Accreditation

Albion College tracks our Teacher Education Program completer’s impact on P-12 student-learning growth and effectiveness in applying professional knowledge, skills and dispositions by using data collected and provided yearly by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

The MDE Educator Effectiveness scores measure the effectiveness of teachers who have recently completed the Albion College Teacher Education Program  (i.e. graduates who completed the program within the past five years and have fewer than three years teaching experience. For the 2022-2023 academic year, 54 ratings were submitted by administrators for recent Albion College TEP completers. Of these ratings, 96.3% of our recent program completers were rated as “Effective” or “Highly Effective.”  These ratings are based on the performance of their students in state-wide testing and the observations their school administrators.

At the end of each school year, the MDE conducts a survey asking administrators about their satisfaction with their newly hired, first-year teachers and reports these results back to EPPs as evidence of employers’ satisfaction of EPP completers. The survey measured their satisfaction with the first year teachers’ abilities in five areas: Instructional Strategies and Assessment, Meeting Student Needs, Technology Use, External Relationships and Professionalism.

For 2022-2023, results indicate that administrators are highly satisfied with the efficacy of Albion College TEP completers across all five categories. Employers very frequently responded that their first year teachers from Albion College demonstrated effectiveness when asked about the teachers’: Instructional Strategies and Assessment (90.5%), Meeting Student Needs (85.7%), Technology Use (100.0%), External Relationships (87.5%) and Professionalism (88.9%).

Additionally, since MDE Educator Effectiveness scores are derived from Administrators directly supervising newly-hired teachers, these scores can serve as a proxy for employer satisfaction (i.e. administrators who rate a teacher as effective are likely to be satisfied with their new employees) For the 2022-2023 academic year, 54 ratings were submitted by administrators for recent Albion College TEP completers. Of these ratings, 96.3% of our recent program completers were rated as “Effective” or “Highly Effective,” indicating a employers were likely satisfied with their employees who had completed the Albion College TEP.

The Albion College TEP assesses candidates’ competency at completion at the end of their student teaching internship using four key assessments: the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC), the Albion College Framework for Teaching (FFT) Feedback form (Tier 4), the Dispositional Learning Outcomes (DLO) Feedback Form, and the MDE Candidate Suite Survey (Cooperating Teacher Survey).

During the 2022-2023 Academic Year, 15 Albion College student teachers took at least one MTTC. Of those candidates, 13 passed at least one MTTC (87%) to complete the TEP and become licensed educators. (Note: four 2022-2023 student teachers had passed the MTTC prior to student teaching.)

Student teachers are also evaluated by their mentor teachers using the Albion College Framework for Teaching that covers four domains of professional knowledge and skills (planning & preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities). All 2022-2023 student teachers met or exceeded TEP expectations for competency at completion. Student teachers’ average scores (using a 0-4 point scale) for planning & preparation (2.7), the classroom environment (3), instruction (2.7), and professional responsibilities (2.9) demonstrate that, as a group, student teachers exceeded expectations for professional competency at completion.

In addition to the FFT Feedback Form, mentor teachers assess student teachers’ demonstration of five key professional dispositions using the DLO Feedback Form. For 2022-2023, 26 mentor teachers completed the DLO Feedback Form. These teachers reported that Albion student teachers consistently met their expectations for reliability (96.2%), communication (96.2%), persistence in problem solving (92.3%), responsiveness to feedback (92.3%), and creating an environment of belonging and equity (96.2%).

Lastly, mentor teacher feedback on 2022-2023 MDE Candidate Suite Survey indicates that, overall mentor teachers’ evaluations of the student teacher were very positive. Twenty four out of 27 mentor teachers responded that their student teacher was ready to enter the teaching profession (89%). More specifically, in all five categories assessing student teachers’ readiness, candidates were consistently rated as effective to a great or moderate extent. Scores from mentor teachers consistently indicated student teachers demonstrated competency in Meeting Student Needs (78.8%), Technology Use (92.6%), Instructional Strategies and Assessment (74.1%), Professionalism (88.9%), and Impact (88.9%).

Albion College TEP completers are sought after by Michigan school districts. One hundred percent of last year’s graduates are employed either in a full-time position or long-term substitute position.