Accreditation & Assessment
Our educator preparation program (EPP) understands that assessment is essential to continuous improvement. Equally important is the assurance that data collected from assessment is valid and reliable. When developing EPP-wide assessments and surveys, we employ a deliberate process that is grounded in the CAEP Evaluation Framework for EPP-Created Assessments and professional research standards, and that ensures what we are measuring informs how well we are preparing our candidates.
We also provide training for instructors and supervisors who score our candidates on assessments and we train our candidates so they know what is expected. In addition to EPP-created assessments and data collection, we rely on instruments and data collection from proprietary sources (e.g., ETS) and from partners (e.g. South Carolina Department of Education, College of Charleston institutional data).
Accreditation and Assessment
-
Educator Preparation Program Accreditation
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accredits the educator preparation porgram at the College of Charleston. CAEP promotes excellence in educator prepartion through quality assurance and continuous improvement. Accreditation is effective between Spring 2021 and Spring 2028.
Initial Licensure Programs:
- Early Childhood Education (B.S.)
- Early Childhood Education (M.A.T.)
- Elementary Education (B.S.)
- Elementary Education (M.A.T.)
- Foreign Language Education (B.S.) (Classics, French & Francophile Studies, German, Spanish)
- Middle Grades Education (B.S.)
- Performing Arts (M.A.T.)
- Special Education (B.S.)
- Physical Education (B.S.)
- Secondary Education Cognate (B.S.) (biology, chemistry, English, mathematics, physics, social studies (history, political science, sociology))
Nationally Recognized Programs
Specialized educator preparation programs must seek national recognition by their Specialized Professional Association (SPA) or other accreditation agency. Below are the nationally recognized College of Charleston educator preparation programs and their associated SPA or accreditation agency.
- Biology, Chemistry, Physics - National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
- Early Childhood Education - National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- English/Language Arts - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
- Elementary Education - Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI)
- Foreign Languages - American Council on the Teaching of a Foreign Language (ACTFL)
- Mathematics - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
- Middle Grades Education - Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE)
- Performing Arts (Music) - National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
- Performing Arts (Theatre) - National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)
- Physical Education - SHAPE America- Physical Education (formerly NASPE)
- Social Studies - National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
- Special Education - Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
-
Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Core Beliefs
Highly competent teachers make the teaching-learning connection through:
- Understanding, valuing, and advocating for diverse learners (InTASC Standards #1, 2, 3)
- Understanding what to teach and how to assess in a supportive learning environment (InTASC Standards #4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
- Understanding ourselves as professionals (InTASC Standards #9, 10)
InTASC Standards
Standard #1: Learner Development
Standard #2: Learning Differences
Standard #3: Learning Environments
Standard #4: Content Knowledge
Standard #5: Application of Content
Standard #6: Assessment
Standard #7: Planning for Instruction
Standard #8: Instructional Strategies
Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
Standard #10: Leadership and Collaboration -
Assessment: How we ensure quality
We ensure that our programs and graduates are of the highest quality through the use of planned assessment that is embedded throughout our programs. Data are collected, analyzed and used to improve our unit and program.
-
CAEP Annual Reporting Measures
CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) has four annual reporting measures, which are used to provide information to the public on program outcome and program impact.
Below are the four reporting measures for our undergraduate and graduate (M.A.T.) initial certification programs with links to data tables that provide supporting evidence for each measure:
- Completer Impact and Effectiveness
- Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Involvement
- Candidate Competency at Program Completion
- Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Have Been Prepared
Completer Impact and Effectiveness
The College of Charleston EPP works closely with the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) to collect data regarding its completers and their impact on student learning. Data collection has been and continues to be a continuous learning improvement process. The College EPP has worked with SCDE to collect two data points demonstrating student learning growth: (1) Student Learning Objectives (SLO) and (2) South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0 (SCTS 4.0) rubric results.
SLOs are currently required for all certified teachers in South Carolina. SLOs are a tool for actionable reflection used in teacher evaluation systems as a student growth measure. SLOs are monitored over the duration of time the students are with the teacher for instruction, which may be a full academic year, a semester, or quarter (depending on the context in which the teacher leads instruction). Teachers administer and analyze pre- and post-assessments, set growth targets, outline instructional strategies, reflect on progress and outcomes, and discuss professional growth. Final SLO ratings are based on P-12 students’ academic growth and each teacher’s presentation and follow-through with instruction and reflection.
Reports (PDF): 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
The College of Charleston EPP collects and analyzes data from the SCLead Data System, provided and managed by the South Carolina Department of Education, regarding its completers who have been evaluated with Expanded ADEPT each year. The information provided in the SCLead Data System is SCTS 4.0 data taken from classroom teachers' Annual 1 contract year, which may or may not be after the first year of induction. It is important to note that some schools/districts place teachers on Annual 1 contracts after teachers' first year while others do not move teachers to an annual contract until after more than one year of induction.
Reports (PDF): 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Interviews
Results of Employer Surveys
The Employer survey is distributed annually to Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester school district principals to measure their satisfaction of the preparation of College of Charleston's most recent EPP completers for their assigned responsibilities in working with P-12 students.
Reports (PDF): 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016
Alumni Accomplishments
The College of Charleston EPP gathers and collects information regarding its program completers' employment accomplishments from contact with alumni, publications, and social media. The information collected provides a summary of completers’ accomplishments, primarily from local tri-county school districts, and is not intended to be a complete list of accomplishments of all completers.
Summary of Accomplishments (PDF)
Internal and External Stakeholder Involvement
The College of Charleston EPP consistently seeks input from internal and external stakeholders regarding program design, evaluation, and continuous improvement processes. Selected examples of data include meeting minutes from a Partner Convening with outcomes and actions, and annual agreement between the College EPP and our local partner school districts for field experiences and clinical practice internships. Please note that specific names and signatures have been removed for privacy.
Candidate Competency at Program Completition
Results of Candidate Exit Surveys
(previously referred to as program completer surveys)
Upon completion of clinical practice, teacher candidates are required to complete a survey assessing how well they feel College of Charleston EPP has prepared them for their future career as a teacher. Data from the Exit survey is triangulated with the Alumni survey to identify trends and patterns.
AY 2022-2023: Fall 2022 | Spring 2023
AY 2021-2022: Fall 2021 | Spring 2022
AY 2020-2021: Fall 2020 | Spring 2021
AY 2019-2020: Fall 2019 | Spring 2020
AY 2018-2019: Fall 2018 | Spring 2019
AY 2017-2018: Fall 2017 | Spring 2018
AY 2016-2017: Fall 2016 | Spring 2017
AY 2015-2016: Fall 2015 | Spring 2016
Results of Alumni Surveys
The Alumni Survey is distributed annually to program completers to measure their satisfaction of the College of Charleston EPP and to measure how well prepared they feel for their assigned responsibilities working with P-12 students.
Reports (PDF): 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016
Program Completer History
The College of Charleston EPP maintains a historical completer table that indicates the number of program completers and applicable areas of certification over the past eight years since the 2012-13 academic year. The College EPP defines program completers as individuals who earn a teacher education degree or certificate and successfully complete clinical practice.
Program Completer History Table (PDF)
Praxis II
The College of Charleston EPP candidates are required to take and pass applicable Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) tests and Praxis subject area test(s) to be recommended to the state of South Carolina (SC) for licensure. Passing scores on required certification assessments are not required for College of Charleston EPP candidates to graduate with a degree in teacher education from the College of Charleston.
Our EPP uses and analyzes two Praxis data sets to obtain a full picture of how well our candidates can apply content and pedagogical knowledge and meet licensure requirements.
Title II pass rate data provides an overall Praxis pass rate for our EPP as well as single assessment pass rates. It provides state data comparison data only. Unlike the ETS pass rate results (below) that includes all examinees who are grouped by a testing period, Title II data focuses on program completers who are grouped by the year they graduated. Each cohort, up to three years, gets updated annually as completers continue to take Praxis II test(s) for a passing score.AY 2022-2023 | AY 2021-2022 | AY 2020-2021 | AY 2019-2020 | AY 2018-2019 | AY 2017-2018 | AY 2016-2017 | AY 2015-2016Educational Testing Services (ETS) Praxis II pass rate data are used to compare our EPP performance with national performance data. Data includes examinees who took the indicated test during the specified ETS testing period and self-reported that they attended College of Charleston. Our EPP manages the ETS Delete Roster on a weekly basis to ensure test takers who indicated they received training from the College did attend during the applicable year. Data also includes the number of repeat test takers.2022-2023, 2021-2022, 2020-2021, 2019-2020, 2018-2019 (PDF)Recommended for Licensure
The College of Charleston EPP recommends program completers for teacher licensure if they have met South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) requirements and have passed all Praxis II required tests for their licensure area(s). Tables are provided that present the percentage of program completers who were recommended for licensure and the licensure areas in which they were recommended.
Recommended for Licensure Tables (PDF)
Cumulative GPA of Program Completers
The South Carolina Department of Education requires that teacher education candidates maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.75. The following is the average cumulative GPA per semester of CofC program completers:
- AY 2022-2023: Fall 2023- 3.60 | Spring 2024- TBA
- AY 2022-2023: Fall 2022- 3.59 | Spring 2023- 3.51
- AY 2021-2022: Fall 2021- 3.56 | Spring 2022- 3.56
- AY 2020-2021: Fall 2020- 3.39 | Spring 2021- 3.55
- AY 2019-2020: Fall 2019- 3.49 | Spring 2020- 3.58
- AY 2018-2019: Fall 2018- 3.36 | Spring 2019- 3.48
- AY 2017-2018: Fall 2017- 3.42 | Spring 2018- 3.54
- AY 2016-2017: Fall 2016 - 3.54 | Spring 2017 - 3.55
- AY 2015-2016: Fall 2015 - 3.45 | Spring 2016 - 3.58
Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Have Been Prepared
Results of Employment Surveys
Upon completion of clinical practice, teacher candidates are required to complete a survey indicating their goals for pursuing employment as a teacher. Data collected provides College of Charleston EPP with an initial understanding of how many candidates have contracts in place, how many are still pursuing contracts, and the area of the state or country in which they are pursing.
AY 2022-2023: Fall 2022| Spring 2023
AY 2021-2022: Fall 2021| Spring 2022
AY 2020-2021: Fall 2020 | Spring 2021
AY 2019-2020: Fall 2019 | Spring 2020
AY 2018-2019: Fall 2018 | Spring 2019
AY 2017-2018: Fall 2017 | Spring 2018
AY 2016-2017: Fall 2016 | Spring 2017
AY 2015-2016: Fall 2015 | Spring 2016
Initial Job Placement
The College of Charleston EPP collects initial employment data of its program completers in various ways, including an employment survey distributed upon program completion, email communication between program completers and the Office of Student Services & Credentialing, an alumni survey, web-based searches, and the SCLead Data System that includes College of Charleston EPP completers who have been formally evaluated with SAFE-T in South Carolina (SC) public schools. A table is provided that indicates the percentage of programs completers who were employed as a classroom teacher, employed in an education position other than that of a classroom teacher, employed outside of the education field, enrolled in higher education, or their employment status is unknown. If employed as a classroom teacher, the percentage who were employed by local school districts, other South Carolina school districts, out-of-state school districts, or private schools is included.