College of Education Accreditation
TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS
Continuous Improvement
NSU's College of Education earned CAEP Accreditation for our Initial teacher educator programs in spring of 2019, with no areas for improvement. Additionally, Northeastern State University's College of Education was selected as one of 13 providers from nine states and Puerto Rico that were recognized for leadership and commitment to continuous improvement as a recipient of the Frank Murray Leadership Award.
NSU's Advanced programs had their site visit in Fall 2021, with no areas for improvement recommended in the preliminary report. Accreditation of Advanced Programs was approved in Spring 2022.
CAEP Accreditation serves the dual purposes of accountability and continuous improvement. The CAEP accreditation process evaluates the performance of providers and focuses particularly on whether candidates will be prepared, by completion, for the challenging responsibilities that educators face in America's classrooms. Currently, more than 800 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including many previously accredited through former standards. CAEP is the only educator preparation provider recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
We are very excited and honored to have received this national recognition for educator preparation. This is a multi-year continuing improvement process toward meeting rigorous standards by showing valid and reliable evidence. Education faculty, staff, students and administrators were all engaged in the work, and we are so proud of what has been accomplished to ensure that our teacher candidates receive a quality education and practical, relevant experience.
Accredited Programs
Initial Licensure (Undergraduate)
- Art Education
- Cherokee Education
- Early Childhood Education
- Elementary Education
- English Education
- Health and Physical Education
- Mathematics Education
- Music Education
- Science Education
- Social Studies Education
- Spanish Education
- Special Education - Mild Moderate Education
Advanced Licensure (Graduate)
- Library Media & Information Technology
- Reading
- School Administration
Next CAEP Accreditation Visit for both Initial and Advanced: FALL 2025
CAEP ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has defined a set of four annual reporting measures which allow Education Preparation Providers (EPPs) to provide information to the public on both program impacts and program outcomes and to demonstrate continuous improvement. NSU EPP annually updates the public display of data pertaining to each of the below reporting measures.
Measure 1: Completer Impact and Effectiveness
The EPP uses a combination of internal measures (impact on student learning survey questions) and state-evaluation measures (the Teacher and Leader Effectiveness [TLE]) to measure completer impact and completer effectiveness.
Completer Impact
EPP Measures
The State of Oklahoma does not collect student growth data and does not provide P12 student data or teacher data to educator preparation providers. Therefore, to measure completer impact on P12 student learning, the EPP worked with the Office of Educational Quality & Accountability (OEQA), the entity that distributes the annual First Year Teacher (FYT) survey and First Year Teacher Administrator (FYTA) survey, to add impact on student learning questions to the survey to gauge completer effectiveness.
The impact on student learning questions from the 2023-2024 FYT survey show that completers
(N=95) agreed or strongly agreed that their students improved the following skills
over the academic year: Math Skills (97%); Reading Skills (100%); and Writing Skills
(97%). Administrators who completed the FYTA (N=56) overwhelmingly (100%) agreed that
their teachers improved student learning across all areas.
Additionally, 91% of completers and 100% of administrators agreed or strongly agreed
that students were able to maintain new concepts they’ve learned.
State Evaluation Measures
The EPP also uses Teacher and Leader Effectiveness (TLE) for impact on student learning. The state oversees Oklahoma’s teacher/leader evaluation system (TLE) that is used to inform instruction, create professional development opportunities, and continuous improvement of the practice and art of teaching and leading.
Oklahoma teachers can be evaluated with the TLE Tulsa Model or Marzano Model. Administrators use a TLE rubric for both models that evaluates teachers across the following performance levels: 1-Ineffective, 2-Needs improvement, 3-Effective, 4-Highly Effective, 5-Superior. The Tulsa Model consists of five domains: 1) Classroom Management; 2) Instructional Effectiveness; 3) Professional Growth & Continuous Improvement; 4) Interpersonal Skills; and 5) Leadership. The Marzano Model is made up of four domains: 1) Standards-Based Planning; 2) Standards-Based Instruction; 3) Conditions for Learning; 4) Professional Responsibilities.
For the 2023-24 academic year, impact on P12 Learning is evident from the Teacher and Leader Effectiveness data in Domain 2: Instructional Effectiveness. Of the 298 EPP completers who were evaluated with the TLE Tulsa Model, 99% were scored as “Effective” (66%, n=198) or “Highly Effective” and “Superior” (33%, n=97) in Domain 2, and only 1% (n=3) were evaluated as either “Ineffective” or “Needs Improvement.” Within Domain 2, the indicators of “Standards” (M=3.78) and “Adjusts” (M=357) received the highest scores of instructional effectiveness on a scale from 1 to 5.
Completer Effectiveness
Completer Effectiveness is evident from overall scores from the TLE. Completers from the EPP who were evaluated with the TLE in the 2023-24 year were scored across both the Tulsa Model and Marzano model as follows:
Tulsa Model:
Overall Evaluation Score: M=3.51
Domain 1 // Classroom Management: n=300, M=3.53
Domain 2 // Instructional Effectiveness: n=300, M=3.50
Domain 3 // Professional Growth & Continuous Improvement: n=296, M=3.36
Domain 4 // Interpersonal Skills: n=300, M=3.48
Domain 5 // Leadership: n=299, M=3.75
Marzano Model
Overall Evaluation Score: M=3.52
Domain 1 // Standards-Based Planning: n=7, M=3.21
Domain 2 // Standards-Based Instruction: n=7, M=3.58
Domain 3 // Conditions for Learning: n=7, M=3.66
Domain 4 // Professional Responsibilities: n=7, M=3.31
Measure 2: Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Involvement
The EPP employs surveys distributed by state entities as well as EPP created surveys to measure satisfaction of employers at both the initial (R4.2) and advanced (RA4.1) levels. Additionally, the EPP provides multiple forms of evidence of internal and external stakeholder involvement, including partnerships, collaboration, and involvement in the EPP assessment process.
Satisfaction of Employers
First Year Teacher Administrator Survey
In the First Year Teacher Administrator (FYTA) survey, administrators rate their first year teachers’ preparedness to teach indicators derived from the InTASC standards. The survey also measures the administrator's satisfaction with the teacher preparation training the teacher received from the EPP. The FYTA survey is administered independently by the Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA), the state agency that oversees educator preparation. The indicators mirror those in OEQA’s First Year Teacher Survey as well as the EPP’s Teacher Preparation Exit Survey.
Results from the 2023-24 year show that 95% (n=54) of mentors/administrators either agree or strongly agree that, overall, NSU's teacher preparation program effectively prepared first year teachers to have a positive impact on P12 student learning and development.
Data Set: First Year Teacher Administrator (FYTA) Survey 2023-24
Satisfaction of Employers
EPP Employer Survey
The EPP monitors satisfaction of employers of advanced program completers through employer surveys. Each advanced program’s employer survey measures the employer’s level of agreement with the employee/completer’s preparedness in knowledge, skills, professional dispositions (CAEP RA1.1) and specialized professional association (SPA) standards (CAEP RA1.2).
For the 2023-24 year, all employer respondents (100%) for Library Media (N=3), Reading (N=1) and School Administration (N=2) agreed or strongly agreed that completers were effectively and adequately prepared for the duties and responsibilities.
Data Set: Advanced Employer Surveys 2023-2024
External Partner Representation on Committees
A multitude of local LEAs & community stakeholders are members on numerous COE committees. Stakeholders provide guidance, input, and decision making and participation is highly attended. Some committees meet semesterly and some committees meet yearly. The Local Education Agency Partnerships (LEAP) Advisory Council is specifically for LEA representatives where the COE gathers the most input from school districts on shared decision making. During the 2023-24 year, the council met twice (November 8, 2023 and April 26, 2024).
Evidence: Second Century Advisory Council Members and Agendas 2023-2024Collaboration with Secondary Programs
Eight programs are housed in arts and sciences. Art Education, Cherokee Education, Music Education, Social Studies Education, Spanish Education, English Education, are housed in the College of Liberal Arts, and Math Education and Science Education are in the College of Science and Health Professions. A representative of each program is a member of the Teacher Education Council. This committee provides oversight, guidance, and direction to the teacher education programs of the University and ensures that all programs comply with teacher certification standards, and that all programs meet state and national standards for accreditation. The committee functions as an avenue for communication of new requirements and policies in teacher education. The committee approves all program changes for teacher education programs prior to being submitted to the University Curriculum Committee. Secondary teacher education faculty are also involved in individual meetings with candidates to assist in remeding and/or provide support for students who may be struggling in the program.
Collaborative Workspace
Information regarding the teacher education program is available to department and program chairs, EPP faculty and staff, undergraduate and graduate representatives, and P-12 members of the Teacher Education Council through the COE Assessment Blackboard Organization. This workspace provides a collaborative venue in which information can be shared with stakeholders, and in which stakeholders can provide feedback for improvement.
Measure 3: Candidate Competency at Program Completion
The EPP measures candidate competency at program completion at both the initial and advanced levels through a combination of state-measures (state licensure exams) and EPP created instruments that measure competencies across content knowledge, skills, and dispositions.
State Licensure Exams
The Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA), a separate agency of state government, is authorized by law to develop and administer competency-based teacher tests. Two tests are currently required for Oklahoma teacher certification: the Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT), offered through the Certification Examinations for Oklahoma Educators (CEOE) and the Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT) through the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Teacher candidates are required to attempt both the OSAT and the PPAT once prior to graduating, but a passing score is not required to receive their degree; however, passing scores on both the OSAT and PPAT are required to receive their teacher certification license.
OSAT: In 2023-2024, the EPP saw an overall average pass rate of 73% across all programs for initial and advanced programs.
Data Set: Oklahoma Subject Area Test Pass (OSAT) Rates 2023-2024PPAT:
The EPP continues to have a high pass rate for the PPAT, with 81% of test-takers in 2023-2024 receiving a passing score. The PPAT is embedded in the teacher candidate’s final internship experience which allows candidates the opportunity to build out their tasks with Focus Students and assessment data from their final field experience. Disaggregated EPP pass rates for the year are below, as well as on the linked data set:
Early Childhood: 74% pass (n=14)
Elementary Education: 78% pass (n=36)
Special Education: 83 % pass (n=5)
K-12 Education: 92% pass (n=12)
Secondary Education: 84% pass (n=16)
Additional EPP & State Measures
CPAST: In addition to the above state licensure exams, the EPP assesses candidate competency at completion through the Candidate Pre-service Assessment for Student Teachers (CPAST), created by the VARI-EPP project through Ohio State University. The instrument is intended to accurately reflect the teacher candidate's performance at the middle and the end of the final internship experience during the last semester of the program, as well as to provide formative feedback to the teacher candidate. The CPAST form covers Pedagogy (student teacher’s pedagogical knowledge/skills as demonstrated in student teaching) and Dispositions (the professional dispositions of a student teacher, including behaviors toward students and other stakeholders, professionalism and professional development). The CPAST is scored on the following scale: 3-Exceeds Expectations; 2-Meets Expectations; 1-Developing; 0-Does not Meet Expectations.
In 2023-24, 141 teacher candidates were evaluated by their University Coordinator and Cooperating teacher twice during the candidate’s final internship. NSU candidates showed growth between the midterm and final evaluations with pedagogy at midterm (M=2.08) and the final (M=2.48). NSU candidates showed growth in the area of dispositions between the mid-semester and final evaluations, increasing from M=2.55 to M=2.75. Overall, NSU candidates are meeting or exceeding expectations in the competencies of content pedagogy and dispositions by the end of the final internship experience.
Data Set: Candidate Pre-service Assessment for Student Teachers (CPAST) 2023-2024First Year Teacher (FYT) Survey: In the FYT survey, completers rate their preparedness to teach indicators derived from the InTASC standards. The survey also measures the completer’s satisfaction with the teacher preparation training they received from the EPP. The FYT survey is administered independently by the Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA), the state agency that oversees educator preparation. The indicators mirror those in OEQA’s First Year Teacher Administrator Survey as well as the EPP’s Teacher Preparation Exit Survey.
In 2023-24, the survey showed 86% (N=35) of completers agreed or strongly agreed that, overall, they felt well prepared by the EPP.
Data Set: First Year Teacher Survey 2023-2024Teacher Preparation Exit Survey: The EPP administers the exit survey to teacher candidates during the last two weeks of completing the program. The exit survey mirror the OEQA First Year Teacher (FYT) survey and provides baseline data for how well teacher candidates feel prepared by the EPP prior to entering the classroom as a teacher of record. In 2023-2024, 98% (N=116) of candidates agreed or strongly agreed that they felt well prepared by the EPP.
Data Set: Teacher Preparation Exit Survey Survey 2023-2024
State Licensure Exams
The Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA), a separate agency of state government, is authorized by law to develop and administer competency-based teacher tests. The Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT), offered through the Certification Examinations for Oklahoma Educators (CEOE) measures the content knowledge of advanced candidates across the EPP’s advanced licensure programs of Library Media and Information Technology, Reading, and School Administration (both Principal and Superintendent).
OSAT: In 2023-24, the Library Media Specialist exam had a 100% pass rate for the EPP on exam 038, and a 75% pass rate on the nevised exam 138, and the Reading Specialist saw a 92% pass rate on exam 015 and a 92% pass rate on the revised exam 115. The Principal Comprehensive exam only saw a 56% pass rate, which the program is working on remediating. The Superintendent OSAT saw a 100% pass rate for the EPP.
Data Set: Oklahoma Subject Area Test Pass (OSAT) Rates 2023-2024Completer Surveys
As part of the EPP’s 2021 CAEP Advanced Interim Review, phase-in plans were developed to implement completer surveys for each advanced program. The surveys were launched in 2022 and are sent to all graduates of the program within the last year to identify who is a completer, and then asks completers to evaluate how prepared they felt in the CAEP advanced competencies of skills, knowledge, and dispositions, as well as the Specialized Program Association (SPA) standards for their respective advanced area.
In 2023-24, each advanced program received completer responses as outlined below:
Library Media & Information Technology: 100% of completers (N=3) strongly agreed that,
overall, their graduate program effectively prepared them for employment in their
field of specialization.
Reading: 100% of completers (n=3) in 2023-24 agreed (25%) or strongly agreed (75%) that, overall, they felt prepared for employment in their area of specialization.
School Administration: 100% of completers (n=4) in 2022-23 agreed (50%) or strongly agreed (50%) that, overall, their graduate program effectively prepared them for employment in their field of specialization.
Data Set: Advanced Completer Surveys 2023-2024Measure 4: Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Have Been Prepared
The EPP tracks its graduates through the OSDE (Oklahoma State Department of Education) educator database to determine successful employment in the area in which the completers were prepared.
The EPP graduated 137 teacher candidates from initial-level preparation programs in the 2023-2024 year. During the following year, 64% of graduates (n=88) were employed in Oklahoma in the area for which they received preparation.
Early Childhood Education: 57% (n=16 out of 28)
Elementary Education: 70% (n=45 out of 64)
Special Education: 67% (n=4 out of 6)
K-12 Education: 41% (n=7 out of 17)
Secondary Education: 73% (n=16 out of 22)
The EPP graduated 90 candidates from advance-level preparation programs in the 2023-24 year. During the following year, 77% (n=69) were employed in Oklahoma in the area for which they received advanced preparation.
Library Media & Information Technology: 70% (n=21 out of 30)
Reading: 74% (n=14 out of 19)
School Administration: 46% (n=19 out of 41)