Annual Performance Measures
UTRGV’s EPP has identified two strong indicators for Measure 1, Completer Effectiveness.
The first data source is from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Accountability System for Educator Preparation (ASEP) is called Improvement in Student Achievement of Students Taught by Beginning Teachers. The scoring approach determines a value associated with the teacher based on the associated student STAAR progress measures. This value is compared to a value of 50, which corresponds with neutral student growth. Currently, STAAR results for grades 4– 8, English II, and Algebra I end-of-course (EOC), are utilized.
The EPP received student achievement data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Insight to Impact Dashboards (I2I) for students taught by beginning teachers, as shown in the ASEP manual. These student data from the STAAR progress measure is generated as part of the Accountability Rating System of districts, campuses, and charter schools and aggregates to the EPP by linking the students to the beginning teachers who have completed the EPP. The information is calculated over a 3-year period. The data shows that 69% of students taught by the EPP’s completers met the performance.
A second data source is the TEA New Teacher Satisfaction Survey. New teachers under a standard certificate must respond to a survey at the end of the first year of teaching regarding the effectiveness of educator programs (EPPs) in preparing them to succeed in the classroom. The information gathered assists in improving the educational experience for teacher candidates through EPPs. The survey applies only to new teachers that completed an EPP in Texas. Current State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) rules in 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §229.3(f)(4), require each new teacher in a Texas public school to complete a survey about the effectiveness of their preparation.
In 2022-2023, 156 new teachers prepared by the EPP responded to this survey. Results indicated an overall mean score of 2.35 for the overall satisfaction with the effectiveness of the EPP in preparing teacher candidates to succeed in the classroom. This exceeds the state average of 2.27 on the traditional undergraduate route.
The EPP presents two indicators for this measure. The first is the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Accountability System for Educator Preparation (ASEP) Principal Survey, an appraisal of principals’ satisfaction with program completers. The results from this survey are used for Educator Preparation Program Accountability. Principals rate first-year teachers in six different categories: 1) Classroom Environment, 2) Instruction, 3) Students with Disabilities, 4) English Language Learners, 5) Technology Integration, and 6) Use Technology with Data. Results for 2022-2023 indicate a mean score of 2.33, above the state average of 2.32. Overall, this shows that principals were satisfied with program completer teaching performance in all categories.
A second indicator is the UTRGV Employer Survey in the School Psychology Certification Program. In the Fall of 2023, the employer survey was deployed to nine employers of UTRGV school psychology program completers. The overall performance score in 2022-2023 was 4.38 on a five-point scale from 1-5: Very dissatisfied -> very satisfied.
The strongest indicator for Measure 3, Candidate competency at completion, is the EPPs annual state certification pass rates based on ASEP rules. In 2022-2023, the initial programs had an overall pass rate of 88% on the TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) certification exam. The initial and advanced programs achieved an overall pass rate of 90% on non-PPR exams. The Superintendent Certification program achieved a 100% overall pass rate on the state licensure exam, and the School Psychology program achieved an overall pass rate of 100% on the Praxis exam.
Two strong indicators that show the ability of completers to be hired in positions for which they have been prepared are the 1) State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) Annual LBB Performance and 2) ASEP data that show the number of completers employed. In 2021-2022, the annual Legislative Budget Board (LBB) Performance Measure Report for the EPP’s Initial Programs was a 88.1% Certification Rate. Data on the employment of program completers for the 2022-2023 academic year indicate that 74% of teacher candidates were employed whitin a year of completion of the program.