficiencies; goals and competencies (see 5.1 Assessment system). The assessment system works toward candidate’s performance and progression, data collection, and improve of departments’ effectiveness. The unit and program assessment system are envisioned as a dynamic, formative process. The assessment system is based on the UPRP EPP Conceptual Framework (see Conceptual Framework in St.1). The Conceptual Framework is consistent with UPRP Student Learning Outcomes, Puerto Rico Professional Standards for Teachers, CAEP standards, and InTASC Standards. It sets forth ten core teacher proficiencies that represent expectations for all UPRP EPP candidates. These proficiencies are based on current teaching/learning theory, learning research, and accepted learning practices to assure that candidates develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions required to be effective teachers in Puerto Rico and mainland school systems.

5.1

5.2