STANDARD 4: DIVERSITY
The unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and provides experiences for candidates to acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates can demonstrate and apply proficiencies related to diversity. Experiences provided for candidates include working with diverse populations, including higher education and P-12 school faculty; candidates; and students in P-12 schools.
4.1 Diversity
How does the unit prepare candidates to work effectively with all students, including individuals of different ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and/or geographical area?
4a. Design, Implementation, & Evaluation of Curriculum & Experiences
The Teacher Education Unit (TEU) bases its definition of diversity on the description provided by NCATE: Diversity is differences among groups of people & individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, & geographical area. Langston University (LU) embeds diversity in its core values, specifically, appreciation of diversity & commitment to fundamental human rights. The unit's conceptual framework highlights diversity in five of its proficiencies embedded in the vision of Teacher as Decision Maker:
• demonstrates respect for diversity (race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, gender, abilities, opinions, ideals, perspectives, etc.) & engages in ethical behaviors by maintaining high standards of conduct & character, upholding the honor of the teaching profession
• establishes educational goals (for self & learners) with the belief that all children can learn & assesses children's progress on a continual basis using multiple forms of assessment in a variety of forms based on state, national, & professional standards
• has a foundation of professional, pedagogical, & content knowledge upon which to make instructional decisions & evaluate teaching/learning contexts, utilizing information to maximize opportunities for all children, & creating supportive environments
• is innovative in the use of technology & instructional strategies utilizing current research on best practices to enhance teaching & learning for children at different developmental stages, with different learning styles, & from diverse backgrounds
• demonstrates social responsibility through service for underserved populations in Oklahoma, the nation, & the world
The conceptual framework is a graphic with seven concentric circles shaded with an array of colors ranging from light yellow to dark orange. Respect for & awareness of diversity is prominently represented in the framework as the array of colors that cover the graphic demonstrate that diversity is an essential component that impacts all aspects of the vision, Teacher as Decision Maker. The conceptual framework sets the standard for preparing candidates with a strong academic background grounded in teaching & learning theories & content-specific, pedagogical knowledge. Candidates are provided opportunities to participate in learning environments that are developmentally, academically, & culturally responsive to meet the needs of children in urban & rural communities. The TEU produces teachers who make informed decisions to meet the needs of all learners.
The professional education courses & field experiences provide opportunities for candidates to develop their understanding of diversity, specific to English Language Learners, students living with exceptionalities, students' lives outside of school, learning styles, & culturally & ethnically diverse populations. These courses provide candidates with instruction on how to adapt planning & instruction &/or services to meet the needs of today's diverse learners. The seven factors of the Teacher Work Sample (TWS), provide evidence of candidates' proficiencies to identify cultural & contextual factors & needs of leaners that influence teaching & learning; planning & providing instruction appropriate to the context, adapting as appropriate; & using student assessment data to reflect on their impact on student learning for all students, individualistically & collectively.
The initial & advanced programs prepare candidates to work with diverse P-12 students, including diverse geographical locations: urban, suburban, & rural areas. Candidates extend their understanding of diversity & demonstrate the ability to meet the changing needs of P-12 students in field & clinical experiences. Initial & advanced candidates develop & demonstrate the following diversity proficiencies:
1. Candidates will explore issues of diversity in schools & society.
2. Candidates will identify developmental characteristics of students, including students with exceptionalities, & students from culturally & linguistically diverse backgrounds.
3. Candidates will gather & integrate information about students' experiences, culture, family & community resources into planning & instruction.
4. Candidates will identify how students' learning is influenced by experiences, talents, language, culture, gender, family, & community values.
5. Candidates will adapt instruction, materials, & assessments to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.
6. Candidates will use technology to address diverse learning needs of students within the classroom.
In fall 2014, the TEC approved the above diversity proficiencies identifying them as essential in the preparation of teacher education candidates. While the proficiencies are standard for the TEU, faculty have the academic freedom to determine how these proficiencies are integrated into their respective courses. Collectively, the curriculum, field experiences, & clinical practice provide candidates with experiences to assist them in acquiring, cultivating, & demonstrating the knowledge, skills, & professional dispositions needed to work effectively with diverse learners, colleagues, families, & communities.
4b. Experiences Working with Diverse Faculty
Formal & informal opportunities are provided for candidates to interact with professional education faculty & P-12 school faculty, both males & females from diverse cultures. On- & off-campus activities, field experiences, service-learning projects, & annual events such as Career Awareness Day, International Day of Celebration, & the Ira D. & Ruby Hibler Hall Endowed Heritage Lecture Series promote faculty & candidate interactions.
TEU faculty draw from personal & professional experiences with diverse populations to inform their teaching. These experiences include travel abroad & P-12 public & private school teaching & administration. LU faculty with whom candidates work are knowledgeable about & sensitive to working with diverse populations. The diversity of the university contributes significantly to the TEU faculty's' understanding of & sensitivity to working with candidates & in preparing candidates to work with diverse populations. LU serves a diverse population with 88 percent of LU students receiving financial aid, 90 percent requiring at least one remedial classes prior to admission into Teacher Education, 86 percent identifying as minority, & 41 percent representing geographical locations outside of Oklahoma.
The value of diversity is shown in the university's good-faith efforts to maintain faculty diversity. All advertisements for faculty positions include a statement encouraging members of minority groups to apply & states that LU adheres to the federal & state laws regarding Affirmative Action, Civil Rights, & the Americans with Disabilities Act. LU & the TEU are intentional in hiring practices. Screening & search committee member composition are required to be representative of gender, race, & department. As a result, LU has a diverse faculty. Institutional data show a relative balance between male & female faculty. Within the SoEBS, there are 5 male faculty members & 8 females involved in teacher & other school personnel preparation. Full-time male faculty teach in all secondary & P-12 programs with the exception in Early Childhood Education. While the majority of institutional & unit faculty identify as
African American, the following races are represented in the TEU: White, Hispanic, Asian, & Native American as well as two international faculty. Several of the campus international faculty host the annual International Day on the Langston campus.
4c. Experiences Working with Diverse Candidates
The diversity represented at LU allows candidates to engage with peers from various socioeconomic groups, ethnic & racial groups, & geographical locations in general education courses, professional education courses, service learning projects, student organizations, & student-oriented activities. Candidates are encouraged to participate in student organizations such as the Student Oklahoma Educational Association (SOEA) & Graduate Student Association as well as those with a content area focus such as the Oklahoma Society for Health & Physical Education (OSHAPE), Family & Consumer Sciences Organization, English Club, Prime Thinkers Math Club, Biology Club, & Chemistry Club. Oncampus events such as hosting the annual National Food Day Celebration & the annual Alumni Teach Back Professional Development Seminar provide candidates increased opportunities to interact with diverse candidates, graduates, P-12 students, & community members. The active participation of diverse candidates is solicited, valued, & promoted in the TEU.
4d. Experiences Working with Diverse Students in P-12 Schools
Field experiences & clinical teaching allow candidates to work directly with diverse P-12 students. The TEU requires candidates to complete four field experiences, totaling 60 clock hours, & a semester of clinical teaching divided between two placements in P-12 settings. These experiences occur in urban, suburban, & rural schools. School sites are selected based on their reflection of diversity including student ethnicity distribution, eligibility for free &/or reduced lunch, percentage of English Language Learners, & services offered (i.e. special education). This variety in placements allows candidates to experience & examine issues of diversity that impact teaching & learning.
Campus activities such as the annual William H. Hale Fifth & Sixth Grade Day provides candidates experience interacting with diverse P-12 students. Each year approximately 500 students come to the Langston campus for a day of learning & fun. Candidates present information, guide tours, work with small groups, & answer student questions.
4.2 Moving Toward Target or Continuous Improvement
Please respond to 4.2.a if this is the standard on which the unit is moving to the target level. If it is not the standard on which you are moving to the target level, respond to 4.2.b.
4.2.a Standard on which the unit is moving to the target level
Describe areas of the standard at which the unit is currently performing at the target level for each element of the standard. Summarize activities and their impact on candidate performance and program quality that have led to target level performance. Discuss plans and timelines for attaining and/or sustaining target level performance as articulated in this standard. With a principal mission of serving and educating traditionally underrepresented populations, diversity is abundant at LU. Courses are offered at the initial and advanced levels that focus on diversity and its implications for teaching and learning. Topics span ethnicity, socioeconomics, learning exceptionalities, native language, and gender.
The unit articulates proficiencies related to diversity identified in the unit's conceptual framework (spring 2014) and diversity proficiencies (fall 2014). Curriculum and field experiences provide a framework for understanding diversity, including English language learners and students with exceptionalities. All initial candidates complete SPED 3143 Survey of Exceptional Children. This course requires a 15-hour field experience and introduces candidates to the federally mandated policies and procedure for educating children and youth with exceptionalities. Course content, assignments and activities focus on describing the primary recipients of special education services, explaining procedures for providing special education to children and youth with educationally-related problems, understanding educator responsibilities in the implementation of special education programs and services, and developing specific skills needed to ensure successful educational experiences for children and youth with exceptionalities. Candidates learn about exceptionalities and inclusion, English language learners and language acquisition, ethnic/racial cultural and linguistic differences, and gender differences, and the impact of these factors on learning. Candidates work with students with disabilities during field experiences and clinical practice to develop and practice their knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions for working with all students.
Diversity proficiencies are addressed in this course and in other courses through various discussions and assignments designed to help candidates understand the influence of culture on education. For instance, the introductory education course addresses school demographics specific to the structure, purposes, organization, philosophy, and management of schools in a multi-ethnic society while learning styles and differentiated instruction are addressed in content-specific instructional strategies courses. During clinical teaching, candidates connect lessons and instruction to students' experiences and cultures and demonstrate classroom behaviors that are consistent with the ideas of fairness and the belief that all students can learn. These proficiencies are assessed using the Disposition Evaluation and Clinical Teaching Formative, Summative, and SPA-specific Evaluations. Proficiencies related to diversity are identified in the unit's conceptual framework and outlined in the unit's diversity proficiencies (adopted fall 2014).
The unit is at target for providing candidates with experiences working with diverse faculty and diverse candidates. Candidates interact with professional education faculty, faculty in other units, and school faculty from a broad range of diverse groups. Higher education and school faculty with whom candidates work throughout their preparation program are knowledgeable about, have experiences with, and are sensitive to preparing candidates to work with diverse students, including students with exceptionalities. Candidates engage in professional education experiences with male and female candidates from different geographic areas and multiple ethnic/racial groups. The institution's student recruitment strategy has resulted in a concentration of students from urban areas such as Oklahoma City and Tulsa as well as rural areas like Guthrie and Langston. Additionally, there are several out-of state students; the most common states of residence are California, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas. Diverse faculty and peers assist candidates in addressing teaching and learning from multiple perspectives and different life experiences providing for different voices in the professional development and work of the education profession. The active participation of candidates from diverse cultures and with different experiences is solicited, valued, and promoted in classes, field experiences, and clinical practice. Affirmation of the value of diversity is shown through good-faith efforts the unit makes to increase or maintain a pool of traditional and non-traditional aged candidates, both male and female, from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic/racial groups. This is evidenced in the ROPE@TPS Oklahoma Teacher Connection (OTC) Grant and LU Paraprofessional Scholarship awards. Combined, the ROPE@TPS (Reducing Obstacles for Paraprofessionals' Education and Advancement into Teaching in Tulsa Public Schools) grant and LU Paraprofessionals Scholarship support 40 public school paraprofessionals in test-taking skills and in preparation of returning to school to complete Bachelor's degrees or pursue Master's degrees. The program, funded through OTC and LU (2014-2015), serves paraprofessionals from a broad range of
(diverse groups. Of the 40 participants, 23 percent are male and 77 percent female with ethnicities identified as African American (48%), Caucasian (28%), Filipino (5%), Hispanic (3%), Native American (8%), and 8 percent chose not to identify. The diversity of ages and experiences are highlighted in the range of years with the district (1 to 22 years).
As a unit, opportunities are sought to expose candidates to faculty, other candidates, and P-12 students beyond the LU campus. In recent years, that has included participation in events like the HBCU Male Summer Institute - Teacher Quality and Retention Program. At this all-male event candidates attend lectures that emphasize teaching innovations, lesson plan design, professional development, classroom management, and school violence. For the three years, LU has participated in the Connecting Across Cultures Conference hosted by Oklahoma City University. The purpose of this conference is to have university faculty and teacher candidates convene to discuss issues like learning differences, poverty, and race. For several years, candidates preparing to teach elementary and middle school have participated in the NASA Ames Research Center Pre-Service Teacher Institute. There, candidates interact with NASA employees and faculty from research universities and learn how to incorporate science, mathematics, and technology into lessons.
All of these experiences support the unit's commitment to diversity and expose candidates to a variety of faculty and candidates in preparation to teach all children. The TEU's plans for enhancement and sustainability include, but are not limited to:
• strengthening the Advisory Council by increasing its size and diversity. Currently the Council includes representatives from two urban school districts and one rural school district. Males and females who identify as African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic serve on the Council and include P-12 teachers and administrators, TEU faculty, and faculty from across the university. The goal is to increase representation of stakeholders, including initial and advanced candidates, community members, and LU graduates.
• continue to identify, create, and refine assessments to assess candidate mastery of diversity proficiencies. The Teacher Work Sample has been adopted as a PASS-PORT signature artifact (effective spring 2015) and requires candidates to address how instruction and assessment are differentiated for their given context during clinical teaching.
• expand conversations with Western Michigan University, Missouri State University, and other institutions regarding faculty and student exchange programs.
• expand the unit's recruitment efforts to increase the pool of diverse initial and advanced candidates, particularly with regard to attracting African American males.
• explore the use of PASS-PORT to track field and clinical experiences for initial and advanced candidates to ensure an accurate and easily accessible record of diverse placements.
4.2.b Continuous Improvement
Summarize activities and changes based on data that have led to continuous improvement of candidate performance and program quality. Discuss plans for sustaining and enhancing performance through continuous improvement as articulated in this standard.
n/a
4.3 Areas for Improvement Cited in the Action Report from the Previous Accreditation Review
Summarize activities, processes, and outcomes in addressing each of the AFIs cited for the initial and/or advanced program levels under this standard.
There were no areas for improvement cited for Standard 4 in the Action Report from the previous accreditation review.
4.4 Exhibits for Standard 4
4.4.a Aggregate data on proficiencies related to diversity that candidates are expected to demonstrate through working with students from diverse groups in classrooms and schools, including impact on student learning
4.4.a Aggregated Diversity Data
4.4.b Curriculum components and experiences that address diversity proficiencies (This might be a matrix that shows diversity components in required courses.)
4.4.b Inital level courses addressing diversity
4.4.b Advanced level courses addressing diversity
4.4.c Assessment instruments and scoring guides related to candidates meeting diversity proficiencies, including impact on student learning (These assessments may be included in program review documents or the exhibits for Standard 1. Cross reference as appropriate.)
4.4.c ELE-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c ECE-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c SPED-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c HPER-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c BIO-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c CHEM-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c ELA-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c VOCAL-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c MUS Instrumental-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c MATH-Specific Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c General Portfolio Score Sheet
4.4.c Clinical Teaching Formative Assessment - General Pedagogy
4.4.c TEU Disposition Evaluation
4.4.d Data table on faculty demographics
4.4.e Data table on candidates demographics
4.4.f Data table on demographics of P-12 students in schools used for clinical practice
4.4.f Demographics of P-12 students
4.4.f Clinical Teaching Placements 2013-2014
4.4.g Policies and practices, including good faith efforts, for recruiting and retaining diverse faculty
4.4.g Faculty Handbook Equal Employment
4.4.h Policies and practices, including good faith efforts, for recruiting and retaining diverse candidates
4.4.h University Supporting Diversity
4.4.i Policies, procedures, and practices that support candidates working with P-12 students from diverse groups
4.4.i Diversity for Clinical Teaching