CAEP Annual Reporting Measures
CAEP has defined a set of annual reporting measures which allow Education Preparation Providers (EPPs) to provide information to the public on both program outcome and program impact and to demonstrate continuous improvement. Annually, VCU EPP publicly displays data pertaining to each of the Annual Reporting Measures. Data reflect the VCU EPP Initial and Advanced Licensure Programs reviewed by CAEP (and formerly NCATE in 2014).
Impact Measures
The Educator Preparation Provider at VCU utilizes available data to understand completer impact on P-12 learning and development.
Annual principal evaluation of VCU completers on Virginia Performance Standard 7
Virginia public school teachers receive an annual principal evaluation on Virginia Teaching Performance Standards. Virginia Performance Standard 7 (i.e., The work of the teacher results in acceptable, measurable, and appropriate student academic progress.) provides a measure of impact using a four-point scale of Exemplary, Proficient, Developing/Needs Improvement, Unacceptable, where a rating of "Proficient" is the expected level of performance. Three school divisions in the greater Richmond Metropolitan area provide Virginia Performance Standard 7 data to VCU on recent completers employed in their division. Teachers in all licensure areas and grade levels establish student learning goals with their principal each year and monitor learning as measured using division, state, or national measures. As such, these data capture evidence for all licensure programs and are not limited to core subject areas.
Learn more on the Virginia Department of Education website: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching/performance_evaluation/teacher/index.shtml.
Case Study of Completer Impact
As a Virginia Institution of Higher Education, VCU’s EPP does not have access to state level data on teacher effectiveness or teacher impact on P12 student learning. However, the EPP developed multiple measures for each of the constructs and selected a case study research design to engage in an in-depth analysis on recent VCU completer effectiveness and impact.
VCU implemented four cycles of data collection, using three pilot strategies. Specifically, in cycle one, one Alumni Induction Program participant reported completer effectiveness and impact data collected in the second year of teaching. In cycle two, a recent completer reported out their third year summative school division Professional Growth and Performance Plan including data on effectiveness and impact. Finally, in the third data cycle, faculty observed recent completers in the classroom to assess completer effectiveness and impact. In the absence of a state-wide data system on teacher evaluation and impact data, VCU EPP employed these three strategies consecutively, each as a pilot, to both provide preliminary evidence of recent completer impact and effectiveness, aligned with CAEP Standard 4.1 and 4.2, as well as to inform subsequent data collection with a larger sample and across programs to inform continuous improvement.
Case Study of Completer Effectiveness
As a Virginia Institution of Higher Education, VCU’s EPP does not have access to state level data on teacher effectiveness or teacher impact on P12 student learning. However, the EPP developed multiple measures for each of the constructs and selected a case study research design to engage in an in-depth analysis on recent VCU completer effectiveness and impact.
VCU implemented four cycles of data collection, using three pilot strategies. Specifically, in cycle one, one Alumni Induction Program participant reported completer effectiveness and impact data collected in the second year of teaching. In cycle two, a recent completer reported out their third year summative school division Professional Growth and Performance Plan including data on effectiveness and impact. Finally, in the third data cycle, faculty observed recent completers in the classroom to assess completer effectiveness and impact. In the absence of a state-wide data system on teacher evaluation and impact data, VCU EPP employed these three strategies consecutively, each as a pilot, to both provide preliminary evidence of recent completer impact and effectiveness, aligned with CAEP Standard 4.1 and 4.2, as well as to inform subsequent data collection with a larger sample and across programs to inform continuous improvement.
SUMMARY: Case Study of Completer Impact and Effectiveness
Annual principal evaluation of VCU completers on Virginia Performance Standards 1-6
Virginia public school teachers receive an annual principal evaluation on Virginia Teaching Performance Standards. Virginia Performance Standards 1-6 provide measures of teaching effectiveness using a four-point scale of Exemplary, Proficient, Developing/Needs Improvement, Unacceptable, where a rating of "Proficient" is the expected level of performance.
Virginia Performance Standards 1-6
- The teacher demonstrates an understanding of the curriculum, subject content, and the developmental needs of students by providing relevant learning experiences.
- The teacher plans using the Virginia Standards of Learning, the school’s curriculum, effective strategies, resources, and data to meet the needs of all students.
- The teacher effectively engages students in learning by using a variety of instructional strategies in order to meet individual learning needs.
- The teacher systematically gathers, analyzes, and uses all relevant data to measure student academic progress, guide instructional content and delivery methods, and provide timely feedback to both students and parents throughout the school year.
- The teacher uses resources, routines, and procedures to provide a respectful, positive, safe, student-centered environment that is conducive to learning.
- The teacher maintains a commitment to professional ethics, communicates effectively, and takes responsibility for and participates in professional growth that results in enhanced student learning.
Three school divisions in the greater Richmond Metropolitan area provide Virginia Performance Standards 1-6 data to VCU on recent completers employed in their division.
Learn more on the Virginia Department of Education website: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/teaching/performance_evaluation/teacher/index.shtml.
Employer Survey
The Educator Preparation Provider at VCU utilizes results of the annual employer survey to understand the satisfaction with VCU preparation programs from those that employ recent graduates. The Employer Survey provides employers of initial licensure and advanced program completers the opportunity to indicate, based on their observations in the field, how well prepared Virginia Commonwealth University program completers are for their chosen profession.
Initial Licensure Employer Survey
Virginia Commonwealth University participates in the Virginia Education Assessment Collaborative Employer Survey for Initial Licensure programs. The Virginia Education Assessment Collaborative utilizes a common, standardized survey of program completers and their employers using the language and concepts of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Uniform Performance Standards. There are 36 Educator Preparation Programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia surveying program completers and their employers each year seeking to improve their programs and meet requirements of the Virginia Department of Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. By standardizing survey recruitment, timelines, and process, VEAC hopes to reduce the complexity of surveys that principals and administrators complete each year to support EPPs. By benchmarking with the other VEAC participants, EPPs can better understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Additionally, VEAC provides a common language and prompts discussion for program improvement.
Advanced Employer Survey
Virginia Commonwealth University administers unique Employer Survey forms for each of the four advanced programs. Supervisors are invited, annually, to evaluate those VCU advanced program completers employed in the profession for which they were prepared. Survey items align to the professional standards for each advanced licensure program area as well as with CAEP Standard A.4.
Employment Milestones
Retention in the Profession
Baseline data source for tracking VCU EPP completers derives from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Teacher Licensure Application and Annual Instructional Personnel (IPAL) Data Collection. Beginning in 2017, the VDOE started providing each EPP employment information for recent completers (3-5 years out of the program) employed in a Virginia public school as of October 1st of the school year prior. For example, in June 2019, VCU received information on the employment of completers earning a license in 2014-2018 and employed in a Virginia public school as of 10/1/2018. The VDOE started providing these data in 2016; therefore, longitudinally, VCU can explore both employment and retention for recent completers year over year.
National Board Certification is achieved upon successful completion of a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize effective and accomplished teachers who meet high standards based on what teachers should know and be able to do. Annually, National Board Certification for Professional Teaching provides data on VCU EPP program completers earning NBCT that calendar year.
Initial Licensure Completer Survey
Virginia Commonwealth University participates in the Virginia Education Assessment Collaborative Completer Survey for Initial Licensure programs. The Virginia Education Assessment Collaborative utilizes a common, standardized survey of program completers and their employers using the language and concepts of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Uniform Performance Standards. Approximately half of Educator Preparation Programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia participate in VEAC to survey program completers and their employers each year seeking to improve their programs and meet requirements of the Virginia Department of Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. By standardizing survey recruitment, timelines, and process, VEAC hopes to reduce the complexity of surveys that principals and administrators complete each year to support EPPs. By benchmarking with the other VEAC participants, EPPs can better understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Additionally, VEAC provides a common language and prompts discussion for program improvement.
Advanced Completer Survey
Virginia Commonwealth University administers unique Completer Survey forms for each of the four advanced programs. Recent VCU advanced program completers employed in the profession for which they were prepared are invited to provide feedback. Survey items align to the professional standards for each advanced licensure program area as well as with CAEP Standard A.4.
Outcome Measures
Completion Data for Initial and Advanced Programs
Virginia Commonwealth University does not report graduation rates for graduate programs. As such, the following data indicates the number of undergraduate and graduate program graduates, per initial and advanced program, for the last five years to share trends in completion counts over time.
Time to Degree Data for Initial and Advanced Programs
Virginia Commonwealth University does not report graduation rates for graduate programs. As such, VCU Institutional Research and Decision Support calculated time to degree for VCU EPP licensure programs. Time to degree is calculated by first term enrollment start date – graduation term end date as a decimal. Data are presented for initial advanced programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Further, data are disaggregated by time status (i.e., full-time, part-time).
Licensure Rate for Initial and Advanced Programs
The Virginia Department of Education Biennial Report Accountability Measure #1 includes the number of program completers and the number of program exiters for the current biennial period. Accountability Measure #1 also indicates pass rates for each required licensure examination.
By federal law, all colleges and universities offering teacher education programs must annually report on a set of uniform data, including program requirements, admissions and completion data, and assessment pass rates.
Data on VCU Initial and Advanced programs completer employment within Virginia Public Schools (Employment Rate)
Using source data from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Teacher Licensure Application and Annual Instructional Personnel (IPAL) Data Collection, the VDOE shares employment data with education preparation providers. Specifically, these data detail employment placement information for those Initial and Advanced VCU program completers employed in a Virginia public school at the time of reporting.
- VCU 2015-2019 Completers Employed in Virginia Public Schools as of 10/1/2019 by Program
- Number and Percent of 2015-2019 VCU EPP Completers Employed in a Title 1 Virginia Public School as of 10/1/2019
VCU First Destinations Survey, Graduating Cohort Salary Data for VCU EPP Initial and Advanced Programs
The First Destination Survey is sent to graduating students to gather information on employment, continuing education, and many more VCU specific experiences related to their outcome after graduation. VCU first implemented the First Destinations Survey with the May 2019 graduating cohort. VCU EPP presents aggregate salary data, as reported by completers on the First Destinations Survey; completers report outcomes by degree program. This correlates but may not directly parallel the name of each licensure program.
VCU Consumer Information
Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing students and their families with financial data and information on student outcomes to help them make informed decisions about their education options. Public information includes: General Institutional Information; Financial Assistance Information; Distribution of Student Activity Fees; Health and Safety Information; Student Outcomes.
U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid: Official Cohort Default Rates for Schools, Master’s or Doctor’s Degree
A cohort default rate is the percentage of a school's borrowers who enter repayment on certain Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program or William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans during a particular federal fiscal year (FY), October 1 to September 30, and default or meet other specified conditions prior to the end of the second following fiscal year. The U.S. Department of Education releases official cohort default rates once per year. The FY 2017 (most recent data set) national cohort default rate is 9.7 percent.
Student Loan Default Rate
VCU Financial Aid compared a list of 2019-2020 program completers against the Federal student loan default data and identified no (0%) matches. Of note: Due to COVID emergency relief measures implemented in March 2020 and ongoing, student loan payments are presently suspended, and no new students will default. Due to the timing of the relief measures, it is possible some 2019-2020 completers would not have had time to go into default. For more information: https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/coronavirus
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Virginia Commonwealth University Institution Profile
The IPEDS Institution Profile report provides annual data on multiple institutional data indicators (e.g., Student Charges, Student Financial Aid, Net Price, Enrollment, Completions, Retention and Graduation, and Outcomes Measures) relevant to VCU stakeholders. These data can be reviewed for VCU and in comparison with other institutions. Data are updated annually.
State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) Known Student Debt at Graduation
The State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) reports known student debt at graduation for degree programs. SCHEV notes the following, “Student borrowing at graduation, excludes PLUS loans, in five-year rollups. Includes all known institutionally-processed borrowing occurring at all public and nonprofit institutions in Virginia. Debt accrued outside Virginia in prior postsecondary activity is not available.”
To view degree program level data, select the Reporting Year and Virginia Commonwealth University as the Institution. Then select the Degree Level and Program of interest.
State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) Wage Outcome of Graduates 18 months Post-Completion
The State Council for Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) reports wage outcomes data for degree programs. These data include information on the percentage of graduates receiving full-time or part-time wages and the percentage of graduates enrolled in further education at a higher level. SCHEV articulates the limits of these data: "The most important limit to understand is that these short-term measures of outcomes are not meaningful for evaluating the effectiveness of institutions or programs. These are not measures of employment rates, nor they comparable to the so-called Gainful Employment metrics produced by the US Department of Education. These measure are meant to inform readers of the outcomes of graduates in the near-term following degree completion and represent individual behavior and local economies more than any other factor." (SCHEV, 2018, http://research.schev.edu/eom/opportunity02_report.asp, retrieved: March 2, 2018).
To view degree program level data, select the Reporting Year and Virginia Commonwealth University as the Institution.
Teaching in Virginia: Education Workforce Data & Reports for Initial Licensure and Educational leadership
The Teacher Salary Report details teacher, principal, and assistant principal salaries in Virginia and by school division and region in Virginia. Virginia Department of Education annually collects this information from school divisions and reports to the Governor and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees. The report provides the starting salary based on education level (bachelors, masters, or doctorate), as well as the average salary by division.
Projections Central: Short and Long Term State Occupational Projections
The Projections Managing Partnership (PMP) operates an integrated, nationwide program of state and local projections. The PMP helps projections customers make informed decisions based on the most reliable and relevant occupational and industry outlook information. Funding for the PMP is provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration, with technical support from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other entities across the country. This source includes projections for administrator and educational guidance, school, related to VCU SOE advanced Educational Leadership and School Counseling programs.