Submitted Fall, 2003
Methodology
Each of six graduate candidates who applied for graduation in December, 2003 were required to develop a case study for the evaluation of the second program objective during the first week of November. The objective (Program Objective #2) being evaluated was
Students will use strategies to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate seminal research and original inquiry within the field of literacy.
The case study topic focused on how the candidate utilized current research to address a classroom instructional problem in the area of reading instruction. The candidate was required to address the following items within the case study.
- Identify a problem you have resolved in your classroom (individual student or small group) with a solution from strategies learned in one or more of your master's classes.
- Identify positive aspects of the situation/ problem.
- Identify contributing factors-analyze the problem.
- Identify options available to you for solving the problem (possibly link to research and theory).
- Evaluate the pros and cons of each of the options.
- Explain the option you chose and why
- Describe the plan of action you implemented (or are in the process of implementing)
- Project possible outcomes to the plan of action (or describe what happened if the problem has been resolved) and link to research and theory that has supported your outcome.
The case studies were scored using a rubric that rated the following traits.
- Topical issue
- Professional sources
- Analysis of issues
- Relevant research
- Project implementation
- Project outcomes
Results
The results are as follows:
| |
Unacceptable performance |
Acceptable Performance |
| Topical Issue |
0 |
6 |
| Prof Sources |
0 |
6 |
| Analysis |
1 |
5 |
| Ref to research |
0 |
6 |
| Project implementations |
0 |
6 |
| Project Outcomes |
0 |
6 |
Conclusions
- The rubric for program objective #2 needs to be revised to be more specific in regard to establishing separate traits instead of the current rubric, which has collapsed them together into one cell.
- The students need to be given more explicit opportunities in classes to reference specific research and analyze it.
Use of Results
- The rubric will be revised before spring comps and resubmitted to be posted on web site.
- Special focus will be given to the trait that the one student did not complete well the next time the objective is assessed.