Introduction
This chapter provides information about annual data submission, which is an important
component of the accreditation system. One major purpose of the accreditation system is to
determine whether an institution and its programs are preparing educators with the
knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the credential they seek. The Commission has
several objectives pertaining to the role of data within the accreditation system as a whole.
Among the objectives are to collect basic and recent information about institutions and their
programs in a consistent manner across the state thereby furthering transparency and
understanding of the data that is available on programs statewide. A second objective is to
shed light on data that may help inform a collective understanding of how well a program has
prepared its candidates and program completers. In doing so, the accreditation system includes
aggregated candidate outcome information such as performance assessment results, average
length of time for completion, and direct survey feedback from candidates about their
preparation and from mentors and employers about the preparedness of candidates and
completers with whom they work. A third objective is to use data to focus attention on those
programs and institutions that appear to need additional supports and, when possible, to
streamline accreditation for institutions where the data indicate programs are both
foundationally sound and effectively preparing educators.
Accreditation Data System, Data Submission, and Data Dashboards
The Commission maintains an annual Accreditation Data System (ADS) in which information
about each accredited institution and its programs is collected. Each institution is responsible
for annually submitting to the Commission specified information about its approved programs
and candidates. Submissions will occur through a password-protected portal. The annual data
submitted is available to the institution and Commission staff. The data that is submitted is
then converted to easily accessible visualizations through the data dashboards. These
dashboards are intended to support institutional data analysis for improvement purposes.
When institutions have an accreditation site visit, members of the accreditation site visit team
will be provided temporary access to the institution’s dashboard via a secured, password-protected website. In addition to the data submitted by institutions, the dashboards provide
data visualizations of additional data, including Title II, survey, and assessment data.
Program context data may include, but not be limited to:
- Number and type of program pathways offered
- Program delivery modality (face to face, on-line, or combination)
- Candidate demographics for enrollment including gender, ethnicity, and percentage of full time/part time candidates
- Admissions requirements such as minimum required GPA, whether satisfaction of the basic skills requirement and demonstration of subject matter is required at admission, percentage of applicants admitted
- Number of required units
- Average program length
- Number of required fieldwork/clinical practice hours
- Number of required solo teaching hours
Program outcome data may include, but not be limited to:
- First time pass rates on certain required candidate examinations
- Pass rates on required performance assessments
- Pass rates by candidate competencies on assessments, to the extent possible
- Completion rates
- Survey data from the Commission’s statewide surveys (such as program completer surveys, master teacher surveys, and employer surveys)
Some information will be uploaded by institutional personnel while other data may be directly available from the Commission.
How the data will be used
Continuous Improvement by Institutions
As required by Common Standards, each institution must continually review program
effectiveness and candidate outcomes data and make appropriate improvements. The data in
the Commission’s ADS and data dashboards will serve as the basis for some of that work.
Informing the Work of Accreditation Teams
Accreditation site visit teams will have access to the data for the institutions and programs they
are responsible for reviewing. The data itself will not drive the findings but will inform further
inquiry about whether and to what extent the institution is preparing prospective educators.
The data will be used by accreditation team members to seek further information and to inform
accreditation decisions about program quality and alignment with standards. No accreditation
decision will be based solely on a single data source, but rather all the available evidence,
including data, will inform the work of accreditation site teams. The training site visit team
members receive will include understanding and interpreting data and the importance of
multiple measures in accreditation.
Focusing Accreditation Efforts on Areas of Greatest Need
One Commission objective is to focus accreditation resources on areas of concern. Having a
system in which certain data may easily be accessed and reviewed may serve to signal aspects
of program quality institutional personnel as well as accreditation teams should pay close
attention.
Ensuring Transparency in Data for the Public
Certain data that reside in the data system, including annual data submitted by institutions, is
included in the Institutional Profiles data dashboard on the Commission’s website where
members of the public who wish to, can view these data.
Data Submission Timeline and Logistics
Each year, the way data should be submitted, the types of data submitted, and the definitions
for the specific data elements is provided to institutions. Commission staff consult with the COA
and institutional personnel in the field to ensure the data submission process is clear and
understandable.