Assessments for Dispositions

Unit dispositions are articulated on course syllabi and woven throughout course topics and assessments, with some syllabi making these linkages explicit. All programs have common course assessments linked to the dispositions. Initial courses include development of an educational philosophy, classroom observations, multicultural interviews, lesson and unit planning, and reflective exercises dealing with diverse students and communities. Advanced core courses consider topics such as equity, funding, church-state separation, school choice, policy issues, the social goals of schooling, and the effect of beliefs and values on evaluation systems. This chart lists each program and the assessment that is most relevant in assessing all four dispositions:

Initial and Advanced: Course Assessments for Dispositions

To link to syllabi and assessments of record, refer to individual courses above or Assessment System-Initial and/or Advanced for Teachers. Candidate work samples may be also reviewed in the on-site exhibit room.

Advanced program applicants provide three professional recommendations that directly evaluate candidates on each of the four dispositions. Dispositions are displayed below in descending order according to candidates deemed to be in the top 20% by their evaluators. No candidates were ranked lower than the 50th percentile:

Advanced: Recommendations for Admission to Graduate Study (Dispositions)

Performance evaluations provide indirect assessment of dispositions. In portfolios, Initial candidates present and reflect on work they believe best demonstrates their development of those dispositions. Instructors ranked evidence and reflections on some dispositions higher than others, although overall rankings were above average:

Initial: Portfolio Assessment (Dispositions)

Note: Portfolio assessments for Initial programs are more fully described for Teacher Education and GTC in ED 430, 431, or 685 Winter. Portfolio data are still being collected for final SPA reports, however, and should be considered preliminary.

At both Initial and Advanced levels, clinical performance and follow-up studies assess dispositions indirectly. This table shows mean scores when performance assessments by all five evaluators were combined and then linked back to dispositions. Again we see that some received higher rankings than others, but all were in above average range:

Initial and Advanced: Clinical Assessments and Follow-Up Studies (Dispositions)