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Professional Standards of Practice

Our teacher preparation programs follow the standards and guidelines from the State of Michigan and national accreditation organizations: the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Our programs align with the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0.

Professional Guidelines for Teacher Candidates

• The teacher candidate is under the authority of the university supervisor and the administrative head of the school where the student teacher is assigned.
• The student teacher is expected to become familiar with and adhere to all rules and regulations of the local school, especially those which pertain to teachers and pupils, including, but not limited to, behavior and dress codes. The student teacher is a guest in the school, and a representative of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, and should conduct oneself accordingly.
• The teacher preparation program will follow the public school calendar. The  teaching assignments will terminate at the end of the university semester or at an agreed-upon break in the public school calendar, depending upon when the number of hours required for the clnical experience is met.
• All information about pupils, their families, and the school district must be regarded as confidential and should be discussed with no one but professional personnel in the school and the university supervisor. Student teachers may share with families only information directly related to activities planned, implemented, and evaluated by the cooperating teacher. Student teachers should never question or criticize the school program or personnel in conversations with families.
• If there is a problem in the teaching assignment, the problem should be taken to the university supervisor. Do not discuss it in the school, in the community, or with peers.
• The capstone experience of student teaching is considered an intense experience and the highest priority in the university semester(s) in which it is undertaken. Other course work, writing papers or theses, other job requirements, etc. are not acceptable excuses for deviation from requirements of the experience.

Ethics

The Michigan Professional Educator's Code of Ethics must be upheld by teacher candidates as detailed in the  Michigan Department of Education’s (2019) Code of Educational Ethics available at 

Assessment

Professional Educator Dispositions

The College of Education, Health, and Human Services at the University of Michigan-Dearborn aims to develop educators who demonstrate professional behavior and ethical standards in their coursework and professional activities. Professional dispositions are required by external accreditation agencies which include the Michigan Department of Education and the ). Throughout the clinical experiences, teacher candidates will be evaluated using a copyrighted tool called the Educator Dispositions Assessment, which measures the following criteria along a scale of 0 (Needs Improvement), 1 (Developing), and 2 (Meets Expectations): (1) demonstrates effective oral communication skills, (2) demonstrates effective written communication skills, (3) demonstrates professionalism, (4) demonstrates a positive and enthusiastic attitude, (5) demonstrates preparedness in teaching and learning, (6) exhibits an appreciation of and value for cultural and academic diversity, (7) collaborates effectively with stakeholders, (8) demonstrates self-regulated learner behaviors/takes initiative, and (9) exhibits the social and emotional intelligence to promote personal and educational goals/stability.

Dispositions identified in The Educator Disposition Assessment (EDA) apply to the university setting, courses, early field experiences, apprenticeship placements, and the final internship. A strong correlation exists between the dispositions of teachers and the quality of their students’ learning. Teachers who care about their students and are willing to exert the effort needed to ensure the classroom is a productive learning environment possess the professional dispositions outlined in the EDA. Professional dispositions will be assessed throughout the teacher education program and will have a bearing on decisions made regarding eligibility to complete in a successful manner.

Teacher candidates are informed of the use and purpose of the EDA in the . Candidates are aware that the dispositions identified on the EDA are categorized descriptions of teacher behavior that affect positive influence in the professional setting and promote gains in P–12 student learning. They are aware that a score of “0” on any disposition indicates an insufficient demonstration of a given dispositional trait. The first exposure to the EDA is in (an) exploratory education course(s) with subsequent discussions and activities regarding dispositions and their importance in the classroom.

Candidates must earn a rating of “1” or higher in each of the nine criteria to be eligible for the final internship. If a candidate earns a “0” on any disposition/indicator, they will meet with an educator review committee for a formal interview with the results of that conversation documented in the candidate’s file.  Based on the interview, the review committee may decide to: 1) deny entry into the final internship (student teaching), 2) allow the candidate to move into the final internship with conditions where the candidate must participate in intervention and remediation (with a documented intervention/remediation plan), or 3) fully admit the candidate into the final internship. In instances where the internship is denied or conditionally approved, the candidate may come before the review committee for further discussion of the survey and interview results.

Professional dispositions are also evaluated through the following two assessments: CPAST and PreCPAST. Likely, when using these two assessments, the Educator Dispositions Assessment (EDA) will not be used; however, the EDA may be used if needed. Candidates must earn a rating of “1” or higher to graduate with certification.  If a candidate earns a “0” on any disposition/indicator, they are referred to an educator review committee. Options for the candidate at this point include: (a) Dismissal from the program, and (b) Repeating the practicum/enrollment in an intervention and/or remediation course.

Faculty, cooperating teachers, university supervisors, and other professional educators may submit the EDA at any time to the Department Chair/administrator if there are dispositional concerns about a student. If the student/candidate earns a rating of “0” on any disposition/indicator, they are referred to an educator review committee. When this occurs, it is recommended:

• The student/candidate receives written notification of the survey’s receipt,
• The student/candidate is offered the option of viewing the survey results,
• The student/candidate is required to meet with an educator review committee where the disposition survey results are discussed (the candidate is permitted to invite an advocate to attend the meeting),
• The student/candidate is required to participate in some form of remediation/intervention which is documented on an appropriate form kept in the student’s/candidate’s file.

If the student/candidate dispositions fail to improve, the Department Chair/administrator/educator review committee have the option of dismissing the individual from the program.

Candidate Preservice Assessment of Student Teaching (CPAST)

The CPAST is a formative and summative assessment during student teaching, aligned to our accreditation requirements through CAEP and InTASC Standards. The CPAST is divided into two sections: pedagogy and dispositions. For the midterm and final evaluations of the student teaching experience, teacher candidates will be evaluated using this copyrighted tool, which measures the following criteria across four levels with scores of 3 (Exceeds Expectations), 2 (Meets Expectations), 1 (Emerging), and 0 (Does Not Meet Expectations):

• Pedagogy
  • Planning for Instruction and Assessment
    • Focus for Learning: Standards and Objectives/Targets
    • Materials and Resources
    • Assessment of P-12 Learning
    • Differentiated Methods
  • Instructional Delivery
    • Learning Target and Directions
    • Critical Thinking
    • Checking for Understanding and Adjusting Instruction through Formative Assessment
    • Digital Tools and Resources
    • Safe and Respectful Learning Environment
  • Assessment
    • Data-Guided Instruction
    • Feedback to Learners
    • Assessment Techniques
  • Analysis of Teaching
    • Connections to Research and Theory
• Dispositions
  • Professional Commitment and Behaviors
    • Participates in Professional Development
    • Demonstrates Effective Communication with Parents or Legal Guardians
    • Demonstrates Punctuality
    • Meets Deadlines and Obligations
    • Preparation
  • Personal Relationships
    • Collaboration
    • Advocacy to Meet the Needs of Learners or for the Teaching Profession
  • Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice
    • Responds Positively to Constructive Criticism

A Three-Way Synchronous Conference will be led by the University Supervisor at midterm and final evaluation times to ensure the perspectives of the student teacher, cooperating teacher, and university supervisor are taken into consideration when evaluating the student teacher using the CPAST Form. This process supports more accurate evaluation and ensures a teacher candidate receives feedback from multiple perspectives they can use to improve their practices. Each conference participant will arrive at the meeting with suggested scores for each row of the rubric and examples of evidence to support their rubric scores. During the conference, each participant will share the ratings and evidence they wrote on the form. The university supervisor will record the consensus score. The official score that a teacher candidate receives will be the consensus score of the Three-Way Conference.

Additionally, the teacher candidate will complete the “goals” section of the CPAST Form and refine their goals after discussing them with the university supervisor and cooperating teacher at the three-way conference.

PreCandidate Preservice Assessment of Student Teaching (Pre-CPAST)

The PreCPAST is a rubric designed to be used during the clinical experience(s) prior to student teaching. The Pre-CPAST is divided into two sections: pedagogy and dispositions. Teacher candidates will be evaluated using this copyrighted tool, which measures the following criteria across three levels with scores of 2 (Meets Expectations), 1 (Emerging), and 0 (Does Not Meet Expectations):

• Pedagogy
  • Planning for Instruction and Assessment
    • Focus for Learning: Standards and Objectives/Targets
    • Assessment of P-12 Learning
• Instructional Delivery
  • Learning Target and Directions
  • Checking for Understanding and Adjusting Instruction through Formative Assessment
  • Digital Tools and Resources
  • Safe and Respectful Learning Environment
• Assessment
  • Data-Guided Instruction
  • Feedback to Learners
  • Assessment Techniques
• Analysis of Teaching
  • Connections to Research and Theory
• Dispositions
  • Professional Commitment and Behaviors
    • Demonstrates Punctuality
    • Meets Deadlines and Obligations
  • Personal Relationships
    • Collaboration
  • Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice
    • Responds Positively to Constructive Criticism

A Three-Way Synchronous Conference will be led by the University Supervisor to ensure the perspectives of the prestudent teacher, cooperating teacher, and university supervisor are taken into consideration when evaluating the prestudent teacher using the PreCPAST Form. This process supports more accurate evaluation and ensures a teacher candidate receives feedback from multiple perspectives they can use to improve their practices. Each conference participant will arrive at the meeting with suggested scores for each row of the rubric and examples of evidence to support their rubric scores. During the conference, each participant will share the ratings and evidence they wrote on the form. The university supervisor will record the consensus. The official score that a teacher candidate receives will be the consensus score of this Three-Way Conference.

Additionally, the teacher candidate will complete the “goals” section of the PreCPAST Form and refine their goals after discussing them with the university supervisor and cooperating teacher at the three-way conference.