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© Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 1 AAQEP Annual Report for 2023UVI Provider/Program Name: UVI School of Education/MA Educational Leadership End Date of Current AAQEP Accreditation Term (or “n/a” if not yet accredited): December 2029 PART I: Publicly Available Program Performance and Candidate Achievement Data 1. Overview and Context This overview describes the mission and context of the educator preparation provider and the programs included in its AAQEP review. Overview and Context The School of Education (SOE) serves communities in and out of the territory. Within the territory our partners are the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE), Virgin Islands Board of Education (VIBOE), Infants and Toddlers Program, Virgin Islands Department of Human Services, Office of Childcare Regulatory Services and Young children and families. Stated previously, the SOE also serves communities in neighboring Caribbean islands through partnerships with schools/colleges of education at community colleges and ministries of education. Our services include, but are not limited to the preparation of © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 2 teachers, administrators, and other school professionals, early care and education services, and consultation for certification requirements. Vision, Mission, and Values - “UVI School of Education…for rigor, results, and relationships.” The School of Education’s strategic plan, ENHANCING SCHOOL OUTCOMES through a CULTURE OF INNOVATION in the PREPARATION OF EDUCATORS and OTHER SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS, provides a map of the route that the School of Education (SOE) at the University of the Virgin Islands will take during the years, 2019-2024. This plan was established based on the following assertions: (1) The SOE will address the challenges of low student enrollment, evidenced across Schools and Colleges of Education in the United States; (2) The SOE will be a first choice for educator and other school professional preparation in the USVI, US mainland, and the wider Caribbean; (3) The SOE will increase program offerings and innovative ways in which to instruct preservice majors, as well as in-service professionals; (4) The SOE will develop a 21st century blueprint for transforming itself into a 21st century program; (5) The SOE will prepare its candidates to become change agents for embedding 21st century knowledge and skills in every aspect of P-12 curricula in accordance with national and state standards. The assumption of leadership and faculty in the School of Education is that these assertions will be made realities only from strategic supports, such as responsible stewardship of the University, a robust faculty in expertise and size, as well as contributions of alumni, current students, and collaborative partnerships. The philosophical framework of the School of Education is rooted in the SOE’s mission and is consistent with the mission of the university. We believe that the primary need of today’s professional is a well-rounded knowledge base which provides one with the ability to deal with the complexities of the modern world. Specialization, therefore, is to supply that theoretical and practical knowledge which provides tools necessary for competent practice of the profession. MA Educational Leadership © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 3 The MA Educational Leadership curriculum is patterned on the best practices in leader preparation programs in the United States and is based on theoretical practices and socioeconomic milieu of the local system of education and societal characteristics peculiar to the US Virgin Islands as a microstate. To this end, the purpose of the SOE is to prepare professionals who are leaders that are reflective and active learners and that are committed to the enabling of students’ academic development and success. Despite these challenges, it is pleasing to note that the MAEL program experienced a 100% increase in its enrolment over 2 years, between AY 2020/2021 and AY 2021/2022. Enrolment was lower in AY 2022/203 from the historic high of the previous year, but the continuing sponsorship support from the St. Thomas-St. John School District of the Virgin Islands Department of Education ensured a continuing stream of students in the program. The move to Zoom and online classes have assisted in our staff scheduling for several reasons. The fact that there are as much as 40 miles of ocean that separates us from each other within the territory has meant that we needed two sets of instructors to cover classes on both campuses. Some distance learning formats were tried in some instances. But the earlier decline in enrollment required cancellations of courses that did not “make” the minimum number of registered students. Now we are pleased to have courses running with students from both major islands in the Territory as well as from other Caribbean islands. We reported in our QAR about the challenges of inconsistent course evaluations. In Fall 2021 the University stepped further into the 21st century and purchased the services of the SmartEvals course evaluation system. This software system allows for Learning Management System (LMS) integration and facilitates the process of course evaluation management and reporting. The first administration of this system began in Spring 2022. We are pleased to report significant progress that this new software has significantly improved the availability of course evaluations. Electronic course evaluations are now done for selected courses per instructor every semester. Efforts are being made to increase the student participation rate © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 4 The program under review here is the MA Educational Leadership. This program is directed by Dr. Clinton Valley, an educator with over 30 years’ experience, including experience in senior educational administrative roles as Chair, Dean, Associate Academic Vice President, and President. Dr. Valley has been at UVI since Fall 2020. Public Posting URL Part I of this report is posted at the following web address (accredited members filing this report must post at least Part I): https://uvi.edu/academics/education/programs/master-arts-educational-leadership/index.html 2. Enrollment and Completion Data Table 1 shows current enrollment and recent completion data for each program included in the AAQEP review. Table 1. Program Specification: Enrollment and Completers for Academic Year 2022-2023 Degree or Certificate granted by the institution or organization State Certificate, License, Endorsement, or Other Credential Number of Candidates enrolled in most recently completed academic year (12 months ending 07/2023 Number of Completers in most recently completed academic year (12 months ending 07/2023 Programs that lead to initial teaching credentials Total for programs that lead to initial credentials Programs that lead to additional or advanced credentials for already-licensed educators MA Educational Leadership School Administrator certification 22 12 Total for programs that lead to additional/advanced credentials 22 12 © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 5 Programs that lead to credentials for other school professionals or to no specific credential Total for additional programs TOTAL enrollment and productivity for all programs Unduplicated total of all program candidates and completers 22 12 Added or Discontinued Programs Any programs within the AAQEP review that have been added or discontinued within the past year are listed below. (This list is required only from providers with accredited programs.) None added or discontinued 3. Program Performance Indicators The program performance information in Table 2 applies to the academic year indicated in Table 1. Table 2. Program Performance Indicators A. Total enrollment in the educator preparation programs shown in Table 1. This figure is an unduplicated count, i.e., individuals earning more than one credential may be counted in more than one line above but only once here. N/A © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 6 B. Total number of unique completers (across all programs) included in Table 1. This figure is an unduplicated count, i.e., individuals who earned more than one credential may be counted in more than one line above but only once here. N/A C. Number of recommendations for certificate, license, or endorsement included in Table 1. The program prepares candidates for but do not recommend them for school administrator certification D. Cohort completion rates for candidates who completed the various programs within their respective program’s expected timeframe and in 1.5 times the expected timeframe. The MA Educational Leadership program was re-designed with the first admission in the new paradigm being Fall 2021. There was a two-year transition period from the old to the new paradigm for students in the program. Under the old paradigm, students were required to complete the program of 51 credits in 3 years, with an additional 1.5 years using the expected timeframe. The new paradigm has 36 credits with an expected completion of 18 months with 27 months the expected timeframe. Given these both timeframes, the cohort completion rate for the year under review is 92%. There were 5 graduates in Fall 2022 and 7 graduates in Spring 2023. Eleven of these candidates graduated within 1.5 years of their expected completion date. E. Summary of state license examination results, including teacher performance assessments, and specification of any examinations on which the pass rate (cumulative at time of reporting) was below 80%. N/A F. Narrative explanation of evidence available from program completers, with a characterization of findings. The program completers survey was administered in April 2023. There were 7 respondents. Respondents were asked 28 fixed-choice and 4 open-ended questions. The responses to the fixed choice questions ranged from 1 for dissatisfied to 4 very satisfied. The overall average score was 3.76 with the lowest score of 3.43 dealt with the use of technology to enhance learning and the highest score of 3.86 with the student-centeredness of faculty. The questions dealt with issues such as the program’s rigor and relevance, the faculty’s knowledge of subject matter and modelling best practices in content delivery, and the overall preparedness of the completer for their future role. Three sample responses from the open-ended portion of the survey are included below: © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 7 “The courses in the program are excellent. They are aligned to the Board of Education Educational Leadership licensure requirement. “ “I would not change anything to the program I completed” “The program is an excellent program with skilled professors teaching valuable information however, the coursework was extremely challenging, and the length of the program made it very demanding therefore, the duration of the program should be extended.” G. Narrative explanation of evidence available from employers of program completers, with a characterization of findings. In our April 2023 annual review of employers/stakeholders, there were 9 respondents. Overall, the 9 respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the performance of program completers of the graduate program in educational leadership. Survey questions they responded to included sensitivity to diversity, creating a learner-centered environment, planning for instruction and assessment, and critical thinking and problem-solving. A new survey collecting different data will be developed for AY23/24. H. Narrative explanation of how the program investigates employment rates for program completers, with a characterization of findings. This section may also indicate rates of completers’ ongoing education, e.g., graduate study. There is no formal mechanism at present for investigating the employment rates for program completers. However, given the small nature of the program and with most completers living and working in the territory of the Virgin Islands, faculty have verbal knowledge of where completers are working or continuing their education. Three of the graduates from Spring 2022 are now pursuing their Ph.D in Creative Leadership for Innovation and Change at the University of the Virgin Islands. The School is aware that all other 2022 graduates are gainfully employed in school systems in the Virgin Islands and in Sint Maarten, Dutch Caribbean. 4. Candidate Academic Performance Indicators Tables 3 and 4 report on select measures of candidate/completer performance related to AAQEP Standards 1 and 2, including the program’s expectations for successful performance and indicators of the degree to which those expectations are met. © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 8 Table 3. Expectations and Performance on Standard 1: Candidate and Completer Performance Provider-Selected Measures Explanation of Performance Expectation Level or Extent of Success in Meeting the Expectation GPA/Admissions Process at entry to program 2.5 GPA minimum for acceptance to program 100% E-Portfolio Assessment and Rubrics 85% on cumulative coursework assessments 100% Student Advisement Absence of reported grievances 90% Field Experience summative evaluation Level 2 – Meets Expectations 100% Completer Exit Survey Minimum score of 3 on 4 point satisfaction scale 100% Stakeholder Survey Minimum score of 3 on 4 point satisfaction scale 100% Graduation Rate 80% graduation in 1.5 program length 92% Table 4. Expectations and Performance on Standard 2: Completer Professional Competence and Growth Provider-Selected Measures Explanation of Performance Expectation Level or Extent of Success in Meeting the Expectation Cumulative Coursework Assessment 3.0 GPA 100% Field Experience summative self- evaluation Level 2 – Meets Expectations 100% Field Experience Mentor Evaluation Level 2 – Meets Expectations 100% © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 9 Completer Exit Survey Minimum score of 3 on 4 point satisfaction scale 100% Stakeholder Survey Minimum score of 3 on 4 point satisfaction scale 100% Graduation Rate 80% graduation in 1.5 program length 92% 5. Notes on Progress, Accomplishment, and Innovation This section describes program accomplishments, efforts, and innovations (strengths and outcomes) to address challenges and priorities over the past year. Over the past year under review (September 2022 – July 2023), the MAEL program has continued to stabilize. The MA Educational Leadership program was significantly re-shaped in 2021 and the challenges associated with the fundamental changes are still present. The changes included:  Changes in admission requirements  Move from 51 credits to 36 credits for program length  Re-design of all courses with significant re-design or introduction of new courses in some cases  Increase of internship clock hours from 75 to 300 in alignment with NELP standards  Change of program delivery method from on ground to fully online  Changes in course numbers  Removal of 6 credits thesis requirement  Change of vision from an academic to a professional EPP There have been challenges in getting the various administrative support units of the university to catch up with the many changes needed to facilitate this new program. Stabilization has therefore continued to be a key component. The program accreditation in December 2022 has also greatly assisted in providing general recognition and acceptance of the re-shaped MAEL program. © Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation – 2023 10 In addition to the above, since the MAEL program is essentially an in-service program, the School is largely dependent on school systems to provide sponsorship for candidates who the education provider would wish to prepare for administrative roles. While there are a few self-sponsored students, the sponsorship of candidates now provided by the St. Thomas-St. John School District has been a major factor in program sustainability. Going forward, student recruitment across the wider Caribbean has been accepted as a major goal. Thus, recruitment initiatives were made on the islands of St. Kitts, Nevis, Tortola, and Sint Maarten. Efforts have been made to reach ministries and departments of education across the Caribbean islands to solicit their interest in having them send candidates into our program. Appropriate tuition incentives are been explored as this item is a major barrier to entry for program support from the Eastern Caribbean.