The practicum/internship experience at Pace University includes a project that demonstrates evidence of student learning. This project is completed by candidates seeking an advanced certificate, or by candidates who have completed the capstone and/ or EdTPA certification project for initial certification in either childhood or adolescent education. This project may also be completed candidates in the alternative certification program concurrently with EdTPA. This assignment is meant to assess the further refinement of teacher planning instruction for individuals with exceptionalities. Overview of the Analysis of Student Learning Assessment The analysis of student learning will require teacher candidates to carefully plan and implement instruction in a special education instructional setting. As a general guide, those candidates instructing in the most inclusive end of the continuum of services will target a group of students for learning. Moving along the continuum towards more restrictive placements, the candidate, in consultation with the course instructor, may target instruction for an individual student learner with exceptionalities. For the purpose of this project, candidates will implement and analyze the effects of a cyclical process of assessment and instruction on students’ learning. The duration of instruction selected for analysis of student learning will depend entirely on the skill(s) being targeted for instruction and assessment, and can last from two weeks to four weeks of instruction. The analysis will be accompanied by student work samples and a candidate’s reflection of the instruction and assessment that is aligned with Pace’s SOE Conceptual Framework. The analysis of student learning should focus on two primary learning targets addressing both literacy and numeracy in childhood (Grades 1-6) and literacy and numeracy or content area in adolescent (Grades 7-12). The secondary learning target should include a non-academic skill area such as: social skills, self-advocacy and self-determination, behaviors related to employment, adaptive daily living skills, or study skill instruction. The candidate will plan for a minimum of three learning targets that are consistent with Common Core State Standards and or student IEP goals. Taken together these documents will demonstrate candidate’s growing competency in planning instruction and learning activities, differentiation of instruction, development and implementation of instruction, understanding and implementation of the goals of an individualized education program (IEP), evaluating student achievement, assessing student work, and utilizing those assessments to reflect upon and improve teaching practices. See Table 1. Table 1. Analysis of Student Learning Components Desсrіption of Learning Context Instructional Planner Primary Learning Target 1 (Literacy or Numeracy) Primary Learning Target 2 (Literacy, Numeracy, or Adolescent Content Area) Secondary Learning Target (Non-academic skill) Assessment (pre-, post- and progress monitoring) Detailed Lesson Plans (at least 3) Analysis of Student Learning Including Work Samples Reflection – Include reflection for the assessment-instruction cycle and an overall reflection of the instructional experience. Sections for Analysis of Student Learning Desсrіption of learning context (1-2 pages) ▪ Provide a brief desсrіption of the students’ demographic information including language, cultural, and family background. Include learning abilities and current levels of functioning in this area. Include the strengths and needs of your focus learner(s), individual differences and nature of exceptionalities (including sensory, physical, and health impairments and current functioning levels if applicable). ▪ Describe the focus learner’s social and emotional development (e.g., impulse control, ability to interact and express themselves and their feelings in constructive ways, ability to engage and persist in individual and collaborative learning, daily living and self-help skills, social connectedness). ▪ Describe the focus learner’s personal, family, community, and cultural assets (e.g., the focus learner’s interests and strengths, relevant lived experiences, and self-management skills; family supports or resources; cultural expectations; community supports or resources). ▪ Describe your role in the focus learner’s instructional program (e.g., teach all academic subjects plus support a behavioral plan; pull out of general education classroom for supplementary instruction in reading; coordinate services to the family and model working with the focus learner). Note: If planning for a small group of students, expand the learning context to concisely address all group members. Instructional Planner ▪ Map-out activities for two weeks of instruction for all class periods for the candidate′s entire day. This planner will outline the: 1) content area, 2) overview of objectives for the class sessions, 3) overview of teaching assignments for all members of the teaching team, and 4) overview of special classes or related services for individual students. ▪ The teacher candidate will indicate the schedule for instructional time with the focus learner(s) for the two primary and supporting/secondary learning targets (e.g., Tuesdays for 15 minutes; every day for six hours with two hours on reading instruction). Assessment (pre-, post-instruction and progress monitoring; 2-3 pages) ▪ Describe student’s current level of performance on the target skills as it relates to the instructional cycle. Include pre-assessment data and/ or evidence of current performance levels. Include desсrіption of informal assessments, progress-monitoring tools, and post-instruction assessment to determine students’ progress towards objectives. ▪ Describe steps taken to assess maintenance and generalization of skills learned in this instructional cycle. Detailed Lesson Plan(s) ▪ Develop at least 3 consecutive lessons that address each of the primary and secondary learning targets of the focus learner with exceptionalities (e.g., three lesson plans for literacy and numeracy, with a non-academic secondary learning target). Include lesson objectives and a rationale for why these objectives are appropriate for the learning needs of the focus learner(s). ▪ The lesson plans should indicate accommodations and/or instructional modifications for the students in the teaching and learning environment, including focus learners with exceptionalities. ▪ List the goals and/or benchmarks in the focus learner’s IEP relevant to achieving the learning target(s). Align the lesson objectives with Common Core Standards. ▪ Link the ongoing progress monitoring data and make changes to lesson objectives based on data. ▪ Describe the procedures and implementation of the various activities in your lesson. Show clear indication of modeling of the skill, followed by providing learning with guided practice and independent practice in the skill. Analysis of Student Learning (max 3 page limit) ▪ Provide evidence of student learning in the form of informal data and/or analysis of work samples towards meeting learning objectives. These representative samples of your focus learners’ work should be selected to demonstrate that the learner(s) have learned what you intended (or, perhaps, have not learned it). For each, you will provide a short analysis: How does the learner’s work demonstrate what he or she has (or has not) learned? Did the work indicate you needed to make any revisions or re-teach some material? Copies of student work will be submitted in the project to demonstrate candidate analysis of student learning. Reflection (max 3 pages) ▪ Note any adjustments made during instruction and what assessment led to that adjustment. Provide a rationale for why those adjustments were made. Discuss any learning events that directed your teaching practice. What did you think went particularly well? What would you change in the future? Discuss how your planning, instruction, assessment and analysis of students’ work of this instructional cycle have promoted social justice and a caring classroom community. ▪ Consider all aspects of instruction, including support and environmental modification, as appropriate. Indicate the next steps for instruction. Connect your next steps to your analysis of the focus learner’s performance. Support your decisions with principles from research and/or theory, particularly as it relates to evidence-based practices. ▪ Based on what the focus learner knows and can do and your next steps, describe implications for the focus learner’s IEP goals and/or curriculum.
