BREAKOUT SESSION I
Monday, 11:30-12:20
The full conference program (complete with Zoom links) can be downloaded from the home page.
SESSION: 1A
Facilitator: Sylvester Solorio
Strand: Pedagogy/Curriculum
Putting the “Connect” in “Internet Connection”: Building Rapport with Teacher Candidates Virtually
Jacqueline Riley, Laura Slay, & Karyn Miller
Positive rapport is the foundation for a successful relationship between field supervisors and teacher candidates. But, what happens when, due to the national health crisis, traditional face-to-face interactions are disrupted and rapport can only be cultivated virtually? In this presentation, three university teacher education instructors will discuss best practices for building rapport with teacher candidates online. They will then provide examples and practical strategies, from their own interactions, to illustrate how these practices can be applied and adapted by attendees.
SESSION: 1B
Facilitator: Shelbee Nguyen
Strand: Program Support
Certification Testing and Assessment in Texas
Roundtable Sponsored by TCTCT
Teacher certification testing and assessment in Texas have grown increasingly complex. To support this work, TCTCT will host a roundtable session with experts sharing information and welcoming questions and conversation on the following topics:
edTPA Texas Pilot
Facilitators: Laura Isbell & Sarah Hartman
T-TESS as Performance-Based Assessment: A Statewide Pilot
Facilitators: Stacey Edmondson, Jannah Nerren, & Christina Ellis
PASL: Performance Assessment for School Leaders
Facilitator: Susan Holley
Successful TExES Testing Strategies
Facilitator: Michael Vriesenga
Information for New Testing Coordinators
Facilitator: Connie Sabo-Risley
TExES Updates and Questions
Facilitator: Madison Cooper, Pearson
SESSION: 1C
Facilitator: Sara Gibson
Strand: Implications of COVID-19
Creating a Circular Pipeline: Tweets, Retweets, and Shares to Recruit Professional Candidates
Shelley McKinley
Traditional methods of recruiting for the professional certificate program, such as site visits and office-based phone calls, are no longer options during a pandemic. As a result, Educator Preparation Program staff have added one more hat called Marketer. While curriculum development, instruction, and field-based experiential learning was the comfort zone, now establishing a presence on all social media platforms and television is necessary and quickly becoming the new normal. However, no man is an island so likes, retweets, shares, and tagging are equivalent to ‘word-of-mouth’ endorsements and create the circular pipeline needed for programs to thrive during a pandemic.
SESSION: 1D
Facilitator: Ranchel Alvarado
Strand: Pedagogy/Curriculum
Engagement Strategies for Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms
Randa Keeley & Maria Peterson-Ahmad
This presentation will provide evidence-based strategies that can be taught throughout a teacher preparation program that encourage engagement for students with learning disabilities. This presentation will provide recommendations on how to teach such strategies in face-to-face, online, or simulated learning environments.
SESSION: 1E
Facilitator: Natalie Weisbach
Strand: Diversity
Examining the Preparedness of Educational Diagnosticians in Texas
William Blackwell, Mertie Gomez, & Corinna Cole
This session presents findings and implications from a study that examined the extent to which educational diagnosticians in Texas perceived their certification program prepared them with the professional knowledge recommended by the Council for Exceptional Children’s Advanced Preparation Standards Specialty Set: Special Education Diagnostician Specialist (CEC, 2015).
SESSION: 1F
Facilitator: Caleb Peters
Strand: Pedagogy/Curriculum
Growth Plans and Collaboration: Providing Structure to Teacher Candidate Success
Melisa Lee & Susan Harte
Developing preservice teacher candidates is complex and often requires structured responses to support improvement. Implementing growth plans as an intervention benefits the candidate with coordinated specific timely feedback. Using mentor teacher input and teacher candidate reflection to identify areas of improvement gives ownership of the process to the participants. The collaboration of stakeholders and the structure of growth plans as an early intervention have proven successful within the Sam Houston State University Yearlong Residency program.
SESSION: 1G
Facilitator: LaMoya Burks
Strand: Program Support
Insights to Building Collaboration and Partnerships for High-Quality Teacher Preparation Programs
Moderator: Shonda Gibson
Panel: Stephanie Howard, Shari Albright, Valerie Hill-Jackson, & Abbie Strunc
In this session, representatives from The Texas A&M University System, Raise Your Hand Texas, TPI-US, along with an EPP leader and a faculty member, will share a collaborative partnership focused on 11 university educator preparation programs across Texas. The results of the first two-years of this ongoing project will be presented, including the inspection methodology, the continuous improvement philosophy, the action planning approach, and insights from faculty members who are in execution and application mode.
SESSION: 1H
Facilitator: Kayla Corpus
Strand: Program Support
Intentional Coaching with Diverse Learners through Standards-Driven Instruction
Patsy Sosa-Sanchez, Clarissa Plair, Lisa Hobson, & Shinae Yoon
This proposal examines the usage of coaching models in the preparation of educator candidates and undergraduate clinical interns. Specifically, intentional instruction and coaching allow educator preparation programs to improve curriculum, facilitate reflexivity with clinical interns, and employ a standards-based approach to candidate preparation (LeMires & Graves, 2019). In this presentation, we present findings from the usage of intentional instruction and coaching at an urban, diverse public university with a large population of English learners (native and heritage speakers).
SESSION: 1I
Facilitator: Kathryn Fazi
Strand: Program Support
Piloting EdTPA: Using Improvement Science to Enhance Our Journey
Jerrie Smith Jackson, Alycia Maurer, Belinda Schouten, Belinda Granados, & Lucinda Juarez
Our participation in a Carnegie Foundation NIC (Network Improvement Community) assisted our program in planning quality implementation when starting our journey with EdTPA. The presentation includes highlights for planning within our context including institutional support for an EdTPA coordinator, feedback from our Advisory Board, and our partnership with area school districts for year-long placements. Curricular alignment, examples of assignments, and the incorporation of "writing days” to prepare multiple content EdTPA certification exams will be highlighted. Finally, a PDSA to improve communication with cooperating teachers will be shared. Working smarter and planning upfront improves implementation and responding to change.
SESSION: 1J
Facilitator: John Fredrickson
Strand: Implications of COVID
Teaching through Crisis: The Remote Education Experiences of Teachers During COVID-19 Campus Closures
Jeffrey Keese & Karen McIntush
This qualitative research study explores the experiences of teachers in the spring semester of 2020 as they remotely instructed their students due to COVID-19 campus closures. Fourteen teachers from a variety of school contexts were interviewed twice individually and once in a focus group setting to relay their thoughts regarding this unprecedented event. Emergent coding of interview transcripts revealed teachers’ concerns for their students and their learning, the barriers presented due to the disconnect between them and their students, and how their competencies changed as their time with distance instruction increased. Recommendations for practice and teacher preparation are discussed.
SESSION: 1K
Facilitator: Jeremiah Porter
Strand: Program Support
Unifying Data Silos to Facilitate Collaboration and Program Improvement
Alma D. Rodríguez, Ana Quintana, & James A. Telese
This session addresses how the Teacher Preparation Data Model (TPDM) interoperability improves data quality and access and leads to better decision-making. The session will be highlighted with a hands-on demonstration of the TPDM model and EPP Dashboards. Attendees will see how the integration of data sources yields a consistent and more complete picture of educator preparation to foster new collaborations among program faculty using data derived from common measures at a large educator preparation program.
SESSION: 1L
Facilitator: Colin Trudell
Strand: Implications of COVID-19
Using the 5 Anchors of Impact in Unpredictable Times
Laura Trujillo-Jenks & Rebecca Fredrickson
COVID-19 has brought many challenges to the collegiate and the K-12 educator. Teaching "online" has taken on a new perception and a new look. The 5 Anchors of Impact, which include Organization, Politics, Safety and Order, Traditions, and Teaching and Learning can be used to help teachers navigate these challenging times and keep grounded with their teaching ~ regardless of their circumstances.
SESSION: 1M
Facilitator: Bekah Guess
Strand: Pedagogy/Curriculum
Verbal Aikido: A Tool for Teacher Persistence and Resilience
Ken Hendrickson & Gary Audas, Jr.
Verbal Aikido is a rhetorical system designed to help the practitioner manage verbal attacks. The aim is to de-escalate verbal confrontation, saving face for both parties, and achieving an open-ended resolution with hope for a continued relationship in the future. There are other verbal management systems, Verbal Aikido emphasizes care for the other, saving face for all, and preserving hope for future collaboration. These features are ideal for teacher application in classroom management practice. We intend to investigate the effects of Verbal Aikido technique training on teacher self-perception of efficacy as classroom managers and of personal resilience and emotional energy.
SESSION: 1N
Facilitator: Nathan Graham
Strand: Pedagogy/Curriculum
How Does First-Year Teacher Retention Vary Among the Different Types of Educator Preparation Programs?
Christopher Burnett, Catherine Horn, & Sherri Lowrey
Retention rates are usually presented comparing university-based versus alternative certification programs, but there are many types of EPP programs. There are university providers, both independent and public, that have standard programs but also have developed post-baccalaureate, alternative, and ACP programs. There are for-profit ACPs, and educational non-profit ACP programs provided by education service centers, school districts, and community colleges. This presentation will discuss retention patterns of first-year teacher cohorts based on disaggregation of EPP type, follow retention patterns through role movement of first-year teacher cohorts, follow retention patterns by demographic differences and teaching area (Placement Type).
SESSION: 1O
Facilitator: Meredith Sutton
2019 Exemplary School Partnership Awardee
Engaging Parents, Family, and the Community: Improving Educational Outcomes for English Learners- An Individualized Parental Academy for School Districts
Patsy Robles-Goodwin
Research clearly shows a positive link between student achievement and parental engagement. Families have a major impact on their children’s achievement in school and in life. When schools and families work together to support learning, children tend to be more motivated and do better in school. Students with involved families, no matter their background or social class, tend to have higher grades and test scores. Schools must not just involve families; however, schools need to engage families in their children’s education. Schools should engage families in practices such as recognizing cultural differences, parenting styles, and building trust between schools and families. This session highlights the experiences, initiatives, process, and outcomes of six school districts implementing parent academies in the North Texas area. It provides a useful starting point on how to begin a Parent Academy, especially with your Spanish-Speaking families.