CEAP Office of Assessment
By the Numbers
CEAP Enrollment - Fall 2022
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Total Enrollment: 1982 Undergraduate: 1471 |
Race/Ethnicity |
Source: Tableau
Data Dashboards
WCU Public Data Dashboards - View data on enrolled students at WCU
NC DPI Educator Preparation Program Performance - View data on educator preparation across the state
Public Reports Archive
Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Reports (These were previously known as the IHE reports)
These reports are generated in conjunction with the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
DPI Archive: EPP Performance Reports (more extensive reports) | EPP Report Cards (just report cards)
Undergraduate Programs
- 2020-2021 - EPP Performance Report
- 2019-2020 - EPP Performance Report
- 2018-2019 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2017-2018 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2016-2017 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2015-2016 - IHE Performance Report | IHE Report Card
Graduate Programs
- 2020-2021 - EPP Performance Report
- 2019-2020 - EPP Performance Report
- 2018-2019 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2017-2018 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2016-2017 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2015-2016 - IHE Performance Report | IHE Report Card
Master's of School Administration Program
- 2020-2021 - EPP Performance Report
- 2019-2020 - EPP Performance Report
- 2018-2019 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2017-2018 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2016-2017 - EPP Performance Report | EPP Report Card
- 2015-2016 - IHE Performance Report | IHE Report Card
2020-2021 - Traditional Programs | Alternative Programs
2019-2020 - Traditional Programs | Alternative Programs
2018-2019 - Traditional Programs | Alternative Programs
2017-2018 - Traditional Programs | Alternative Programs
2016-2017 - Traditional Programs | Alternative Programs
2015-2016 - Traditional Programs | Alternative Programs
CAEP Annual Reporting
Are our professional education students well prepared to make an impact in their career once they complete their programs? In a sense, this is the essential question of all our assessment efforts. See the sections below that present data on our graduates that address this question.
As our teacher and professional education programs are accredited through CAEP, we are required to submit an annual report and publicly present data on our programs. We encourage you to look through our data and analyses in each of the sections below.
This set of assessments aligns to CAEP Annual Report Measure 1: Completer Effectiveness (Component R4.1).
The graph shows data collected on beginning teachers (3 years of service or less) in public schools in North Carolina. The bars show the percentages of P-12 students taught by beginning teachers who do not meet, meet, or exceed their expected growth in learning for that year. Beginning teachers who graduated from WCU are compared to all beginning teachers across the state.
Over these years of data, WCU alumni track closely with all beginning teachers in the state on their performance. Percentages of WCU alumni who do not meet expected growth has fluctuated over this time frame, but are generally close to beginning teachers across the state. One area of some improvement is in the percentage of WCU alumni who exceed expected growth. This rose from 16-17 to 17-18 academic years and was higher than the state percentage for 17-18 and 18-19. Due to COVID-19, NC DPI did not collect the Spring 2020 student assessment data that underlies this analysis. Thus, we expect no information for P-12 impact to be available for 19-20. Results for 20-21 are visibly different from previous years, likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic impact on student learning generally. We will monitor this data to see if our alumni data differs substantially from state data.
The graph below shows the most recent data available to us as of August 2022 (from AY 2020-2021).
Data source(s): NC DPI EPP Annual Reports
This set of assessments aligns to CAEP Annual Report Measure 1: Completer Effectiveness (Component R4.1).
The graphs show data collected on beginning teachers (3 years of service or less) in public schools in North Carolina. The bars show the percentage of WCU alumni that are rated Proficient or higher on key performance areas compared to all beginning teachers in the state. The performance ratings are made by the principal. They key performance areas are aligned to state teaching standards:
- Standard 1: Teachers Demonstrate Leadership
- Standard 2: Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students
- Standard 3: Teachers Know the Content They Teach
- Standard 4: Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Students
- Standard 5: Teachers Reflect on Their Practice
The data show our alumni track closely with all beginning teachers in the state on their rated performance. In all five standards, the three years of data prior to the pandemic shows our candidates are rated the same or higher on average than all beginning teachers statewide.
Due to COVID-19, NC DPI did not collect the Spring 2020 performance assessments of teachers that underlies this analysis. Thus, we expect no information for teaching effectiveness as rated by principals to be available for 19-20. We also note that ratings of our alumni are slightly lower than the state overall. It remains to be seen if this is a trend. The graphs below show the most recent data available to us as of August 2022 (from AY 2020-2021).
Data source(s): NC DPI EPP Annual Reports
This set of assessments aligns to CAEP Annual Report Measure 2: Satisfaction of employers and stakeholder involvement (Components R4.2, R5.3, RA 4.1).
The NC Employer Survey has been developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC). The survey requires NC principals or assistant principals to rate all beginning teachers on 21 items that are aligned to the state's five professional teaching standards. See the graphs for average ratings for WCU alumni compared to teachers prepared by all other NC universities, universities outside NC, and alternative entry programs. The scale is from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest rating.
This survey was first administered in 2016-2017. The current results show WCU as comparable to other preparation paths. WCU ratings rose from 2016-2017 to 2017-2018 in all five areas. In 2018-2019, all areas but Leadership either stayed comparable to the previous year or went up again. In 2019-2020, WCU ratings were slightly lower than the average ratings for other North Carolina preparation programs, though still higher than other sources of teachers. We conclude that this indicates employers of WCU graduates are overall satisfied with our graduates and that they compare favorably to other sources of teachers. It is difficult to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March 2020, may have impacted the most recent cohort of graduates and therefore their employer's satisfaction.
The data presented here is the most recent data available as of August 2022 (unknown when 2020-2021 data will be available).
Data Source(s): NC DPI - NC Employer Survey
This set of assessments aligns to CAEP Annual Report Measure 2: Satisfaction of employers and stakeholder involvement (Components R4.2, R5.3, RA 4.1).
In the 2019-2020 academic year, our advanced programs piloted a survey of the satisfaction of employers with our recent graduates (graduates in the range 2016-2019) they have hired. Questions were modified to be specific to programs, but aggregated by general concept. Results from our first administration of this survey are presented below. Note that this set of surveys has not been validated as this pilot is being reviewed by our faculty for revision. Our phase-in plans for advanced programs include validating the surveys used and establishing a regular schedule to collect them. These results indicate employers are overall satisfied with our recent graduates. These data do not indicate a clear area of weakness to address.
The data presented here is the most recent data available as of August 2022.
This graph includes the MAED, MSA, and EdD programs.
This graph includes the MAED and MSA programs. The EdD program is revising their instrument.
The SSP in School Psychology program is one of our advanced programs but has a low response rate with their initial survey, so we are not able to present these publicly.
The advanced program data presented here is the most recent data available as of August 2022.
Data Source(s): Internal data collection/analysis
This set of assessments aligns to CAEP Annual Report Measure 3: Candidate competency at completion (Component R3.3), specifically for initial level programs.
Our initial level programs use multiple measures to determine if our teacher candidates are ready for the profession. See the following links and data tables for a summary of this data.
Licensure Exams
Our candidates must successfully pass one or more standardized exams to qualify for a North Carolina teaching license. The NC Department of Public Instruction maintains a data dashboard that allows you to examine performance on licensure exams. Go to the dashboard, select "Licensure Exam Pass Rates" in the menu on the left, then select the tab "Select and Compare EPPs" at the top of the page. Next, select any combination of programs you wish; we recommend "All EPPs" for the entire state as a whole and "WCU" for our institution. You can select any year of data. WCU pass rates are comparable to the state as a whole and typically higher than the state.
For data on individual tests, the Federal Title II reporting process collects pass rates on these exams into one data report. See our most recent Title II report for Traditional Programs (starting on page 28) and Alternative Programs (starting on page 26). Note that pass rates are only given for licensure categories where there are at least ten graduates for privacy reasons. The key measure for each licensure exam is the Pass Rate column - the right-most column in the data tables.
edTPA
edTPA is an assessment of teacher education candidates’ skills in planning instruction, conducting instruction, and assessment of student learning. It is a nationally used assessment and is scored by professional educators external to WCU. The edTPA assessment is required for all Intern II teacher candidates and passing it is a requirement for a North Carolina teaching license. The graphs below present our recent edTPA results. Note that in North Carolina, candidates pass edTPA with a score of 38 or higher.
As seen in the graphs, our pass rates are high - close to 100% for the years of data available. Also, our average candidate scores are consistently higher than the average scores of all candidates in the state. We consider these positive outcomes and demonstrate the value of our programs in preparing candidates for their professional career in teaching.
Note: Average State Score for edTPA in 2021-2022 is based on the Fall 2021 scores only (the only data available as of August 2022)
Certification of Teaching Capacity (CTC)
The Certification of Teaching Capacity (CTC) is an assessment of teacher education candidate’s capacity to teach according to the NC state teaching standards. This is assessed near the end of each candidates' Intern II experience. The assessment is aligned to the NC Teaching Standards:
- Teachers Demonstrate Leadership
- Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students
- Teachers Know the Content They Teach
- Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Students
- Teachers Reflect on Their Practice
The graph below presents our recent CTC results. Note that candidates are required to rate a 3 or higher on all items on the CTC in order to be recommended for a license in North Carolina.
As seen in the graph, the average overall score and averages for ratings on each standard
are all 3.5 or higher for candidates in all three years. We consider this to indicate
a strong indicator of the quality of our candidates according to our state standards.
Educator Dispositions Assessment (EDA)
The Educator Disposition Assessment (EDA) is designed to assess dispositions of teacher education candidates as they progress through an academic program. The EDA consists of a nine-item rubric that is used to rate candidates on a scale of 0 (Need Improvement), 1 (Developing), and 2 (Meets Expectations). The EDA was created by researchers at Florida International University based on current dispositions research and aligned to the InTASC standards.
We assess candidates with the EDA at three gateways: entry to the program (at the time of admission to teacher education), at a midpoint (when they are applying for their year long internship), and at the endpoint (the final semester of internship). In the graphs below, these do not follow cohorts. They are the average disposition scores of all candidates going through that gateway in that academic year. Our expectation is that there will be a stairstep pattern of scores with entry at the lowest point and endpoint at the highest. We also expect that candidate scores will be at or very close to a 2 (Meets Expectations) by the endpoint gateway.
In most of our years, our expectations are confirmed in that we see a stairstep pattern.
In 2019-2020, the entry point candidates were rated higher compared to the other years
of data. Midpoint scores in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 are slightly higher than previous
years, so our conclusion is that a group of candidates joined our program in 2019-2020
who had dispositions that more closely align with the teaching profession than typical
for our cohorts. This result (increased midpoint scores) has persisted across the
two following years while entry point scores have returned to more typical levels.
A scoring anomaly in 2019-2020 seems unlikely due to elevated levels at the midpoint
in the following years. Thus, we consider this result a product of the nature of that
group of students.
Our other expectation, that candidates at the endpoint will be at or close to a 2 (Meets Expectations) rating is borne out in the data over all years. This, plus the general stairstep pattern in the data indicates that our programs move our candidates closer to a pattern of dispositions necessary to be a professional teacher.
Data Source(s): Federal Title II report, Pearson edTPA data reports, Internal data collection/analysis
This set of assessments aligns to CAEP Annual Report Measure 3: Candidate competency at completion (Component RA3.4)
Our advanced level plans are proceeding with their phase-in plans as presented in our CAEP site visit in fall 2021. Status on these measures is indicated for each program below.
MAED in Comprehensive Education
Three rubrics have been created and validated and preliminary data has been collected. Reliability of the instruments has not been established. The three assessments are Methods of Educational Research Rubric, Leadership/Influencing Action Plan Rubric, and Specially Designed Instruction Rubric.
We plan to establish reliability by fall 2022, collect additional data for comparison in the 2022-2023 academic year, and present data in approximately May 2023.
SSP in School Psychology
The program has created evaluations of students in their field practicum and internship experiences, their clinic-based practicum, and use of psychological assessments. Validity has been established for these measures as of Summer 2020. However, cohorts in the program are small and we are not able to maintain privacy by presenting data on a single cohort (2020-2021). We plan to collect two cohorts of data, aggregate them, and report on them in fall 2022.
The PRAXIS exam for School Psychology is required to be licensed in North Carolina. Candidates are required to achieve a passing score of 147 for a license. Again, due to small numbers in our cohorts, we are not able to present data on individual cohorts and maintain privacy. Combining all cohorts from 2018-2019 through 2020-2021, we can compare our results to results for the whole state.
WCU mean exam score (all three years combined): 168.8
All NC mean exam score (all three years combined): 173.43
100% of WCU students passed the exam. Though the WCU mean score is slightly lower than the state’s overall, it remains substantially higher than the required passing score of 147. This, along with our 100% pass rate for these years, indicate the strength of our program in preparing candidates.
Educational Leadership Programs
Leadership for Social Justice
The programs in educational leadership created an evaluation of candidates for Leadership for Social Justice. The program has established reliability and validity for this assessment. In the MSA School Administration program, candidates are evaluated in their Intern I and Intern II experiences. We present here the percentage of candidates who are rated Moderate or higher on average on the rubric elements, disaggregated by internship experience.
As can be seen in the graph, candidates’ evaluations increased from the Intern I experience
to Intern II indicating growth due to the program. We consider this a benchmarking
year as we collect data on future cohorts.
In the EdD in Educational Leadership program, candidates are evaluated at their Disquisition Proposal and Disquisition Final stages. We present here the percentage of candidates who are rated Moderate or higher on average on the rubric elements, disaggregated by stage.
As can be seen in the graph, candidates’ evaluations increased from the proposal to
final stages, indicating growth due to the program.
Scholar Practitioners
The program also created an evaluation of candidates to examine their abilities as Scholar Practitioners. The program has established reliability and validity for this assessment. Candidates in the MSA School Administration program are evaluated in their Intern II semester. Once we have data from two cohorts (through spring/summer 2022) we will compile and present this.
Candidates in the EdD in Educational Leadership are evaluated at their Disquisition Proposal and Disquisition Final stages. We present here the percentage of candidates who are rated Moderate or higher on average on the rubric elements, disaggregated by stage.
As can be seen in the graph, candidates’ evaluations increased from the proposal to
final stages, indicating growth due to the program.
The NC Department of Public Instruction maintains a data dashboard that allows you to examine the percentage of our graduates who are employed in North Carolina public schools within three years of completion of their program. Go to the dashboard, select "Teaching in NC" in the menu on the left, then select the tab "Select and Compare EPPs" at the top of the page. Next, select any combination of programs you wish; we recommend "All EPPs" for the entire state as a whole and "WCU" for our institution. The graphs will present several years of employment data, showing both the percentage of program completers who are employed in a NC public school within three years of graduation and the percentage that have been working for at least two years.
Note that above the graphs, you can select licensure area categories, then scroll down and select a more specific license to see that data. In some cases, our numbers of graduates are small and the data is very volatile. Thus, we recommend examining the licensure area categories in most cases.
Our advanced level programs of the MSA in School Administration, EdD in Educational Leadership, MAED in School Counseling, and SSP in School Psychology are represented in the licensure area categories of "Administrative" and "Student Services." Again, some graduating cohorts are small so the data for an individual license area may be volatile.
The graphs generally indicate that for overall categories, WCU graduates are employed at similar rates to completers from programs across the state. There is variation for individual license areas.
CEAP Assessment Process
College Assessment Calendar - approved 11/29/2017 by Leadership Council
CIRs (Continuous Improvement Reports)
- CIRs - Due September 23, 2022
- Strategic Planning and Assessment Day - Fall - September 16, 2022
- Strategic Planning and Assessment Day - Spring - TBD
- Ongoing - collect data, implement improvement actions
Our college established an Annual Assessment Day beginning in January 2013 to examine assessment data and identify strengths and areas for improvement. All faculty, staff, and stakeholders are invited to participate in the day-long activities for the purpose of assessing our programs.
University Faculty Resources
CEAP College Assessment Site and Resources (requires WCU login)
Advanced Licensure Portfolio Documentation
WCU Assessment and Strategic Program Review
The following are links to campus, state and national resources regarding assessment preparation, the latest news and legislation on education-related issues, plus tools and information for ongoing learning.
AACTE - American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
NC DPI - North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
CAEP - Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
SACSCOC - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
NCTEAN - North Carolina Teacher Education Assessment Network
Mission
The Assessment Office supports the mission of the college by generating data to ensure program quality and institutional effectiveness. The office supports the assessment system, coordinates college-wide assessment activities, and provides data for internal and external reporting agencies including national CAEP accreditation, Title II reporting, and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Our teacher and professional education programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Assessment Consultation
Request assistance with data, reporting, assessments, etc.
Contact Us
Dr. Lee Nickles
Director of Assessment and Instructional Technology
College of Education and Allied Professions
201J Killian
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC 28723
Phone: 828.227.3299
Email: lnickles@wcu.edu