TEACHER EDUCATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE (TECC)
Annual Report
2000-2001
The annual report of the Teacher Education Committee (TECC) is submitted to the Hawai`i State Legislature in compliance with the provisions of Section 304-20, Hawai`i Revised Statutes. TECC membership is comprised of representatives of the institutions of higher education (IHE) in the State of Hawai`i--University of Hawai`i at Manoa, University of Hawai`i at Hilo, Brigham Young University of Hawai`i, Chaminade University of Honolulu, and University of Phoenix, Hawai`i—all of whom participate in the preparation of teachers and other education professionals as well as the Hawai`i State Department of Education. The TECC met from September 2000 through May 2001 for a total of eight meetings.
The Dean of the College of Education at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and the Superintendent of Schools for the Hawai`i State Department of Education share leadership roles for the Teacher Education Coordinating Committee. The Dean of the College of Education served as chair and facilitated the meetings for 2000-2001 AY.
Members of the Teacher Education Committee, in setting up the agenda for the 2000-2001 year, focused on the following major topics for discussion and/or action:
· Legislation - Teacher Licensing and Credentialing Standards
· Professional Development Credit
· Hawai’i Plan for Title II Reporting Requirements
· HEA Title II reporting
· SATE 200l Approval Standards
· Fingerprinting and Criminal History Background Check
· Teacher recruitment and retention
Details of all discussions are appended in the minutes of respective meetings.
TECC reviewed five education-related bills initiated by NCTAF and submitted to the 2000-2001 Legislature. All five bills passed. The bills addressed furthering the professionalism of education. 1) A bill to support the hiring of DOE retirees without penalty to encourage retired teachers to have options to return as part-time teachers or mentors or resource personnel to assist the DOE in the induction of new teachers; 2) a bill to support incentives for teachers to seek national board certification; 3) a bill to support funding of Professional Development Schools in order to provide more site and clinical based development; 4) a bill to support efforts to recruit teachers in the state DOE’s shortage areas by providing a loan forgiveness program for qualified applicants enrolled in a public Institution of Higher Education; and 5) a bill to expand the role of the Hawai’i Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) to grant, review, and revoke licenses. The bill would also give HTSB, responsibility for approving teacher education programs. HTSB’s membership will increase from nine to thirteen to include the DOE superintendent or his/her designate, a representative from the Independent Schools and two additional teachers. The TECC had recommended that the loan forgiveness program be extended to include private IHEs.
The Superintendent and his staff will be collaborating with members of the HTSB during the 2000-2001 academic year, to ensure an efficient, effective and timely transition related to a change in licensing authority.
A fundamental feature of the PD program is its emphasis on bringing about a sense of “renewal” for teachers and participating schools. Its intent is to generate ideas that would contribute to new insights.
Each Institute of Higher Education (IHE) reported on the pilot project for awarding professional development credits to DOE teachers who serve as mentors for teacher education candidates who completed their field experiences in the public schools. The program, piloted in the Spring 2000 semester, was reviewed by the TECC subcommittee responsible for overseeing its development and implementation. TECC approved the subcommittee’s recommendation to continue the same process used in the pilot for granting PD credits to OP (field experience) and student teaching teachers (mentors). The recommendation allows each institution to determine its procedure and program as long as it address Standard IX of the Teacher Performance Standards of the HTSB; requires IHE’s to review the “product” or reflection papers before submitting them to the DOE and expects IHE’s to provide the DOE with three samples of the product along with the list of names of teachers recommended for the PD credit.
A Professional Development Coordinating Council (PDCC) has been formed by the Superintendent to complete an evaluation of the PD credits to ensure that quality professional development standards are met. The PDCC will merge the eight Professional Development standards established by the National Partnership for Excellence and Accountability in Teaching (NPEAT) with the nine standards developed by the Superintendent. A brochure on this is being developed for use by all the schools.
The Hawai`i Plan for Title II reporting requirements of the Higher Education Act (HEA) was presented by the DOE. After some discussion and review of it, TECC approved the Hawai`i Plan which includes the following key features: 1) that IHE will verify data on program completers, ensuring that they have taken the appropriate PRAXIS exams; 2) that a “supplemental information” session will be included in the report; 3) that a timeline be provided for the development of criteria procedures and processes for identifying “at risk” and “low performing” institutions. Criteria will be applied in April 2003. A “low performing” IHE will be given two years to improve; federal funds will be withheld from designated “low performing” IHE’s. ETS will track program completers for three years starting with academic year 1999.
Title II of the Higher Education Act (HEA), as amended, addresses the issue of the quality of teacher preparation by authorizing new federal grant programs to support the recruitment and preparation of new teachers and by creating a new accountability measure. Institutions must report the pass rates of program completers on tests required for licensure in the state and the programs must be ranked according to pass rates of their respective program completers. The first of the three-year reports will cover program completers of the 1999-2000 academic year.
A copy of the HEA Title II Report Card prepared by each IHE was distributed for sharing and discussion. A “position” statement that provides a context for the Title II reporting requirement was made available for use by IHE’s.
The SATE 2001 standards committee continuously updated TECC with progress of their report which was completed in Spring, 2001. The revised SATE aligned several state and national performance standards. The recommendations by the SATE committee include the adoption of the unit standards of NCATE 2000, HTSB, and the Hawai‘i Content and Performance Standards. The recommendations were approved by the Superintendent. The next step is for the DOE to convene a committee to propose a process for implementing the new SATE standards.
The close proximity in which candidates in teacher education programs work with children has made it necessary to screen “teacher trainees.” The DOE is responsible for screening candidates and for conducting criminal history background checks. IHE is responsible for notifying students of the need to undergo fingerprinting and criminal history check. Colleges of education are not responsible for pre-education students’ practicum experiences in the schools which they voluntarily engage in to fulfill an admission requirement.
Members of the TECC recommended that the DOE issue “clearance” certificates for “trainees” who have undergone criminal history checks/fingerprinting.
The Employee Background Check Task Force updated TECC on their progress. The task force will meet in the summer to review the procedures, finalize the guidelines and begin the implementation of the guidelines by the end of Fall semester 2002.
The DOE’ Division of Administrative Services presented to TECC a Recruitment and Retention Continuum Plan to attract, increase and keep professionals in the field of education. The recruitment aspect of the plan is designed to include a variety of approaches and includes in-state and mainland recruitment activities. The retention strategies include assessing needs of new employees, providing incentives, improving partnerships with various IHE’s and other agencies providing resources for the state’s school system, and establishing a Center for Professional Development The plan has been forwarded to the Superintendent for his review.
The TECC membership wishes to acknowledge the continued support and commitment of the Hawai`i State Legislature to ensure the provision of quality education for students enrolled in Hawai`i’s public schools. The cooperative efforts of the TECC members and their respective institutions and organizations affirm a legacy of caring and excellence in education.
Respectfully Submitted,
Randy Hitz, Dean Patricia Hamamoto
College of Education Interim Superintendent
University of Hawai’i at Manoa Hawai’i State Department of Education
November 6, 2001
