final report - SC-CREATE

FINAL REPORT sccreate.org

YEAR 10 ● 2012−2013

CENTERS FOR THE RE-EDUCATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF TEACHERS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RELATED SERVICES PERSONNEL OF SOUTH CAROLINA Personnel Preparation Project Funded by the South Carolina Department of Education Mick Zais, PhD, Superintendent of Education Scott English, Chief Operating Officer Nancy Busbee, PhD, Deputy Superintendent, Accountability Cindy Van Buren, PhD, Deputy Superintendent, School Effectiveness John Payne, Interim Director, Office of Exceptional Children Briana Timmerman, PhD, Director, Office of Instructional Practices & Evaluations

PROJECT LEADERSHIP Joe Sutton, PhD Project Director / Principal Investigator SC Department of Education Shirley Bausmith, PhD SpEd Center Director Francis Marion University

Dava O’Connor, PhD SpEd Center Director Lander University

Ansley Boggs, EdD SpEd Center Director Converse College

Holly Pae, EdD SpEd Center Director USC Upstate

Susan Flynn, PhD SpEd Center Director Coastal Carolina University

Michael Skinner, PhD SpEd Center Director College of Charleston

Elaine Frank, PhD SLP Center Director USC Columbia

Pamela Stecker, PhD SpEd Center Director Clemson University

Gloria Hayes-Smith, PhD SpEd Center Director SC State University

Judy Stuart, PhD SpEd Center Director Furman University

Debra Leach, EdD SpEd Center Director Winthrop University

Harold Waters, EdD SpEd Center Director Southern Wesleyan Univ.

Kathleen Marshall, PhD SpEd Center Director USC Columbia

Tracy West, PhD SpEd Center Director Columbia College Gwendolyn Wilson, EdD SLP Center Director SC State University February 3, 2014

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SUGGESTED CITATION Sutton, J., Bausmith, S., Boggs, A., Flynn, S., Frank, E., Hayes-Smith, G., Leach, D., Marshall, K., O’Connor, D., Pae, H., Skinner, M., Stecker, P., Stuart, J., Waters, H., West, T., & Wilson, G. (2013). Project CREATE: Centers for the Re-Education and Advancement of Teachers in Special Education and Related Services Personnel of South Carolina, Final report for Year 10, 2012–2013 (Technical report No. 13-01). Columbia, SC: South Carolina Department of Education, Office of Exceptional Children and Office of Instructional Practices and Evaluations. Report Available At: http://www.sccreate.org/reports.htm

Project CREATE

Final Report–Year 10

2012–2013

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PROJECT CREATE–YEAR 10 CREATE (Centers for the Re-education and Advancement of Teachers in Special Education) is a personnel preparation initiative funded by the South Carolina Department of Education’s (SCDE) Office of Exceptional Children and the SCDE Office of Teacher Effectiveness. The chief mission of CREATE is to reduce the number of non-licensed special education teachers and related services personnel while simultaneously growing a highly qualified and effective work force in the South Carolina public/charter schools. CREATE underwrites tuition/textbook costs to qualified participants to pursue add-on, alternative, or initial licensure in special education. For Year 10 (2012-2013), the project delivered program course work through CREATE centers located at 13 South Carolina colleges and universities including Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, College of Charleston, Columbia College, Converse College, Francis Marion University, Furman University, Lander University, SC State University, Southern Wesleyan University, University of South Carolina Columbia, University of South Carolina Upstate, and Winthrop University. This Executive Summary highlights principal findings from the Year 10 final report. Specific topics addressed include (a) participants; (b) appropriateness of courses; (c) adequacy of course content; (d) progress of participants; (e) perceptions of participants; (f) enrollment in courses; (g) program completers; (h) recruitment, selection, and advising; (i) employment of completers; and (j) conclusion. Participants. A total of 187 individuals qualified for the project, and 174 (93%) enrolled in one/more licensure courses. Enrollees were employed full-time at 58 of the State’s 82 (71%) school districts and one State-operated program. The cohort was overwhelmingly female (86%) and mostly first-year or new participants (61%) to the project as opposed to returning (39%) participants. Approximately one-fourth (23%) were African-American, American-Indian, Asian-American, or Hispanic. The majority were pursuing Learning Disabilities (33%), Multi-categorical Special Education (22%), or Speech-Language Pathology (11%) licensure. About two-thirds (66%) were pursuing add-on/alternative licensure. Appropriateness of Courses. In order to serve the broadest geographic range of qualifying participants, particularly, those in remote areas of the State, consortium colleges offered both on-campus and online courses. Course content, as outlined in course syllabi, was evaluated in light of Council for Exceptional Children standards, and determined to be appropriate. For Year 10, the 12 CREATE centers collectively offered 32 different licensure courses a collective total of 154 times, 57 (37%) of which were made available online. Adequacy of Course Content. A cluster mean rating of 3.36 (on a scale of 1=Strongly Disagree to 4=Strongly Agree) on course evaluations indicated that participants agreed that courses taken through the project, when compared with previous special education courses taken elsewhere, (a) provided more knowledge and skills about instruction in special education, (b) made more relevant applications to the real-world of the classroom, (c) broadened their perspective more in how to teach students with disabilities, and (d) significantly contributed to their overall preparation. Progress of Participants. Programmatic progress was calculated by dividing the number of courses that the participants completed through CREATE by the number of courses prescribed in their respective licensure programs. The average progress of participants seeking alternative licensure in the PACE program (n=15) was 66.6% (range of one to three courses). The average progress of participants pursuing add-on licensure (n=103) was 45.7% (range of one to nine courses). The average progress of participants enrolled in initial licensure programs (bachelor’s or MAT) and the master’s in SLP program (n=56) was 46.5%; however, the range of needed course work was 1 to 29 courses. The weighted aggregated progress of the 174 participants was 47.8%. Academic progress was superb. Alternative/add-on licensure candidates earned 92% A or B grades, and initial licensure candidates earned 93% A or B grades. Project CREATE


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4 Perceptions of Participants. Individual item mean ratings ranged from 3.18 to 3.57 (on a scale of 1=Strongly Disagree to 4=Strongly Agree). The item cluster means ranged from 3.40 to 3.51. Four cluster mean ratings fell in the average range: Teaching Skills of Instructor, 3.42; Course Requirements, 3.40; Evaluation of Learning, 3.44; and Course Syllabus, 3.47. The remaining cluster mean rating for Interaction Skills of Instructor (3.51) fell in the Strongly Average range. The overall mean rating of 3.44 also trended Agree. With no individual item or item cluster mean ratings falling below the Agree rating, the CREATE leadership judged teacher perceptions of courses offered by colleges in the CREATE consortium as overwhelmingly positive. Enrollment in Courses. Participants were awarded 401 three-credit course scholarships, reflecting 93% of the 432 course scholarships available for the year. The number of course scholarships awarded per participant ranged from one to 11. Across the CREATE centers, the number of course scholarships awarded per semester was Fall 2012 (n=104.3); Spring 2013 (n=123); and Summer 2013 (n=173.7). Program Completers. A total of 68 participants (including participants from prior years, not counted in previous reports) completed all course work for their respective licensure programs for Year 10. The completers were predominantly female (85%), and 14% were African-American or Asian-American. Forty-four percent (44%) finished course work in Learning Disabilities licensure, followed by Multicategorical Special Education (16%), Emotional Disabilities (13%), and Mental Disabilities and SpeechLanguage Pathology, each with 12%. The overwhelming majority (80%) were enrolled in addon/alternative licensure programs. Recruitment, Selection, and Advising. Recruitment and selection of participants for the project was accomplished by a (a) dedicated Web site; (b) statewide mailing at the beginning of the grant year from the SC Office of Exceptional Children to district special education directors, directors of personnel, and school principals and (c) regular phone and email campaigns orchestrated by the project director and center directors. Advising qualified participants on which licensure courses would meet their needs was accomplished via phone and email. All 174 enrolled participants for Year 10 were verified to be nonlicensed in their area of special education licensure need and were employed full-time in a SC public school district, charter school, or state operated program. Employment of Completers. The project produced 68 program completers. We verified the 2013– 2014 employment of a subgroup of 66 (out of 68) program completers whose SC teaching license numbers were available: 63 (96%) remain employed in a State public school district; and 51 (81%) were employed in the same district in which they were affiliated when they were participating in CREATE; and 12 (19%) transferred their employment to a different South Carolina school district, including the charter school district. We viewed these data as a strong indicator that SCDE and local school districts, working cooperatively with the institutions of higher education, are effectively growing our own special education teacher and related services work force. Conclusion: Project leadership evaluated Year 10 of Project CREATE as highly successful. Noteworthy data collected and presented in this report that supports this conclusion include the following: ► ► ► ► ►

Qualified participants enrolled: 174 School districts represented: 58 Course scholarships available: 432 Course scholarships awarded: 401 Participant program completers: 68

The 10-year cumulative total of 739 program completers provides compelling evidence that Project CREATE is effective in advancing its mission of reducing the number of non-licensed special education teachers and related services personnel while simultaneously growing a highly qualified and effective work force in South Carolina public and charter schools.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PROJECT CREATE–YEAR 10 Page

Section

ORIGIN OF THE PROJECT………...………………………………………………………………………...7 YEAR 10 OPERATION……………………………………………………………………………………... 8 ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS…..…….……………………………………………………………………… 9 EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT….…………………………………………………….………………… 10 APPROPRIATENESS OF COURSES…………………………………………………………………………10 ADEQUACY OF COURSE CONTENT……………………………………………………………………….11 PROGRESS OF PARTICIPANTS……………………………………………………………………………. 11 PARTICIPANT PERCEPTIONS……………………………………...………………………………………12 ENROLLMENT IN COURSES……………………………………………………...…...………………….. 13 PROGRAM COMPLETERS…….…………….…………………………………………………………….. 13 RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND ADVISING………...…………………….……………………………. 14 EMPLOYMENT OF COMPLETERS………………...………………………………………………………. 14 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………………….….15 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 16 PROJECT LEADERSHIP…………………………………………………………………………………… 18 TABLES & FIGURES………………………………………………………………………………………19

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TABLES AND FIGURES PROJECT CREATE–YEAR 10 Table/Figure

Page

KEY STATISTICS FOR PROJECT CREATE, 2003−2012…………………………………………………... 7 DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR CREATE PARTICIPANTS…………………………………………...... 9 TABLE 1–SCHOOL DISTRICT AFFILIATION OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS……………………................ 19 FIGURE 1–GENDER OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS…………………………………………………........ 20 FIGURE 2–NEW/RETURNING STATUS OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS………………………………….... 20 FIGURE 3–LICENSURE AREA PURSUED BY ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS…………………………............. 20 FIGURE 4–ETHNICITY/RACE OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS…………………………………………….. 21 FIGURE 5–EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS………………………………………. 21 FIGURE 6–LICENSURE PROGRAM OF ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS………………………………............... 21 TABLE 2–LICENSURE COURSES AND COURSE FORMATS, FALL 2011…………………........................... 22 TABLE 3–LICENSURE COURSES AND COURSE FORMATS, SPRING 2012……………............................... 22 TABLE 4–LICENSURE COURSES AND COURSE FORMATS, SUMMER 2012…………................................. 23 TABLE 5–MEAN RATINGS OF COURSE EVALUATION ITEMS REFLECTING ADEQUACY………………… 24 TABLE 6–FINAL GRADES FOR PARTICIPANTS, ADD-ON/ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM COURSES.................. 24 TABLE 7–FINAL GRADES FOR PARTICIPANTS, INITIAL PROGRAM COURSES............................................ 25 TABLE 8–PROGRESS OF PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED IN PACE-ED PROGRAMS……................................. 25 TABLE 9–PROGRESS OF PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED IN ADD-ON LICENSURE PROGRAMS………………. 26 TABLE 10–PROGRESS OF PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED IN BACHELOR’S, MAT, OR MSLP PROGRAMS…...27 TABLE 11–MEAN ITEM AND CLUSTER RATINGS FROM COURSE EVALUATIONS……………………...... 28 TABLE 12–COURSE SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE AND AWARDED PER CREATE CENTER……………... 29 FIGURE 7–COURSE SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED PER SEMESTER………………………………………… 29 TABLE 13–COURSE SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED PER DISTRICT……………………………..................... 30 TABLE 14–SCHOOL DISTRICT AFFILIATION OF PROGRAM COMPLETERS………………………………. 31 FIGURE 8–GENDER OF PROGRAM COMPLETERS…………....................................................................... 32 FIGURE 9–ETHNICITY/FACE OF PROGRAM COMPLETERS……................................................................. 32 FIGURE 10–LICENSURE AREA OF PROGRAM COMPLETERS……………….............................................. 32 FIGURE 11–EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF PROGRAM COMPLETERS……………………………………….. 33 FIGURE 12–LICENSURE PROGRAM OF COMPLETERS……………………………………………………. 33 FIGURE 13–CREATE-SPONSORED COURSES EARNED BY COMPLETERS………………………………. 34

Project CREATE


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FINAL REPORT PROJECT CREATE–YEAR 10 ORIGIN OF THE PROJECT South Carolina public schools have struggled over the last decade in sufficiently staffing special education classrooms with fully-licensed, highly qualified and effective teachers for its more than 100,000 students with disabilities. By 2002–2003, the number of special educators not appropriately licensed to teach special education had catapulted to more than 400. Looming at the time was the federal mandate of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) that all states were to employ properly credentialed and highly qualified teachers by July 1, 2006. In an effort to curtail the burgeoning population of non-licensed special educators, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) Office of Exceptional Children (OEC) adopted a grow your own (GYO) goal, and, subsequently, funded Year 1 of Project CREATE (Centers for the Re-education and Advance of Teachers in special education) in 2003–2004. Continuation funds from both OEC and the SCDE Division of Instructional Practices and Evaluations were provided from 2004–2011 (Years 2 through 8), and, most recently, in 2011–2012 (Year 9). From the outset, the chief mission of CREATE has been to reduce the number of non-licensed special education teachers, while simultaneously growing a highly qualified and effective special education teacher work force in the State’s public and charter schools. By underwriting tuition and textbook costs, qualified participants have been able to complete needed course work in order to obtain add-on, alternative, or initial licensure in special education, thereby better preparing them to teach students with disabilities more effectively. Key statistics for the last nine years of the project follow: Key Statistics for Project CREATE, 2003−2012 Project Year ► Yr. 1 Yr. 2 Yr. 3 Yr. 4 Yr. 5 Yr. 6 Yr. 7 Yr. 8 Yr. 9 ▼ Project Descriptor 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 Colleges in Consortium 3 4 6 11 11 11 11 11 12 Enrolled Participants 100 246 197 152 198 187 161 133 127 School Districts Represented 33 59 63 53 65 55 56 46 50 Courses Completed by Participants 121 411 288 279 484 367 304 257 294 Licensure Program Progress 37% 63% 79% 57% 59% 60% 56% 56% 45% Program Completers 4 74 147 52 145 79 61 55 67

CREATE has been recognized nationally by the broader professional education community (Njuguna, 2011, DuRant, Poda, & Sutton, 2007; Sutton, 2007; Sutton & DuRant, 2007, 2008; Sutton & Pae, 2012). In addition, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education’s (NASDSE) Personnel Improvement Center (Mueller, 2011; 2012; Sutton & McGovern, 2013) has identified CREATE as one of only a few model, state-level GYO initiatives in special education teacher preparation in the country. Data from prior annual reports (see http://sccreate.org/reports.htm) provide empirical evidence that CREATE, as a personnel preparation initiative of SCDE, has significantly reduced the number of nonlicensed special education teachers in public school classrooms. Notwithstanding, the potential for regression is ever present. Severe shortages of special educators persist in most states (American Association for Employment in Education, 2007; Higher Education Consortium in Special Education, n.d.). Moreover, employment in special education teaching is expected to increase by 17% by 2020 (U.S. Project CREATE


2012–2013

8 Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012) due to growth of students with disabilities and teacher demand. To address the shortage, many states, like South Carolina, have implemented GYO programs (Butler, 2008; Mueller, 2012) that include alternative routes to licensure (ARC) approaches (Dukes, Darling, & Doan, 2014; Rosenberg & Walther-Thomas, 2014; USBLS, 2008). Therefore, CREATE’s continued operation is imperative and reflects SCDE’s proactive effort to grow its own special education teacher work force, thereby minimizing the risk of another staffing crisis in South Carolina special education classrooms.

YEAR 10 OPERATION The operation of the project remained largely unchanged from previous years. CREATE participant eligibility for Year 10 included all full-time SC public and charter school employees in both instructional and non-instructional positions whose desire was to become a highly qualified special education teacher. Targeted groups included currently employed special education teachers who did not hold full licensure in special education, specifically, (a) those holding a restricted alternative certificate [RAC] in various disability teaching fields, and (b) those enrolled in the State’s Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (PACE) program in Emotional Disabilities [PACE-ED]. For purposes of growing the State’s pool of highly qualified and effective special education teachers, the project targeted a number of other groups, including special education (SPED) teachers who were being groomed by school district officials to fill vacant/other special education teacher positions of projected need in which the special education teacher was not properly licensed, including Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA); general education teachers who expressed interest in making a career change into special education; teacher assistants wanting to upgrade to full licensure, long-term substitute teachers, and various other public and charter school staff in non-instructional work capacities (e.g., administrative/clerical assistants). Qualified participants pursued special education licensure through one of two approaches: (a) add-on/alternative licensure; or (b) initial licensure via a bachelor’s or a master of arts in teaching [MAT] degree program in special education. CREATE centers for preparation of special educators operated at the following 13 colleges/universities in the South Carolina, all with NCATE/State-approved programs in special education teacher preparation (Note: Center directors’ names are provided in parenthesis): Clemson University (Dr. Pamela Stecker); Coastal Carolina University (Dr. Susan Flynn); College of Charleston (Dr. Michael Skinner); Columbia College (Dr. Tracy West); Converse College (Dr. Ansley Boggs); Francis Marion University (Dr. Shirley Bausmith); Furman University (Dr. Judy Stuart); Lander University (Dr. Dava O’Connor); SC State University (Dr. Gloria Hayes-Smith); Southern Wesleyan University (Dr. Harold Waters); USC Columbia (Dr. Kathleen Marshall); USC Upstate (Dr. Holly Pae); and Winthrop University (Dr. Debra Leach). Consortium colleges and universities offered add-on and alternative licensure course work for the following traditional special education teaching fields: Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE); Emotional Disabilities (ED); Hearing Impairments (HI); Learning Disabilities (LD); Multi-categorical Special Education (MC); Mental/Intellectual Disabilities (MD); Severe Disabilities (SEV); and Visual Impairments (VI). Course work was also made available to special educators seeking the BCBA credential, which, although a national certification, is obtained through add-on course work. Bachelor’s degree programs leading to initial licensure were offered at the following sites: Columbia College; Lander University; and South Carolina State University. MAT degree programs leading to initial licensure New to the project for Year 10 were participants needing or interested in obtaining an advanced credential in speech-language pathology (SLP). SCDE regulation 43-68 requires all individuals providing speech-language services to have a minimum of a master’s degree in speech-language pathology by January 1, 2015. Therefore, at the direction of SCDE OEC, the former Project SLP:RRS (which terminated at the end of the 2011-2012 grant year) was merged with CREATE, for the purpose of assisting bachelor’s-level speech language therapists licensed by SCDE and employed full-time in SC public or charter schools and other candidates to obtain their master’s degrees in SLP. CREATE Centers Project CREATE


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9 for SLP preparation were established at the two graduate schools in the State, both with State-approved SLP programs (Note: Center directors’ names provided in parentheses): South Carolina State University (Dr. Gwen Wilson); and USC Columbia (Dr. Elaine Frank). SCSU offers an on-campus master of arts degree in SLP (MASLP), and USCC offers a fully online master’s degree in communication disorders (MCD) program. Dr. Joe Sutton, continued his role as project director and principal investigator of CREATE for Year 10. In addition to completing a CREATE application (see http://www.sccreate.org/Application.form.rev. Year11.pdf), which fostered tracking and monitoring data for the project, applicants were required to gather and submit other documentation in order to qualify for course scholarship funds (see table below). Once qualified, participants were awarded course scholarships on a first-come basis, which provided financial assistance to pay for 100% tuition and textbook costs (up to $100 per three-credit course). Courses were delivered as regular/on-campus or online/hybrid format and addressed initial licensure, addon/alternative licensure, or advanced certification needs of participants. Courses were scheduled and delivered the colleges and universities in the CREATE consortium during the Fall 2012, Spring 2013, and Summer 2013 semesters. Documentation Required for CREATE Participants Documentation ► ▼ Employment Status RACf Special Educ. Teacher PACE-EDg Special Educ.Teacher Other Special Educ. Teacherh General Educ. Teacher Long-term Substitute Teacher Non-licensed Teacher Assistant Other Non-instructional Staff

Employment Agreementa

Add-on Licensure Course Worksheetb

HR Degree Program Director Course Letterc Acceptance Letterd Worksheete

a

Participant commits to 3 years of return service to State for acceptance of scholarship funds. Issued by the SCDE Licensure Office; outlines needed course work for add-on licensure. c Issued by a CREATE consortium college for admission into a bachelor’s or MAT degree that results in initial licensure. d Issued by a CREATE consortium college; outlines needed course work for initial licensure. e Letter verifies participant is required to complete another area of special education licensure to retain employment in district. f Restricted alternative certificate (RAC) in a special education teaching area. g Program of Alternative Certification for Educators-Emotional Disabilities (PACE-ED). h Holds a valid SC teaching licensure, but required by district to obtain another area of special education licensure. b

ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS The CREATE Office processed 413 applications during Year 10, from which 187 (45.3%) applicants were determined to qualify for scholarship funds. Of the qualified applicants, 174 (93%) enrolled in one or more licensure program courses during the project year. Representing 58 of 82 (71%) school districts and one State-operated program (Palmetto USD/SC Department of Corrections; see Table 1, p. 17), enrollees were predominantly female (86%; see Figure 1, p. 18) and were mostly first-year/new participants (61%) to the project as opposed to returning (39%) participants (see Figure 2, p. 18). The majority of participants were seeking either Learning Disabilities (33%) or Multi-categorical Special Education (22%) licensure (see Figure 3, p. 18), followed by Early Childhood Special Education (12%), Speech-Language Pathology (11%), Emotional Disabilities (10%), and Mental Disabilities (6%). Considerably fewer participants were pursuing the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (2%) credential, Visual Impairments (2%), Severe Disabilities (1%), and Hearing Impairments (1%) licensure. Representation by ethnicity/race included Caucasians (76%), African-Americans (21%), American Project CREATE


2012–2013

10 Indian (1%), Asian-American (1%), and Hispanic (1%; see Figure 4, p. 19). Participants were employed in a variety of full-time positions in SC public/charter schools including general education classroom teachers (23%) seeking a career change into special education, special education teachers of emotional disabilities enrolled in the State’s Program of Alternative Licensure for Educators (PACE) program (9%), special education teachers holding the restricted alternative certificate or RAC (3%), special education teachers holding neither the RAC nor PACE-ED but needing to obtain a particular area of special education licensure in order to retain employment in their current teaching assignment or for future reassignment (32%), teacher assistants (18%), speech-language pathologists (5%), other non-instructional staff (9%), and long-term substitute teachers (1%; see Figure 5, p. 19). Most of the participants were enrolled in add-on/alternative licensure programs in special education (66%), with a smaller percentage enrolled in initial licensure programs via a bachelor of arts/science (BA/BS) degree program (7%) or the master of arts in teaching (MAT) degree (14%). Those pursuing national certification through a master’s degree in speech-language pathology degree program (11%) or the BCBA program (2%) rounded-off the remainder of the participants for Year 10 (see Figure 6, p. 19).

EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT The evaluation design described in the initial proposal for CREATE (2003–2004) required preparation of a final report after completion of each year of operation. As with previous years, the final report for Year 10 addressed the following questions (data for each evaluation question is presented in subsequent sections of this report): 1. How appropriate were the selection of courses in relation to licensure course needs of the qualifying participants? 2. Was the content of the coursework adequate in providing instruction for needed skills and competencies of participants? 3. Did participants progress at an appropriate rate toward completion of licensure? 4. What are the participants’ perceptions of the project? 5. Was anticipated enrollment maintained throughout the project period? 6. What percentage of the qualifying participants completed their respective licensure programs? 7. How effective was the recruitment, selection, and advising process? and 8. Have the participants been employed in positions appropriate to their new licensure areas?

APPROPRIATENESS OF COURSES Access to Program Courses. CREATE participants resided in virtually all geographic regions of the State. Therefore, appropriateness of courses was evaluated by determining the extent to which the project provided participants with access to courses, whether they resided within driving proximity of a nearby CREATE college center or whether they lived in rural, more remote areas of the State. We believe the project maximized the opportunity for basically all participants to avail themselves of needed course work by offering two course formats: (a) on-campus courses; and (b) online courses. By commuting to a college’s main campus or extension site, participants were able to join other regional part-/full-time teachers-in-preparation in campus courses offered as part of the college’s regular, late afternoon/evening semester schedule. Participants were also able to join a State-wide cadre of teachers in completing needed licensure course work via Internet by enrolling in selected online courses, which, again, were offered as part of the college’s regular course schedule. Several of the CREATE centers also offered contract courses, which were designed to address specific licensure course needs common to many participants. Contract courses required a minimum enrollment of 18 participants and were offered online. Range of Course Options. In addition to having access to needed course work, appropriateness of courses was evaluated by determining the extent to which the project offered the range of needed add-on or PACE-ED licensure courses to participants, who represented virtually two-thirds (66%) of the participant group. Course contributions from each CREATE center and corresponding course formats for

Project CREATE


2012–2013

11 each of the three semesters (i.e., fall, spring, and summer) for Year 10 are provided in Tables 2, 3, and 4 (see pp. 20-21). The 13 colleges in the CREATE consortium offered 32 different licensure courses a collective total of 154 times, 57 (37%) of which were made available online. Content of Courses. We also ascertained course appropriateness by evaluating course content, as outlined in course syllabi, and determining the extent to which it corresponded with the professional standards of preparation for special educators espoused by the Council for Exceptional Children, as adopted by the South Carolina Department of Education. CREATE center directors and the project director reviewed course syllabi and concluded that content was satisfactorily appropriate. Overall, the leadership for CREATE judged the access, range, and content of available licensure courses as appropriate to meet the licensure program needs of participants.

ADEQUACY OF COURSE CONTENT Project leadership assessed the adequacy of course content in meeting competency needs of participants through an online 30-item course evaluation, administered near the end of each semester. When prompted with the statement, “In comparison with other special education courses I have taken, this course…,” participants used a four-point Likert-type scale to rate the following four (4) items on the course evaluation survey that specifically addressed course content: ► ► ► ►

Provided more knowledge/skills about instruction in special education. Made more relevant applications to the “real-world” of the classroom. Broadened my perspective more in how to teach learners with disabilities. Significantly contributed to my overall preparation in special education.

Table 5 (see p. 21) provides the mean ratings of these four items that were gathered from 177 of 471 (38%) course evaluation surveys solicited. Results for participants pursuing add-on/alternative licensure are reported based on the five (5) major types of course work required: Assessment (As); Behavior Management (BM); Characteristics (Char); Introduction to Exceptional Learners (EL); and Procedures/Methods (Meth). We reported results for participants pursuing initial licensure by collapsing all required course work per degree program type: Bachelor’s (Bach) or Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), and those working toward national certification through the master’s degree program in speechlanguage pathology (SLP). We interpreted the individual and overall mean ratings as follows: 3.51– 4.00=trending Strongly Agree; 2.51–3.50=Agree; 1.51–2.50=Disagree; and 1.50 or less=trending Strongly Disagree. With a mean rating of 3.67 (trending Strongly Agree), add-on/alternative participants viewed Practicum most favorably with regard to adequacy of course content. They agreed that Assessment (3.45), Behavior Management (3.50), Characteristics (3.47), Introduction to Exceptional Learners (3.45), and Methods/Procedures (3.26) courses provided satisfactory content. Participants pursuing initial licensure in special education through bachelor’s programs gave an adequacy rating for their course work that trended toward agreement (3.27), as well as MAT candidates (3.09), that their content was adequate. SLP candidates’ ratings (3.51) trended toward strong agreement that their program content was exceptionally adequate. An overall item cluster mean rating of 3.36 (strongly agree) allowed project leadership to conclude that CREATE participants believed that course work was preparing them satisfactorily.

PROGRESS OF PARTICIPANTS The project awarded scholarship funds for the 174 qualified participants to take 478 courses (i.e., one-, two-, three-credits, and directed teaching/internship) in Year 10. We evaluated the extent to which participants progressed at an appropriate rate toward completion of alternative/add-on or initial licensure by analyzing the following: ► Percentage of participants who earned traditionally satisfactory grades (e.g., A, B, or C) in their respective program course work for the three semesters (See Tables 6 and 7, p. 22); these data

Project CREATE


2012–2013

12 represent academic progress of participants. ► Percentage of courses that participants completed out of courses prescribed in their respective licensure programs (See Tables 8, 9, and 10, pp. 23-24); these data reflect program progress of participants. Table 6 (see p. 22) reveals approximately 72% of course work by participants seeking addon/alternative licensure resulted in A grades, and about one-fifth (20%) were B grades, indicating a high level of skill mastery. Minimally acceptable competency was demonstrated by 4% of course work resulting in C grades. Approximately 4% of course work reflected D/F or I/W (i.e., incomplete or withdraw) grades. Overall, these data suggest generally high academic progress of participants pursuing add-on/alternative licensure, as measured by final grades. Grades in course work for participants seeking initial licensure through bachelor’s and MAT degree programs in special education and the master’s degree in SLP were equally impressive (see Table 7, p. 22). Approximately 72% of their grades were A grades, and about 21% were B grades, totaling 93%, which was comparable to the combined A and B grades (92%) earned by add-on/alternative participants. Candidates for initial licensure (see Table 8, p. 23), however, collectively earned observably more (7%) grades of D/F and I/W than their add-on/alternative counterparts, almost triple the ratio. We evaluated these data as extremely positive for CREATE candidates pursuing initial licensure. Another measure of participants’ individual progress toward completion of licensure is the mathematical comparison of completed courses versus needed courses, as prescribed in their respective programs of course work and study. For example, a teacher seeking add-on licensure in LD, and who completed two courses out of four needed courses, would demonstrate 50% progress (i.e., 2 / 4 = 50%). Therefore, we separated the 127 participants into three groups—PACE-ED, add-on licensure, and bachelor’s/MAT/SLP—and we computed progress for each group. The average course progress of participants seeking alternative licensure in the PACE program (n=15) was 66.6% (see Table 8, p. 23). PACE participants, however, are required to take fewer courses (i.e., three graduate courses) for their licensure programs. The average progress of participants pursuing add-on licensure (n=103) was 45.7% (see Table 9, p. 23). The number of courses required for add-on licensure range from one to eleven. The average progress of participants (n=56) enrolled in initial (bachelor’s or MAT) special education licensure programs and SLP national certification programs was 46.5% (see Table 10, p. 24). The range of required courses for those enrolled in initial licensure programs ranged from one to 29 courses; therefore, it was expected that their progress would be considerably less. The weighted aggregated progress of the 174 participants was 47.8%. Overall, these data suggest that participants are demonstrating satisfactory progress toward completing licensure.

PARTICIPANT PERCEPTIONS We assessed the perceptions of participants of their licensure preparation course work by gathering their views and opinions through an online course evaluation survey. The course evaluation was voluntary, anonymous, and administered at the end of each semester. The survey included 30 items which participants rated using the following four-point Likert scale: 1=Strongly Disagree; 2=Disagree; 3=Agree; and 4=Strongly Agree. Survey items were subsumed under the following categories/clusters: Teaching Skills of Professor (9 items); Interaction Skills of Professor (5 items); Course Requirements (4 items); Evaluation of Learning (5 items); Course Syllabus (3 items); Course Content/Impact of Course (4 items). Note: Results of the four items for the category, Course Content/Impact of Course, was presented and discussed earlier in this report; see p. 10, Adequacy of Course Content). A summary of mean ratings for the remaining 26 (out of 30 total) items on the course evaluations gathered from 177 course evaluations submitted out of the 478 course evaluations solicited (37% response rate) is provided in Table 11 (see p. 25). We interpreted mean ratings as follows: 3.51–4.00= trending Strongly Agree; 2.51–3.50=Agree; 1.51–2.50=Disagree; and 1.50 or less=trending Strongly Disagree.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

13 Individual item mean ratings ranged from 3.18 to 3.57. The item cluster means ranged from 3.40 to 3.51. Four cluster mean ratings fell in the average range: Teaching Skills of Instructor, 3.42; Course Requirements, 3.40; Evaluation of Learning, 3.44; and Course Syllabus, 3.47. The remaining cluster mean rating for Interaction Skills of Instructor (3.51) fell in the Strongly Average range. The overall mean rating of 3.44 also trended Agree. With no individual item or item cluster mean ratings falling below the Agree rating, the CREATE leadership judged teacher perceptions of courses offered by colleges in the CREATE consortium as overwhelmingly positive.

ENROLLMENT IN COURSES Of the 432 three-credit course scholarships available through the 13 CREATE college centers for Year 10, the project awarded 401 (92.8%) to qualified participants. Table 12 (see p. 26) enumerates the course scholarships awarded out of available course scholarships for each CREATE center. Percentage of actual courses awarded out of courses available for individual centers ranged from 0% (Furman University) to 100% (Clemson University; Columbia College; and Converse College). Figure 7 (see p. 26) depicts the number of course scholarships awarded for each of the three semesters across all CREATE centers, as follows: Fall 2012 (n=104.3); Spring 2013 (n=123); and Summer 2013 (n=173.7). Table 13 (see p. 27) provides the distribution of three-credit course scholarships (n=401) awarded to SC school districts (n=58) and one State-operated program (Palmetto USD/SC Department of Corrections). The three school districts that received the greatest number of course scholarships were Horry 01 (n=48), Greenville 01 (n=32.33), and Oconee 01 (n=19.67). Explanations for why these districts received more course awards varied. One reason was that these districts had greater numbers of enrolled participants. Another reason was that participants from these districts simply expressed greater interest. Nonetheless, the project consistently operated under a first-come policy for awarding course scholarships. Additionally, given that the total allocation of course scholarships was not depleted by the end of the grant year, the project had the ability to award more course scholarships to participants in other school districts, had more interest been expressed. (Note: A course scholarship equates to three-credits of course work. The 401 three-credit course awards resulted in 478 individual program courses (one-, two-, threecredits) completed by participants and reported in Tables 8, 9, and 10.).

PROGRAM COMPLETERS The project identified 68 participants who completed all course work for their respective licensure programs (Note: Total includes 20 participants enrolled in prior years of the project who completed program requirements but were not counted in previous final reports.). The completer cohort represents 34 of 82 districts (38%) and one State-operated program (Palmetto USD/SC Department of Corrections). Greenville 01 and Horry 01 District produced the greatest number of completers with 8 each, followed by Abbeville 60, Oconee 01, and Richland 01 District with 4 each. The remaining districts ranged from 1 to 3 completers (see Table 14, p. 28). The completers were overwhelmingly female (85%; see Figure 8, p. 29), and largely Caucasian (86%), with 18% African-Americans (see Figure 9, p. 29). Figure 10 (see p. 29) reveals 4% of the completers finished course work in Learning Disabilities licensure, followed by Multi-categorical Special Education (16%), Emotional Disabilities (13%), Mental Disabilities (12%), Speech-Language Pathology (12%), and Hearing Impairments (3%). The majority of completers who finished special education licensure programs and were largely nonRAC special education teachers (45%; see Figure 11, p. 30), followed by general education teachers (16%) and teacher assistants (13). SLP completers represented 7% of the group. Completers finishing alternative programs (80%) comprised the overwhelming majority of the completer cohort, followed by those completing national certification in speech-language pathology (12%), and initial special education licensure through a bachelor’s (4%) or MAT (4%) program. Most completers received scholarships for three courses (24%), one course (19%), or two courses (15%) to complete their respective licensure program requirements (see Figure 13, p. 30).

Project CREATE


2012–2013

14 RECRUITMENT, SELECTION, AND ADVISING Recruitment. The process of recruitment for CREATE was the joint responsibility of the SCDE Office of Exceptional Children, the project director, and all CREATE center directors. A continuously updated Web site provided a highly effective forum for year-round recruitment efforts. SCDE officially initiated recruitment at the beginning of the grant year by mailing a letter of information about the project to all district directors of special education, directors of personnel, and school principals in the State. Subsequently, more targeted recruitment efforts each semester included direct email campaigns and announcements to LEA Special Education Directors and Human Resources Directors, and to qualified individuals who were either previously enrolled or new to the project. Having expended 93% of the project’s available course scholarship funds for the year, the CREATE leadership evaluated the effectiveness of recruitment efforts as highly successful. Selection. Consistently applying guidelines of viability and fairness allowed appropriate selection of participants for the project and for course scholarship awards. With regard to viability, project staff selected and enrolled only participants who were employed full-time in SC public schools, charter schools, or State-operated programs and who were non-licensed in the special education area of need. We were able to verify that all 174 participants during Year 10 were employed full-time in their respective school districts and were non-licensed in the special education, SLP or BCBA area of pursuit indicated on their application. As for fairness, CREATE office staff continued to enforce implementation of a firstcome policy in awarding course scholarships. We believe this guideline has traditionally been successful and equitable in guaranteeing broad participation among qualified participants across the State. A review of Table 1 (see p. 17) reveals that we enrolled one or more participants from 58 of the 82 (71%) school districts and one State-operated program. More importantly, sufficient grant funds precluded having to reject any course scholarship requests from qualifying participants who responded appropriately and within college registration deadline timeframes. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of our selection process as highly successful. Advising. Advising teacher applicants was the responsibility of the project director and the 13 CREATE center directors. Advising was accomplished through email, phone, and face-to-face meetings, and focused primarily on recommending appropriate course work to applicants as prescribed by their respective licensure programs. We achieved virtually a 99.75% concordance between courses in which participants enrolled and successfully completed, and the needed course work identified on their program checksheets. This allowed us to evaluate our advising process as highly successful.

EMPLOYMENT OF COMPLETERS CREATE program completers are obligated by signed agreement with SCDE to obtain employment in a South Carolina public/charter school that aligns with their newly-obtained licensure area. Finalizing licensure hinges on one remaining action, which is taking/passing the appropriate Praxis II® exam(s) required by the State Board. Although this is the sole initiative of the completer and outside the purview of Project CREATE, SCDE has directed school districts that Praxis II exam fees are an allowable expenditure under the Personnel Development Grant administered by OEC, thereby providing a means of reimbursement for CREATE program completers. In evaluating this component of the project, we first determined whether program completers were still employed as educators in South Carolina. With access to the Licensure Portal granted by SCDE Licensure Office officials, we verified the 2013–2014 employment of 66 of the 68 program completers whose six-digit licensure numbers were available (Note: Completers with unavailable licensure numbers included those who had made application to SCDE for initial licensure and that were pending at the writing of this report.). Of this subgroup of 66, 96% (n=63) remain employed in South Carolina school districts. Of these 63, 81% (n=51) were employed in the same district in which they were affiliated when they were participating in CREATE. The remaining 12 of 66 (19%) completers transferred their

Project CREATE


2012–2013

15 employment to a different South Carolina school district, including the charter school district. We viewed these data as a strong indicator that SCDE and LEAs, working cooperatively with the IHEs, are effectively growing our own special education teacher and related services work force.

CONCLUSION Project leadership evaluated Year 10 of Project CREATE as highly successful. Noteworthy data collected and presented in this report that supports this conclusion include the following: ► ► ► ► ►

Qualified participants enrolled: 174 School districts represented: 58 Course scholarships available: 432 Course scholarships awarded: 401 Participant program completers: 68

The 10-year cumulative total of 739 program completers provides compelling evidence that Project CREATE is effective in advancing its mission of reducing the number of non-licensed special education teachers and related services personnel while simultaneously growing a highly qualified and effective work force in South Carolina public and charter schools.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

16 REFERENCES American Association for Employment in Education, Inc. (2006). Educator supply and demand in the United States: 2006 executive summary, AAEE. Retrieved May 1, 2008, from http://www.aaee.org/cwt/external/wcpages/files/2006execsummary.pdf Butler, K. (2008). Desperately seeking special ed teachers. Retrieved from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/desperately-seeking-special-ed-teachers Dukes, C., Darling, S. M., & Doan, K. (2014). Selection pressures on special education teacher preparation: Issues shaping our future. Teacher Education and Special Education, 37(1), 9-20. Higher Education Consortium for Special Education. (n.d.). Shortage of special education expertise among teachers and higher education faculty. Retrieved from http://hecse.net/policy_documents/FactSheetSPED%20Shortages.pdf Müller, E. (2011, February). Recruiting and retaining qualified special education personnel: Approaches from eight state education agencies. Personnel Improvement Center inForum, 1-16. Retrieved from http://projectforum.org/docs/RecruitingandRetainingSpEdPersonnel-ApproachesfromEightSEAs.pdf Müller, E. (2012, Spring). Using grow your own programs to promote recruitment and retention of qualified special education personnel: Three state approaches. Personnel Improvement Center Case Studies, 1-12. Retrieved from http://personnelcenter.org/documents/Grow%20Your%20OwnThree%20State%20Approaches%20PDF-%20final%20w%20Eve%20edits.pdf Njuguna, W. (2011, March 16). SC’s grow-your-own tackles special education shortages. Education Daily, 44(50), 2. DuRant, S. D., Poda, J., & Sutton, J. P. (2007, June). Project CREATE: Growing a highly qualified special education teacher force in South Carolina. Presentation at the Center for Improving Teacher Quality National Invitational Forum: State and Higher Education Policy, Practices, and Strategies to Improve the Teaching of Students with Disabilities, Arlington, VA. Rosenberg, M. S., & Walther-Thomas, C. (2014). Innovation, policy, and capacity in special education teacher education: Competing demands in challenging times. Teacher Education and Special Education, 37(1), 77-82. Sutton, J. P. (2007, November). CREATE-ing highly qualified special education teachers in South Carolina. Presentation at the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality Conference, Washington, DC. Sutton, J. P., & DuRant, S. D. (2007, April). Special education teachers on temporary licenses: Curbing the count through Project CREATE. Presentation at the 85th Council for Exceptional Children Annual Convention and Expo, Louisville, KY. Sutton, J. P., & DuRant, S. D. (2008, October). Project CREATE: Building teacher capacity in special education. Presentation at the National Association of Directors of Special Education Annual Convention, Kiawah Island Resort, SC.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

17 Sutton, J. P., & McGovern, T. B. (May, 2013). Project CREATE: From LEA para to certified special education teacher: A SDE/LEA/IHE partnership. Panel presentation at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education First Annual National Summit on Personnel Needs, Dallas, TX. Sutton, J. P., & Pae, H. A. (2012, July). Project CREATE: State-wide partnership for producing highly qualified special education teachers. U.S. Office of Special Education Programs Project Directors’ Conference, Washington, DC. U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2008). Occupational outlook handbook, 2008-09 edition, teachers-special education. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos070.htm U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2012). Special education teachers: Summary. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/special-education-teachers.htm

Project CREATE


2012–2013

18 PROJECT LEADERSHIP Report prepared by:

Joe Sutton, PhD Project Director / Principal Investigator SC Department of Education

Report reviewed by:

Shirley Bausmith, PhD SpEd Center Director Francis Marion University

Holly Pae, EdD SpEd Center Director USC Upstate

Ashley Boggs, EdD SpEd Center Director Converse College

Michael Skinner, PhD SpEd Center Director College of Charleston

Susan Flynn, PhD SpEd Center Director Coastal Carolina University

Pamela Stecker, PhD SpEd Center Director Clemson University

Elaine Frank, PhD SLP Center Director USC Columbia

Judy Stuart, PhD SpEd Center Director Furman University

Gloria Hayes-Smith, PhD SpEd Center Director SC State University

Harold Waters, EdD SpEd Center Director Southern Wesleyan University

Deborah Leach, EdD SpEd Center Director Winthrop University

Tracy West, PhD SpEd Center Director Columbia College

Kathleen Marshall, PhD SpEd Center Director USC Columbia

Gwendolyn Wilson, EdD SLP Center Director SC State University

Dava O’Connor, PhD SpEd Center Director Lander University Submitted to SCDE:

Project CREATE

February 3, 2014


2012–2013

19

TABLES AND FIGURES PROJECT CREATE–YEAR 10 Table 1. School District Affiliation of Enrolled Participants (n=174), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 District Abbeville 60 Aiken 01 Allendale 01 Anderson 01 Anderson 02 Anderson 03 Anderson 04 Anderson 05 Bamberg 01 Bamberg 02 Barnwell 19 Barnwell 29 Barnwell 45 Beaufort 01 Berkeley 01 Calhoun 01 Charleston 01 Cherokee 01 Chester 01 Chesterfield 01 Clarendon 01 Clarendon 02 Clarendon 03 Colleton 01 Darlington 01 Dillon 03 Dillon 04 Dorchester 02 Dorchester 04 Edgefield 01 Fairfield 01 Florence 01 Florence 02 Florence 03 Florence 04 Florence 05 Georgetown 01 Greenville 01 Greenwood 50 Greenwood 51 Greenwood 52 Hampton 01

Project CREATE

No. 5 6 1 2

6 1

1 3 4 1 3 2 1 1 4 4 2 2

1 5 1 2

2 9 5 2 1 1

District Hampton 02 Horry 01 Jasper 01 Kershaw 01 Lancaster 01 Laurens 55 Laurens 56 Lee 01 Lexington 01 Lexington 02 Lexington 03 Lexington 04 Lexington 05 Marion 01 Marlboro 01 McCormick 01 Newberry 01 Oconee 01 Orangeburg 03 Orangeburg 04 Orangeburg 05 Pickens 01 Richland 01 Richland 02 Saluda 01 Spartanburg 01 Spartanburg 02 Spartanburg 03 Spartanburg 04 Spartanburg 05 Spartanburg 06 Spartanburg 07 Sumter 01 Union 01 Williamsburg 01 York 01 York 02 York 03 York 04 Charter Schools Palmetto USD SCSDB TOTAL

No. 17 2 6 1 1 1 6 1 2 4 1 1 1 6 1

1 12 6 3 2 1

2 3 4 1 1 3 2 1 2 1 174


2012–2013

20 Figure 1. Gender of Enrolled Participants (n=174), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 14%

Female Male

86%

Figure 2. New or Returning Status of Enrolled Participants (n=174), Project CREATE, 2012–2013

39% New Returning 61%

Figure 3. Licensure Area Pursued by Enrolled Participants (n=174), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 11%

2% 2%

BCBA

12%

2%

ECSE ED

6%

26% 1%

HI LD MC MD SEV

22%

SLP

33%

VI

BCBA=Board Certified Behavior Analyst; ECSE=Early Childhood Special Education; ED=Emotional Disabilities; HI=Hearing Impairments; LD=Learning Disabilities; MC=Multi-categorical; MD=Mental Disabilities; SEV=Severe Disabilities; SLP=Speech-Language Pathology; VI=Visual Impairments.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

21 Figure 4. Ethnicity/Race of Enrolled Participants (n=174), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 1% 21% African-Amer 1% 1%

Amer-Indian Asian-Amer Caucasian Hispanic

76%

Figure 5. Employment Status of Enrolled Participants (n=174), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 18% GenEd

23%

Other

1%

PACE-ED

5%

RAC 9%

SpEd SLP SUB

32%

9%

TA

3% Gen Ed=General education teachers; Other=Other non-instructional staff; SLP=Speech-Language Pathologist; PACEED=Program of Alternative Licensure for Educators–Emotional Disabilities; RAC=Restricted Alternative Certificate; SpEd= Special education teachers who are not RAC or PACE-ED status; SUB=Long-term Substitute Teacher; TA=Teacher assistants.

Figure 6. Licensure Program of Enrolled Participants (n=174), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 11% 14%

Alternative BCBA Initial Bach Initial MAT

7%

Master SLP 2%

66%

Alternative=Includes add-on or PACE-ED programs in special education; Initial Bach=Bachelor’s program in special education; Initial MAT=Master of Arts in Teaching program in special education; MSLP=Master’s program in speech-language pathology; BCBA=Board Certified Behavior Analyst program. Project CREATE


2012–2013

22 Table 2. Licensure Courses and Formats Sponsored by Project CREATE, Fall 2012 Semester

O C O O

C C

WU

O

USCU

C C

USCC

C C

SWU

SCSU

LU

C

FU

FMU

CnvC

C

ColaC

CofC

Introduction: Exceptional Learners Introduction: Early Childhood Spec Ed Characteristics: Emotional Disabilities Characteristics: Learning Disabilities Characteristics: Mental Disabilities Characteristics: Severe Disabilities Methods: Early Childhood Spec Educ Methods: Emotional Disabilities Methods: Learning Disabilities Methods: Mental Disabilities Methods: Severe Disabilities Behavior Management Teaching Reading in Gen/Spec Educ Assessment for Exceptional Learners Braille—Reading and Writing. Teaching Reading for Visual Impair. Psychology of Hearing Impairments Practicum: Emotional Disabilities Practicum: Learning Disabilities Practicum: Mental Disabilities Practicum: Severe Disabilities

CU

▼ COURSE

CCU

COLLEGE ►

C C C C

C

C O C

C

B C C

C C

C C C

C O C C

B B B

C

C C

O O C C C C

C C C

O O O

C C C C

C

CCU=Coastal Carolina University; CU=Clemson University; CofC=College of Charleston; ColaC=Columbia College; CnvC=Converse College: FMU=Francis Marion University; FU=Furman University; LU=Lander University; SCSU=South Carolina State University; SWU=Southern Wesleyan University; USCC=USC Columbia; USCU=USC Upstate; WU=Winthrop University; O=Online course; C=Campus course; B=Both online and campus course options.

Table 3. Licensure Courses and Formats Sponsored by Project CREATE, Spring 2013 Semester

O C

O C

O

WU

C C

USCU

C

O C C

O

USCC

B

SWU

C C

SCSU

FMU

C

LU

CnvC

C

FU

ColaC

C

CofC

Introduction: Exceptional Learners Introduction: Early Childhood Spec Ed Characteristics: Emotional Disabilities Characteristics: Learning Disabilities Characteristics: Mental Disabilities Characteristics: Severe Disabilities Methods: Early Childhood Spec Ed

CU

▼ COURSE

CCU

COLLEGE ►

C C C C

Note: See legend in Table 2.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

23 Table 3 (cont.). Licensure Courses and Formats Sponsored by Project CREATE, Spring 2013 Semester Methods: Emotional Disabilities Methods: Learning Disabilities Methods: Mental Disabilities Behavior Management Single-Case Research Design (BCBA) Teaching Reading in Gen/Spec Educ Assessment for Exceptional Learners Educ. Procedures: Visually Impaired Partnerships for Early Child. Spec Ed Practicum: Emotional Disabilities Practicum: Learning Disabilities Practicum: Mental Disabilities Practicum: Severe Disabilities Practicum: Visual Impairments

C C C

C C C

B

C C

C C C C

O

C C

C C

C

O

O O

O C C C

O

C C O

Note: See legend in Table 2.

Table 4. Licensure Courses and Formats Sponsored by Project CREATE, Summer 2013 Semester

O O

O O

O

WU

O

USCU

USCC

O

SWU

O O

O

SCSU

C

LU

FU

FMU

CnvC

ColaC

CofC

Introduction: Exceptional Learners Introduction: Early Childhood Spec Ed Characteristics: Emotional Disabilities Characteristics: Learning Disabilities Characteristics: Mental Disabilities Methods: Early Childhood Spec Educ Methods: Emotional Disabilities Methods: Learning Disabilities Methods: Mental Disabilities Behavior Management Lang/Communication: Severe Disab. Teaching Reading in Gen/Spec Educ Assessment for Exceptional Learners Assess for Early Childhood Spec Ed Psychology of Hearing Impairments Tchg. Language: Hearing Impairments Tchg. Speech Reading: Hearing Impair. Nature/Needs: Visual Impairments Orientation/Mobility: Visual Impair Anatomy/Physiology of the Eye

CU

▼ COURSE

CCU

COLLEGE ►

O C

C

C

O O O O

C C

O

B O O B C B

O

O O

O

C

O C

C

C O

O

C C C C C C

Note: See legend in Table 2. Project CREATE


2012–2013

24 Table 5. Mean Ratings of Items Reflecting Adequacy of Course Content from Participant Course Evaluations (n=177), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 Licensure Program ►

Add-on/Alternative SpEd

Initial SpEd

SLP

All

As BM Char n=10 N=13 n=31

EL N=5

Meth n=33

Prac Bach MAT Mast Total n=3 n=13 n=39 n=40 N=177

3.50

3.46

3.45

3.20

3.17

3.67

3.15

3.00

3.53

3.31

3.50

3.54

3.52

3.60

3.30

3.67

3.38

3.15

3.53

3.41

3.40

3.54

3.45

3.60

3.30

3.67

3.31

3.03

3.48

3.34

3.40

3.46

3.45

3.40

3.26

3.67

3.23

3.18

3.50

3.36

Item Cluster Mean 3.45

3.50

3.47

3.45

3.26

3.67

3.27

3.09

3.51

3.36

Evaluation Item ▼

Course ►

Provided more knowledge/skills about instruction (intervention) Made more relevant applications to the real world of the classroom Broadened my perspective more in how to teach (treat) learners Significantly contributed to my overall preparation

Note. Data based on a 4-point Likert scale and reflected 177 course evaluations submitted voluntarily out of 471 solicited course evaluations (38% response rate). Total means were weighted per type of course. As=Assessment for Exceptional Learners; BM= Behavior Management; Char=Characteristics of Early Childhood Special Education/Emotional/Hearing/Learning/Mental/Severe/ Visual Disabilities; EL=Introduction to Exceptional Learners; Meth=Methods for Early Childhood Special Education/Emotional/ Hearing/Learning/Mental/Severe/Visual Disabilities and Teaching Reading; Prac=Practicum; Bach=Bachelor’s degree program; MAT=Master of Arts in Teaching degree program.; Mast=Master’s degree in speech-language pathology.

Table 6. Final Grades for Participants (n=118) Enrolled in Courses (n=210) Leading to Add-on or Alternative Licensure, Project CREATE, 2012–2013 Licensure Courses Assessment Behavior Management Characteristics * Introduction Exceptional Learners Methods/Procedures * Practicum Total Percent

A 14 23 60 8 41 5 151 71.9

B 7 6 12 2 14 1 42 20.0

Final Grades C D/F 1

1 1

7 1 9 4.3

1 3 1.4

I/W 1 3

1 5 2.4

Total 21 32 76 10 63 8 210 100

Note. I/W=Incomplete or withdrawn; Percentages are rounded. * See legend in Table 5.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

25 Table 7. Final Grades for Participants (n=56) Enrolled in Degree Program Courses (n=268) Leading to Initial or Advanced Licensure, Project CREATE, 2012–2013 Program Courses Bachelor’s Degree Program–BA/BS * Master’s Degree Program–MAT * Master’s Degree Program—SLP ^ All Courses Percent

A 52 55 85 192 71.6

B 18 6 32 56 20.9

Final Grades C D/F 6 6 6 18 6.7

I/W 2 2 0.8

Total 76 69 123 268 100

Note. I/W=Incomplete or withdrawn. Percentages are rounded. * Initial State licensure in Special Education. ^ Advanced national certification in Speech-Language Pathology.

Table 8. Progress of Participants (n=15) Enrolled in PACE-ED Licensure Programs in Special Education, Project CREATE, 2012–2013

No. Courses in Program ▼ 1 Course 2 Courses 3 Courses Total

No. Courses Completed* 1 Course

2 Courses

Progress

No.

100%

4

33%

6 10

3 Courses

Progress

No.

100% 67%

2 2 4

Progress

No.

* Positive progress reported for 14 of 15 participants. The remaining participant made 0% progress toward his/her respective program due to an Incomplete grade for one course attempted.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

26 Table 9. Progress of Participants (n=103) Enrolled in Add-on Licensure Programs in Special Education, Project CREATE, 2012–2013

No. Courses in Program ▼ 1 Course 2 Courses 3 Courses 4 Courses 5 Courses 6 Courses 7 Courses 8 Courses 9 Courses 10 courses 11 courses Total

No. Courses Completed * 1 Course

2 Courses

3 Courses

4 Courses

5 Courses

6 Courses

Progress No. Progress No. Progress No. Progress No. Progress No. Progress No. 100% 50% 33% 25% 20% 17% 14% 13%

7 10 6 1 6 12 4 1

100% 67% 50% 40% 33% 29% 22% 20% 18%

47

2 7 4 8 4 2 1 1 2 31

100% 75% 60% 50% 43% 38%

1 4 6 4

100% 80% 67%

1 2 1

1 67% 36% 16

1 5

46%

1 1

1

1

* Positive progress reported for 101 of 103 participants. Two participants made 0% progress toward their respective programs, due to an Incomplete grade in one course attempted, and the other due to a Withdrawal from one course attempted.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

27 Table 10. Progress of Participants (n=56) Enrolled Initial Licensure Programs in Special Education (Bachelor’s or Master of Arts in Teaching Degrees) and Master’s Degrees in Speech-Language Pathology, Project CREATE, 2012–2013 No. Courses Completed * 9 11 Courses Courses

No.

Progress

No.

Progress

Progress

No.

8 Courses

No.

7 Courses

Progress

No.

Progress

Progress

6 Courses

No.

Progress

1 Course 100% 1 100% 3 2 Courses 100% 1 3 Courses 50% 1 100% 1 4 Courses 80% 1 5 Courses 50% 1 6 Courses 7 Courses 9 Courses 40% 1 10 Courses 10% 1 11 Courses 9% 1 12 Courses 8% 1 15% 1 13 Courses 13% 1 15 Courses 6% 1 13% 1 25% 1 16 Courses 17 Courses 6% 2 17% 1 22% 1 18 Courses 16% 1 19 Courses 10% 1 20 Courses 21 Courses 15% 1 26 Courses 28 Courses 29 Courses 7 8 4 6 Total

5 Courses

Progress

Progress

No.

4 Courses

No.

3 Courses

No.

2 Courses

No.

1 Course

Progress

No. Courses in Program ▼

100% 3 100% 2 100% 1 50%

2

39% 33% 31%

1 2 1

28%

1

55%

1

46%

1

35%

1

73%

41%

1

30% 29%

3 1

21% 21%

2 33% 1 10

1

10

4

1

1

82%

1 100% 3

69%

1

3

3

* Positive progress reported for 101 of 103 participants. A column for ’10 Courses’ was intentionally omitted as there were no data for this category.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

28 Table 11. Mean Item and Cluster Ratings from Course Evaluations (n=177), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 Course Evaluation Items

Mean*

Rating

Teaching Skills of Instructor

3.42

A

Communicated subject matter clearly Caused me to think critically Showed enthusiasm and made classes interesting and engaging Used examples, illustrations, and/or demonstrations to explain ideas Embellished/expanded on textbook material, rather than just repeated it Used allocated class time for critical, more important material Presented information in an organized, logical, and sequential manner Integrated media, guest speakers, and/or other resources with lecture Inspired, motivated, and stimulated a desire to want to learn more

3.42 3.59 3.44 3.49 3.44 3.34 3.38 3.31 3.40

A SA A A A A A A A

Interaction Skills of Instructor

3.51

SA

Showed genuine interest in students’ success Was available during office hours (or by phone/e-mail) for consultation Showed respect towards the opinions of students Encouraged student participation in class Responded to student questions in a clear, supportive manner

3.52 3.51 3.54 3.53 3.47

SA SA SA SA A

Course Requirements

3.40

A

Readings (textbook, etc.) that improved my understanding of the subject Assignments that were well developed and related to course content Assignments that were creative, hands-on (e.g., case studies, research) Assignments that were paced and timed appropriately for the semester

3.41 3.40 3.44 3.37

A A A A

Evaluation of Learning

3.44

A

Provided meaningful, constructive feedback on tests and other work Graded tests/projects according to criteria published in the syllabus Prepared me for tests (e.g., gave overviews of test content/format) Assessed knowledge and conceptual understanding on tests/projects Returned graded tests and projects on, or by, the promised date

3.44 3.51 3.38 3.42 3.43

A SA A A A

Course Syllabus

3.47

A

Stated goals/objectives and included a schedule of course content Gave instructions for successful completion of course assignments Provided clear criteria for grading projects and assignments

3.49 3.45 3.46

A A A

Overall Mean

3.44

A

* Data reflect 177 course evaluations submitted voluntarily out of 478 solicited course evaluations (37% response rate). Mean ratings are based on a 4-point Likert rating. SA=Strongly Agree; A=Agree.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

29 Table 12. Course Scholarships Available (n=432) and Awarded (n=401) per CREATE Center, Project CREATE, 2012–2013 CREATE Center Clemson University Coastal Carolina University College of Charleston Columbia College Converse College Francis Marion University Furman University Lander University SC State University Southern Wesleyan University USC Columbia USC Upstate Winthrop University Total

Type O C,O C,O C,O C C,O C C,O C C,O C,O C,O C

Available 18.00 10.00 18.00 14.00 28.00 79.33 5.00 84.00 16.33 9.00 123.89 21.50 5.00 432.05

Awarded 18.00 9.00 15.00 14.00 28.00 79.17 0.00 77.84 9.00 9.00 117.89 20.17 4.00 401.07

Percent 100% 90.00% 83.33% 100% 100% 99.80% 0% 92.67% 55.11% 100% 95.16% 95.35% 80.00% 92.91%

O=online course; C=campus course. Note. A course scholarship equates to three-credits of course work. The 401 three-credit course awards resulted in 478 individual program courses (one-, two-, three-credits) completed by participants and reported in Tables 8, 9, and 10.

Figure 7. Course Scholarships (n=401) Awarded per Semester, Project CREATE, 2012-2013 200

No. Course Awards

180

173.74

160 140 120

104.31

123.02

100 80 60 40 20 0 Fall 12

Spr 13

Sum 13

Semester / Year

Project CREATE


2012–2013

30 Table 13. Course Scholarships (n=401) Awarded per School District, Project CREATE, 2012-2013 District Abbeville 60 Aiken 01 Allendale 01 Anderson 01 Anderson 02 Anderson 03 Anderson 04 Anderson 05 Bamberg 01 Bamberg 02 Barnwell 19 Barnwell 29 Barnwell 45 Beaufort 01 Berkeley 01 Calhoun 01 Charleston 01 Cherokee 01 Chester 01 Chesterfield 01 Clarendon 01 Clarendon 02 Clarendon 03 Colleton 01 Darlington 01 Dillon 03 Dillon 04 Dorchester 02 Dorchester 04 Edgefield 01 Fairfield 01 Florence 01 Florence 02 Florence 03 Florence 04 Florence 05 Georgetown 01 Greenville 01 Greenwood 50 Greenwood 51 Greenwood 52 Hampton 01

No. 12.67 16 1 6

7.17 2

1 5.5 12 1 3 4 1 1 6 6 3.33 2.33

3 11.33 1 3

2 32.33 13.67 5.5 4 3


No. 48 8 8 4.33 2.33 1 14.33 1 6 9 1 1 4.67 19.67 5

4 24 10 12 3 1

3 7 8.33 1 2 6 5 4.33 6 1 401

Note. Course scholarships represent hree-credit course units.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

31 Table 14. School District Affiliation of Program Completers (n=68), Project CREATE, 2012-2013 District Abbeville 60 Aiken 01 Allendale 01 Anderson 01 Anderson 02 Anderson 03 Anderson 04 Anderson 05 Bamberg 01 Bamberg 02 Barnwell 19 Barnwell 29 Barnwell 45 Beaufort 01 Berkeley 01 Calhoun 01 Charleston 01 Cherokee 01 Chester 01 Chesterfield 01 Clarendon 01 Clarendon 02 Clarendon 03 Colleton 01 Darlington 01 Dillon 03 Dillon 04 Dorchester 02 Dorchester 04 Edgefield 01 Fairfield 01 Florence 01 Florence 02 Florence 03 Florence 04 Florence 05 Georgetown 01 Greenville 01 Greenwood 50 Greenwood 51 Greenwood 52 Hampton 01

No. 4 2

1 3

2 1 1 1 2

1 1 2 1

8 1 1 1


No. 8 1 2

1 2 1 2

1 4 1

4 1

1

1 2

2

1 68

Note. Includes 20 completers from prior years who were not counted in previous CREATE Final Reports.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

32 Figure 8. Gender of Program Completers (n=68), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 15%

Female Male

85%

Figure 9. Ethnicity/Race of Program Completers (n=68), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 13% 1%

African-Amer Asian-Amer Caucasian

86%

Figure 10. Licensure Area of Program Completers (n=68), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 12%

13% 3%

ED HI

12%

LD MC 44% 16%

MD SLP

ED=Emotional Disabilities; HI=Hearing Impairments; LD=Learning Disabilities; MC=Multi-categorical Special Education; MD=Mental Disabilities; SLP=SpeechLanguage Pathology

Project CREATE


2012–2013

33 Figure 11. Employment Status of Program Completers (n=68), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 13%

16% GenEd PACE-ED 12%

RAC SLP

7%

SpEd TA

45%

7%

GenEd=General education teachers; SLP=Speech-language pathologists; PACE-ED=Program of Alternative Licensure for Educators–Emotional Disabilities; RAC=Restricted Alternative Certificate in special education; SpEd=Special education teachers who are not RAC or PACE-ED status; TA=Teacher assistants.

Figure 12. Licensure Program of Completers (n=68), Project CREATE, 2012–2013 12% 4% 4%

Alternative Initial Bach Initial MAT MSLP

80% Alternative=Includes add-on or PACE-ED programs in special education; Initial Bach=Bachelor’s program in special education; Initial MAT=Master of Arts in Teaching program in special education; MSLP=Master’s program in speech-language pathology.

Project CREATE


2012–2013

34 Figure 13. Scholarship-funded Licensure Program Courses Awarded to Completers (n=68), Project CREATE, 2012-2013 12% 4%

19%

1 Course 2 Courses

6%

3 Courses 4 Courses

7%

15%

5 Courses 6 Courses 7 Courses

13% 24%

Project CREATE

9+ Courses


2012–2013

35

The Project Director certifies that a total of 35 pages comprise the CREATE Final Report for Year 10.

Project CREATE


2012–2013