Saint Mary's College of California



Kalmanovitz School of Education

Proposal to Suspend the READ Credential and Certificate Programs

August 17, 2012

Reading Program Description:

Active Programs:

1. Course of Study leading to a state Reading Certificate issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing

2. Course of Study leading to a state Reading and Language Arts Specialist credential issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing

3. Course of study based upon the coursework for both the Certificate and the Credential leading to a Master of Arts degree in Reading and Language Arts

4. Course of study based upon both the coursework required for a state basic teaching credential taken at the KSOE and the coursework for the Reading Certificate leading to a Master of Education degree in Reading and Language Arts

Program Staffing

1. Faculty

a. Tenured: one tenured faculty member (Mary Kay Moskal) is Program Director and fulfills part of her full-time teaching load by teaching Reading Program courses

i. Candy Boyd (on reduced services status) also occasionally teaches Reading Program courses as part of their load

b. Non-Tenured: one non-tenured faculty member (Mary Dierking) works part-time as an instructor and field supervisor in the program

2. Staff

a. Program Assistant (PA): one Program Assistant works 15% as support to the Reading Program

Relationship with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC):

The CTC is the state agency that issues credentials authorizing a wide range of instructional and other services in the K-12 public schools in California. By statute, the CTC staff monitors all public school districts in California to ensure that every individual providing such services holds the proper authorization.

The CTC is also tasked with setting standards for all credential preparation programs offered in California. As a corollary, the CTC accredits all credential preparation programs based upon those standards. So unlike most programs in the College, the Reading Program is also accredited by the CTC.

In 2010 the Commission took action to approve new Reading credential program standards. Significant changes were made in the new standards. The current stand-alone Reading Certificate is replaced by a Reading and Literacy Added Authorization (RLAA). This new authorization will simply be added to an existing California basic teaching credential. The Reading and Language Arts Specialist Credential will be replaced by the Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist Credential.

The CTC has established December 2012 as the last date for all program sponsors currently offering the Reading Certificate and Reading and Language Arts Specialist Credential to transition to the new standards. While the existing program can be taught out, after December 2012, no new candidates can be admitted to our existing programs. This state-imposed deadline is an additional reason for suspending admissions to the current Reading Program. It takes considerable time and effort to respond to the new standards, develop new curriculum and then teach the new courses.

2.8.5.2.2 Process for Discontinuance of an Academic Department or Program

1. Proposals should be written by the appropriate academic dean with reference to the Guidelines for Department and Program Reviews to ensure that all aspects of the department or program are duly considered. In addition, the proposal should address the following questions:

a) Why should the department or program be terminated based on the following criteria:

1. Demand: perennial low enrollment and production due to:

i. Lack of proper regulatory action by the CTC: despite its obligation to monitor the authorizations of all those providing services in K-12 schools, historically the CTC has not identified mis-assignments in the areas of reading and literacy. Absent such enforcement, K-12 administrators have turned to cheaper alternative programs such as Reading Recovery (also offered by the KSOE) to train the reading specialists they need.

1. Given the current drastic budget constraints on the CTC (see link: ), it is extremely unlikely that the monitoring program will be strengthened in the foreseeable future.

2. Most existing Reading programs are housed in the CSU and UC systems (Pages 6 & 7). Since demand for the programs is so low statewide, the state-supported programs, even under the current funding crisis, can accommodate the bulk of those wishing to enroll in Reading/Literacy programs. The state systems also still have significantly lower tuition costs than the KSOE’s Reading Program.

3. Only two other private California IHE’s offer Reading Specialist credential programs. Only a handful of private IHE’s continue to offer the Reading Certificate program. Some of these programs utilize an online format to generate enough enrollment to make the programs fiscally sustainable. (Page 7)

b) What are the probable effects of termination of the program?

1. Who will be affected by the decision?

i. Our plan is to integrate the reading course content and faculty into the curriculum of the three general education credential programs (Multiple Subject, Single Subject and Special Education).

2. What are the potential effects on:

i. Faculty (tenured, tenure track): The tenured faculty member serving as Program Director has been teaching outside the program (Special Education, Multiple Subject) for many years to maintain a full load. When the Reading Program is suspended she would continue to support reading and literacy across the basic teaching credential and the MATL programs. (Candy Boyd will also be integrated to the general education program as necessary. Only a small part of her load has been in the Reading Program.)

1. Faculty Non-tenured: There is one non-tenured part-time faculty position associated with the program. This position would be eliminated at some point during the teach-out.

ii. Staff: The program is supported by a part-time (20%) Program Assistant. This person would continue to be assigned as needed during the teach-out and then be assigned other duties in the KSOE to replace the Reading Program load.

iii. Students enrolled in the Reading Program’s: Attached to this proposal is the name-by-name status of every student as of Spring Term 2012 who has started a Reading Program since the 2005-2006 academic year (Page 8). Of the total 37 students 16 have completed their objectives, 10 are still enrolled, and 11 have dropped. There may be a small number (less than five?) of students who started before 2005-2006 who are still in the Thesis IP stage. Individualized completion plans will be developed for these individuals that minimize the time needed for them to reach their goal. It is anticipated that the teach-out will take 24 to 30 months.

iv. Other undergraduate and/or graduate programs of the College: The Reading Program has been so small for so long that its closure would have minimal impact on other units in the College. The single exception is that Counseling School Psychology students do currently take one Reading Program course (READ 255 Diagnostic Teaching). This term the only students enrolled in the course are Counseling students and it is one of the few Reading courses with high enough enrollment to be consistently offered on a face-to-face basis. The course could be shifted into either the Counseling program or into the general KSOE Education program (EDUC).

v. What effect will this action have on other departments: The availability of the tenured Program Director to the Multiple, Single, Special Education and Masters in Teaching Leadership programs would greatly strengthen the literacy and reading instruction in those programs, all of which have significantly higher enrollment than the Reading program.

vi. What effect will this action have on the College’s character and mission (Liberal Arts, Catholic, Lasallian)? The Reading Program is so small that its closure would have little impact at the College level. As noted above, the KSOE would continue to support K-12 reading and literacy through other, stronger, programs.

c) What steps should the College take to minimize any negative effects of the discontinuation?

1. The most important step is to ensure that the individual teach-out plans developed for the currently active students are both feasible and monitored to ensure that the students are making the necessary progress. With only a dozen or so students involved, this administrative task can be accomplished.

2. A plan to ensure that both the required public notifications and the individual correspondence with each active student are conducted in sensitive and effective manner will be developed.

3. The CTC needs to be notified of the suspension of admissions in the appropriate manner.

4. Be prepared to emphasize all the other efforts the KSOE and the College as a whole are making to enhance the literacy of California’s K-12 population, including the active support of the Reading Recovery and Environmental Literacy programs. Our commitment is merely shifting to more effective delivery media.

MLH 06/12/12

| |

|CTC Approved Reading Certificate Programs |

| |

|CSU System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Certificate |

|California State University, East Bay |

|California State University, Fresno |

|California State University, Fullerton |

|California State University, Long Beach |

|California State University, Los Angeles |

|California State University, Monterey Bay |

|California State University, Northridge |

|California State University, Sacramento |

|California State University, San Bernardino |

|California State University, San Marcos |

|California State University, Stanislaus |

|San Diego State University |

|San Francisco State University |

|San Jose State University |

|Sonoma State University |

| |

|UC System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Certificate |

|University of California, Davis |

|University of California, Irvine |

|University of California, Los Angeles |

|University of California, Riverside |

|University of California, San Diego |

| |

|Private Institutions: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Certificate |

|Current Status of Programs: May 2012 |

|Brandman University not currently offered on website |

|California Baptist University certificate plus MA |

|California Lutheran University suspended until Fall 2013 |

|Fresno Pacific University Not currently accepting applications |

|Loyola Marymount University online program |

|National University online program |

|Point Loma Nazarene University offered at three regional centers only |

|St. Mary's College of California |

|University of La Verne certificate plus MA |

|University of Redlands not currently offered on website |

|University of San Francisco not currently offered on website |

|University of Southern California online program |

| |

|(Note that the only other local Certificate program at a private IHE is at USF. Brandman (Chapman) and National are multi-campus that can draw enrollment |

|statewide.) |

| |

CTC Approved Reading Language Arts Credential Programs

|CSU System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Language Art |

|California State University, East Bay |

|California State University, Fresno |

|California State University, Fullerton |

|California State University, Long Beach |

|California State University, Los Angeles |

|California State University, Northridge |

|California State University, Sacramento |

|California State University, San Bernardino |

|California State University, San Marcos |

|California State University, Stanislaus |

|San Diego State University |

|San Francisco State University |

|San Jose State University |

|Sonoma State University |

| |

| |

|UC System: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Language Art |

|University of California, Los Angeles |

|University of California, Riverside |

| |

| |

|Private Institutions: Specialist Credentials and Certificates - Reading Language Art |

|Loyola Marymount University |

|St. Mary's College of California |

|University of La Verne |

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