AAQEP Annual Report for 2022

December 20, 2022 COE Administrator

1. Overview and Context

The University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Education’s mission is to advance educational knowledge and practice, partner with communities, and promote diversity, equity, and excellence.

To further this mission, we develop original programs and practices, promote creative solutions for educational community and mental health settings, and nurture diverse leaders, practitioners, and researchers in service to the critical demands of local, national, and global communities. We aim to extend the boundaries of our learning community to ensure that we and our partners learn from each other. We are dedicated to excellence and the inherent value of every learner.

With more than 15,000 students, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, established in 1963, is the St. Louis region’s premier public research university. Within the university, the College of Education (COE) has 120 total faculty and offers six undergraduate degrees, 32 undergraduate and post-baccalaureate teaching certificates, seven master’s degrees, many graduate certificate programs, two educational specialist degrees, and two doctoral degrees. These programs prepare and sustain culturally competent, dedicated, and highly trained teachers for a variety of traditional and non-traditional educational settings. The college also prepares administrators, counselors, school psychologists, behavior analysts, educational scholars, and entrepreneurs. The COE houses two departments: Educator Preparation & Leadership and Education Sciences & Professional Programs. Student support is provided through the Office of Advising and Student Services. Overseen by the Office of Clinical Experience and Partnerships, the innovative Studio School model, which has an established partnership between 30 local schools and the COE, allows for collaborative practicum experiences that enrich future teachers’ learning. By reaching out and partnering with a vast array of educational, business and community resources, the college provides opportunities for faculty and students to develop professional connections that will improve their careers as well as their communities.

As we emerge from a worldwide pandemic, we are pleased that the data provided in this report is relatively stable. We continue to seek ways to prepare our teacher candidates and to support our completers even as the landscape of PK-12 schools shifts and changes.

We’re up for the challenge!

2. Enrollment and Completion Data

Table 1. Program Specification: Enrollment and Completers for Academic Year 2021-2022 (Programs that Lead to Initial Credentials)

*Completers are not included in the “Number of Candidates” column.
Degree or Certificate granted by the institution or organization State Certificate, License, Endorsement, or Other Credential Number of Candidates
enrolled in most recently completed academic year (2021-2022)
Number of Completers
in most recently completed academic year (2021-2022)*
Undergraduate Level

BSED - Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education Emphasis

Early Childhood Education B-3

44

4

BSED - Elementary Education, Special Ed, TESOL, or Special Ed & TESOL Emphasis

Elementary Education 1-6

196

90

BSED - Elementary Education, Middle School Emphasis

Language Arts 5-9

3

0

Mathematics 5-9

10

4

Science 5-9

10

3

Social Science 5-9

5

0

BSED - Physical Education

Physical Education K-12

24

5

BSED - Secondary Education

Biology 9-12

3

2

Chemistry 9-12

2

0

Physics 9-12

0

0

 English 9-12

25

7

Mathematics 9-12

5

5

Social Science 9-12

35

6

French K-12

0

0

Spanish K-12

5

0

BFA - Studio Arts FAC, Art Education Emphasis

Art Education K-12

23

3

BM - FAC Music, Music Education Emphasis

Instrumental Music K-12

9

4

Vocal Music K-12

19

1

Graduate Level - Teach for America (TFA), Teach Residency (TR)

MED - Elementary Education, Early Childhood Emphasis

Early Childhood Education B-3 (TFA, TR)

18

4

MED - Elementary Education, General Emphasis

Elementary Education 1-6 (TFA, TR)

45

13

MED - Secondary Education, Middle School

Language Arts 5-9 (TFA, TR)

5

3

Mathematics 5-9 (TFA, TR)

7

2

Science 5-9 (TFA, TR)

7

2

Social Science 5-9 (TFA, TR)

11

1

MED - Secondary Education, General Emphasis

Biology 9-12 (TFA, TR)

2

2

Chemistry 9-12 (TFA, TR)

2

0

Physics 9-12 (TFA, TR)

2

0

English 9-12 (TFA, TR)

7

3

Mathematics 9-12 (TFA, TR)

2

2

Social Science 9-12 (TFA, TR)

4

0

French K-12 (TFA, TR)

1

0

Spanish K-12 (TFA, TR)

5

0

Earth Science 9-12 (TFA, TR)

1

0

MED - Special Education

Mild-Mod Cross-Categorical K-12

10

5

Graduate Level - Teach in 12 (Tin12)

MED - Elementary Education, Elementary Teacher Cert Emphasis; General Emphasis; Elem School Teacher Grad Cert; Elem & Spec Ed Teacher Cert

Elementary Education 1-6 (Tin12)

44

13

MED - Secondary Education, Teacher Cert Emphasis; General Emphasis; Secondary School Teaching Grad Cert

Art Education K-12 (Tin12)

3

2

Biology 9-12 (Tin12)

8

1

Chemistry 9-12 (Tin12)

2

0

English 9-12 (Tin12)

9

1

French K-12 (tin12)

0

0

Instrumental Music K-12 (Tin12)

0

1

Mathematics 9-12 (Tin12)

4

5

Physical Education K-12 (Tin12)

1

2

Physics 9-12 (Tin12)

1

2

Social Science 9-12 (Tin12)

9

13

Spanish K-12 (Tin12)

2

1

Vocal Music K-12 (Tin12)

0

0

Total for programs that lead to initial credentials

629

212

TOTAL enrollment and productivity for all programs

629

212

Unduplicated total of all program candidates and completers

629

212

Added or Discontinued Programs

Any programs within the AAQEP review that have been added or discontinued within the past year are listed below. (This list is required only from providers with accredited programs.)

  • Added Earth Science (9-12) for alternative certification pathway.

3. Program Performance Indicators

The program performance information in Table 2 applies to the academic year indicated in Table 1.

Table 2. Program Performance Indicators

A. Total enrollment in the educator preparation programs shown in Table 1. This figure is an unduplicated count, i.e., individuals earning more than one credential may be counted in more than one line above but only once here.

629

B. Total number of unique completers (across all programs) included in Table 1. This figure is an unduplicated count, i.e., individuals who earned more than one credential may be counted in more than one line above but only once here.

212

C. Number of recommendations for certificate, license, or endorsement included in Table 1.

212

D. Cohort completion rates for candidates who completed the various programs within their respective program’s expected timeframe and in 1.5 times the expected timeframe.

The table below provides some insight into the completion rates for our undergraduate degree programs. The courses for our undergraduate certification areas can be found within the four BSED degrees, the Music FAC BM degree, and the Studio Art BAC degree. The enrollment numbers provided (N) are first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen and transfer students from Fall Semester (FS) 2014 through Fall Semester (FS) 2021.

Only undergraduate rates are provided here. We cannot calculate graduate initial certification completer rates at this time due to the difficulty in determining which students are completing certification requirements and which students are only completing graduate programs. We hope our recently re-structured MED program will make it easier to provide this information in the future.

Completion. Graduation rate data show the average time for degree completion (2014-2016) for Early Childhood is 2.9 years; Elementary Ed is 2.8 years; Physical Ed is 3.2 years; Secondary Ed is 3.2 years; Music is 3.7 years; and Art is 2.7 years (2015). Given the large number of transfer students in the College of Education, we believe this average time to degree completion is quite good.

From 2014-2019, average graduation rates for completion within three years for Early Childhood are 35%; Elementary Ed 64%; Physical Ed 55%; Secondary Ed 44%; Music 39%; and Art 62%. From 2014-2018, average rates within four years for Early Childhood are 39%; Elementary Ed are 74%; Physical Ed 57%; Secondary Ed 60%; Music 60%; and Art 58%. From 2014-2017, average rates within five years for Early Childhood are 39%; Elementary Ed 80%; Physical Ed 56%; Secondary Ed 65%; Music 72%; and Art 62%. From 2014-2016, average rates within six years for Early Childhood are 43%; Elementary Ed 82%; Physical Ed 58%; Secondary Ed 65%; Music 63%; and Art 75% (2015).

Enrollment and Retention. Early Childhood, Elementary, and Music programs show a drop in enrollment between Fall 2019 and Fall 2020, most likely due to the pandemic. However, PE, Secondary Ed, and Art show an increase for this same time period. Due to our increased retention efforts, we are encouraged to see those enrolled in the Fall 2021 term have a 100% retention rate for the first and second fall semesters in all programs except Elementary (90%, 84%) and Secondary (100%, 92%).

University of Missouri College of Education Undergraduate Freshmen and Transfer Students
(First-Time, Full-Time, Degree-Seeking)

Note: Blanks indicate data not available

Retention Rates Graduation Rates
Program Term (FS) N* 1st FS to W/S 1st FS to 2nd FS 3rd FS 4th FS 5th FS 6th FS Within 3 Yrs Within 4 Yrs Within 5 Yrs Within 6 Yrs Ave Yrs to Degree

Early Childhood BSED

2014

6

100%

100%

50%

67%

83%

83%

83%

2.8

2015

8

63%

25%

25%

25%

25%

25%

25%

3.0

2016

9

78%

67%

22%

22%

22%

22%

22%

3.0

2017

4

75%

25%

25%

25%

25%

25%

2018

5

80%

60%

20%

40%

40%

2019

10

89%

78%

67%

44%

33%

2020

7

100%

86%

57%

2021

6

100%

100%

Elementary Ed BSED

2014

62

95%

77%

42%

11%

5%

2%

61%

69%

71%

73%

2.8

2015

82

99%

87%

37%

13%

1%

67%

80%

83%

85%

2.8

2016

48

98%

94%

50%

23%

6%

2%

63%

81%

85%

88%

2.9

2017

71

93%

86%

46%

18%

7%

1%

65%

74%

80%

2018

53

91%

79%

51%

19%

6%

55%

68%

2019

58

93%

83%

48%

9%

71%

2020

45

98%

96%

38%

2021

49

90%

84%

Physical Ed BSED

2014

5

100%

100%

40%

100%

100%

100%

100%

2.6

2015

4

100%

100%

75%

50%

50%

25%

25%

50%

50%

4.0

2016

4

100%

75%

25%

25%

25%

25%

25%

3.0

2017

6

83%

100%

67%

17%

17%

33%

33%

50%

2018

2

100%

100%

50%

100%

100%

2019

2

100%

50%

50%

2020

4

100%

100%

100%

2021

5

100%

100%

Secondary Ed BSED

2014

24

88%

71%

25%

13%

42%

54%

54%

54%

2.7

2015

14

86%

64%

57%

43%

14%

7%

14%

36%

57%

57%

4.0

2016

12

83%

83%

58%

17%

58%

83%

83%

83%

3.0

2017

19

79%

74%

47%

21%

5%

53%

63%

68%

2018

17

88%

71%

53%

18%

6%

53%

65%

2019

11

73%

64%

55%

9%

45%

2020

17

82%

82%

59%

2021

12

100%

92%

Music FAC BM, Music Education

2014

8

75%

63%

50%

50%

50%

38%

13%

13%

38%

38%

4.7

2015

2

100%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

3.0

2016

2

100%

100%

100%

50%

50%

100%

100%

100%

3.5

2017

2

100%

100%

100%

50%

50%

100%

100%

2018

5

60%

60%

20%

60%

60%

2019

9

89%

89%

67%

56%

11%

2020

2

100%

100%

100%

2021

2

100%

100%

Studio Art FAC BFA, Art Education

2015

4

75%

75%

50%

75%

75%

75%

75%

2.7

2016

3

100%

67%

2017

4

75%

50%

25%

25%

25%

50%

50%

2018

2

50%

50%

50%

50%

2019

1

100%

100%

100%

2020

7

86%

86%

86%

2021

3

100%

100%

E. Summary of state license examination results, including teacher performance assessments, and specification of any examinations on which the pass rate (cumulative at time of reporting) was below 80%.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected our Missouri Content Assessment (MOCA) summary pass rate for our Traditional (undergraduate) program for the Title II report year (2019-2020). It decreased sharply (83%) from the previous year’s rate of 100%. Teacher candidates were unable to retake failed content exams because testing centers were closed. The State, however, granted a one-time exemption from needing a passing content exam score and granted certification to these individuals. As we expected, we returned to our normal rate (100%) the next academic year.

Missouri Content Assessment (MOCA) Pass Rate - Traditional Programs (Undergraduate)

Group # Test Takers #Test Passers Pass Rate

Program Completers 2020-2021

122

122

100%

Program Completers 2019-2020

130

108

83%

Program Completers 2018-2019

121

121

100%

Missouri Content Assessment (MOCA) Pass Rate - Alternative Programs (Graduate)

Group # Test Takers #Test Passers Pass Rate

Program Completers 2020-2021

93

93

100%

Program Completers 2019-2020

143

143

100%

Program Completers 2018-2019

124

123

99%

F. Narrative explanation of evidence available from program completers, with a characterization of findings.

The Missouri Department of Secondary and Elementary Education (DESE) has developed a suite of six surveys educators complete in their first year of employment, which DESE has been collecting since the 2015-16 academic year. These surveys were designed to evaluate the quality of program impact on the field and provide data to providers to support continuous improvement. Data from the First-Year Teacher Survey (FYTS), taken by teacher data from 2021 (completers from 19-20 academic year, first year of teaching in 20-21 academic year) indicates that UMSL completers (n = 94) report their strongest areas of preparation include being “prepared to foster positive student relationships” (question 22) and being “prepared to promote respect for diverse cultures, genders, and intellectual/ physical abilities” (question 27).

FYTS Question UMSL Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale
Missouri Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale

22. I was prepared to foster positive student relationships.

4.41

4.40

27. I was prepared to promote respect for diverse cultures, genders, and intellectual / physical abilities.

4.45

4.29

First-Year-Teacher Survey data indicates that UMSL completers report their weakest areas of preparation include being “prepared to modify instruction for English language learners” (question 8) and being “prepared to manage a variety of discipline issues” (question 19). While these are weaknesses that UMSL continues to address, it is also worth noting that these data remain comparable with state averages.

FYTS Question UMSL Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale
Missouri Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale

8. I was prepared to modify instruction for English language learners.

3.35

3.33

19. I was prepared to manage a variety of discipline issues.

3.29

3.36

 Link to data

G. Narrative explanation of evidence available from employers of program completers, with a characterization of findings.

Additionally, the First-Year Teacher Survey by principals (FYTS), is completed by principals assessing UMSL teachers following their first year on the job. This data from 2022 (completers from 20-21 academic year, first year of teaching in 2021- 22 academic year) indicates that UMSL completers’ employers (n = 58) report UMSL completers’ strongest areas of preparation include being “prepared to foster positive student relationships” (question 21, which corroborates the data from the section above from the completers’ survey) and being “prepared to use technology to enhance student learning” (question 15).

FYTS Question UMSL Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale
Missouri Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale

21. The teacher was prepared to foster positive student relationships.

4.29

4.26

15. The teacher was prepared to use technology to enhance student learning.

4.22

4.08

First-Year-Teacher Survey data indicates that UMSL completers report their weakest areas of preparation include being “prepared to modify instruction for gifted learners” (question 8) and being “prepared to modify instruction for English language learners” (question 7). One weakness aligns to the data collected from completers related to English language learners, as described in the previous page. While these are weaknesses that UMSL continues to address, it is also worth noting that these data remain comparable with state averages.

FYTS Question UMSL Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale
Missouri Teacher Mean
(1-5) Scale

8. The teacher was prepared to modify instruction for gifted learners.

3.59

3.60

7. The teacher was prepared to modify instruction for English language learners.

3.66

3.54

Link to data

H. Narrative explanation of how the program investigates employment rates for program completers, with a characterization of findings. This section may also indicate rates of completers’ ongoing education, e.g., graduate study.

We use data provided by the Missouri Economic and Information Center related to long-term occupational projections to investigate employment rates for program completers related to education related occupations in metropolitan St. Louis. The estimated employment data for 2020 related to education, training, and library occupations estimated employment was 52,802 and in 2030 will be 57,148, an 8.2% increase. Annual education, training, and library occupation openings are 5,206. Later-top job data (jobs with a Bachelor’s degree or higher education) rates secondary and elementary education jobs as a grade of “B”. Annual openings for secondary educators is 740 and for elementary educators is 549. Link to: Occupation projections (St. Louis). We do have plans for the future to annually survey our Studio School partners related to projected job openings in respective school districts.

4. Candidate Academic Performance Indicators

Tables 3 and 4 report on select measures of candidate/completer performance related to AAQEP Standards 1 and 2, including the program’s expectations for successful performance and indicators of the degree to which those expectations are met.

Table 3. Expectations and Performance on Standard 1: Candidate and Completer Performance

Provider-Selected Measures Explanation of Performance Expectation Level or Extent of Success in Meeting the Expectation

Missouri Educator Evaluator System (MEES), standards 1-7; see table below.

The Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES) is a set of nine educator preparation standards, listed in the tables below. UMSL uses standards 1-7 in its self-evaluation regarding AAQEP standard #1. Clinical teachers and clinical educators score teacher candidates on each standard 1-4, with three as “skilled candidate,” which is the expected performance level for a Missouri EPP program completer, and four as “exceeding candidate.”

UMSL candidates performed on MEES standards 1-7 consistently with their performance in previous years (see data from QAR 2021).

Average MEES Scores by Assessor, AY 2022
(n=287)
Stand1: Content Knowledge Stand2: Learning, Growth and Development Stand3: Curriculum Implementation Stand4: Critical Thinking Analysis Stand5: Positive Classroom Environment Stand6: Effective Communication Stand7: Student Assessment and Data Analysis

Clinical Teacher

3.38

3.23

3.37

3.00

3.41

3.33

3.28

Clinical Educator

3.34

3.17

3.26

2.87

3.32

3.28

3.19

Table 4. Expectations and Performance on Standard 2: Completer Professional Competence and Growth

Provider-Selected Measures Explanation of Performance Expectation Level or Extent of Success in Meeting the Expectation

Missouri Educator Evaluator System (MEES), standards 8-9; see table below.

The Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES) is a set of nine educator preparation standards, listed in the tables below. UMSL uses standards 8-9 in its self-evaluation regarding AAQEP standard #2. Both clinical teachers and clinical educators score teacher candidates on each standard 1-4, with three as “skilled candidate,” which is the expected performance level for a Missouri EPP program completer, and four as “exceeding candidate.”

UMSL candidates performed on MEES standards 8-9 consistently with their performance in previous years (see data from QAR 2021).

Average MEES Scores by Assessor, AY 2022
(n=287)
Stand8: Professionalism Stand9: Professional Collaboration

Clinical Teacher

3.42

3.23

Clinical Educator

3.36

3.29

5. Notes on Progress, Accomplishment, and Innovation

We wish to highlight progress in several areas for the 2021-2022 academic year. Many of these accomplishments will also see a “next phase” in our goals for 2022-2023.

Learning by Scientific Design (LbSD) — We continue to partner with external networks including Deans for Impact (DFI). The DFI LbSD initiative has allowed us to provide both professional learning for our own faculty as well as to strategically embed the concepts throughout our curriculum in order to enhance candidate knowledge and beliefs related to the science of learning. Our clinical educators participated in a yearlong professional learning experience to enhance their content knowledge and confidence and coaching teacher candidates on this content. Student and clinical educator knowledge and beliefs related to learning science principles was monitored using a reliable and validated measure, Learning Science in Teaching. Results from the measure for both students and clinical educators showed only minor gains from pre- to post-test for quantitative questions. Open-ended justification responses on the post-test show deeper understanding of teacher actions related to learning science principles.

Writing and revising new program outcomes — The pandemic and remote work may have slowed our pace on this initiative, but we have, nonetheless, made steady and sure progress. Beginning in spring 2020, we revised our teacher education program outcomes, identified where those outcomes are introduced, developed, and mastered in our program coursework, and established success criteria for each outcome.

Alternative certification pathways — As our 2020 QAR demonstrated, UMSL has a long-established commitment to alternative certification pathways. These include several graduate pathways (TFA, UMSL Teach Residency, Teach in 12). The increasing teacher shortage has also opened opportunities for us to consider our strengths in undergraduate pathways (Grow Your Own and paraprofessionals). We are also considering a registered apprenticeship model as a future alternative pathway.