INSTRUCT & INSPIREDepartment of Curriculum and Instruction

Claudius G. Clemmer College of Education Fall 2017

CUAI edTPA scores rising above national and state scores

Support and preparation key to candidate confidence and performance.

The edTPA’s three basic steps are simple: Plan a lesson; teach and videotape the planned lesson in the classroom; and finally critique the lesson. Yet within those simple steps lie a host of challenges, both pedagogical and logistical, that must be met according to a rigorous and detailed rubric. However, this time last year, as CUAI teacher-candidate Jenny Alexander reached the mid-

mid-point of what could have been an intimidating process, she found the department’s edTPA seminar a source of valuable support and guidance, as well as a place where teacher-candidates could de-stress and collaborate. Faculty support was also key. “My instructors were always so helpful, and available at any time. I always knew I could count on them to be there for me.”

The scores are in, and they’re great news for CUAI teacher candidates, who performed above the state and national average on 9 out of 10 edTPA assessments, with a 100 percent pass rate. Now used by more than 600 teacher preparation programs in some 40 states, the edTPA is a performance-based, subject specific assessment, a rigorous process that goes beyond conventional testing to require teacher candidates demonstrate the classroom skills necessary to ensure student learning. In 2019, passing the edTPA will be mandatory for TN licensure, but CUAI teacher candidates are already prepared today!

Above right: A screenshot of Jenny Alexander’s edTPA ELA submission. Today, Alexander is teaching ELA at Indian Trail Middle School in Johnson City, applying the skills she demonstrated in the edTPA in her own classroom. “That says something about my experience,” she notes.

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OUTSTANDING PLACEMENT!From Kingsport to Costa Rica, CUAI grads find great jobs across the region, around the world.

Clockwise from top right: Jesse Crow flashes her new Kingsport teaching credentials; Tara Baker, Logan Carter and Emilee Frazier are all smiles at the Greene County Schools induction day; Cameron Buck, 7th grade math teacher at Robinson Middle School, provides small group support; Erica Colen is now at work at King George Elementary School; Leah Decker pauses outside her door in her new position as 5th grade math, science, and spelling teacher at Fairview-Marguerite Elementary School; Daniel Noel just began his job this fall teaching middle grade subjects at the Mareas Academy in Costa Rico; Bethany Todd confers with her RTI group at Snowden School in Memphis.

A job you love...A job when you graduate. CUAI grads are enjoying it all, all across the world!

ENRICHING SCIENCE LEARNING WITH LITERACY:New text edited by CUAI faculty provides innovative models

THE BIG REVEAL: Renee Lyons dives into books to select 2018 Alex Award winner

by Anthony Doerr and The Martian by Andy Weir (made into the hit movie starring Matt Damon).

What will win this year? Even Lyons, now serving in her second and final year as a judge, doesn’t know yet. The 9-member committee will meet immediately prior to the ALA meeting to select the winner. Being a judge means a lot of reading, but Lyons, Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the CUAI School Library Media program, is

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The big reveal is just ahead, at the February meeting of the American Library Association (ALA), when the winners of the 2018 Alex book awards will be announced. By that time, Alex Award judge Renee Lyons will have read approximately 130 titles to help select the best fiction and non-fiction titles with the most appeal to young adult readers. While the ALA’s Printz Awards recognize books published specifically for the YA market, the Alex Awards focus on books published for the adult market that also have broad appeal for YA readers. Past winners include the best-selling All the Light We Can See

happy to take on the job, since it involves her two of her passions: reading and getting YAs to read—and keep reading. “The Alex Awards are a bridge for the YA readers to enter the world of adult literature,” she says, which ideally leads to a lifelong reading.

Stay tuned for the winner!

Theory to practice: A critical step for any innovation. Yet while recent research has shown significant student benefits from the seamless integration of language and literacy skills into the learning and use of science content knowledge, K-12 teachers have lacked practical models and examples—until now. Scheduled for publication by IGI Global in 2018, Innovative Strategies for Science Literacy Integration in Classroom Environments will provide a

comprehensive “how-to” guide for science and ELA teachers.

The publication is an outgrowth of partnerships between ETSU Center for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education, the CUAI, Hawkins County and 10 other regional school districts. With $2.1 million in grant

funding, the research supports college- and career-readiness through cross-disciplinary collaboration, a project headed by principal investigators Dr. Chih-Che Tai and Dr. Karin Keith. Now in its third year, the initiative has brought together diverse partners and collaborators, some of whom are contributing authors for the book, which elaborates methods of integration at the classroom, school and district level. And while the book includes models of specific topics such as biodiversity and water quality, the edition’s aims are broader. As Dr. Laura Robertson explains, “The book goes beyond particulars to focus on how the practices of the two disciplines can be integrated, practices such as authentic inquiry and arguing from evidence, which can create deeper engagement and learning.”

Clockwise from top left: CUAI Co-EditorsDr. Chih-Che Tai, Dr. Renee Moran, Dr. Karin Keith, and Dr. Laura Robertson.

Innovative Strategies for Science Literacy Integration in Classroom Environments. Edited by Dr. Chih-Che Tai, Dr. Renee Moran, Dr. Laura Robertson, Dr. Karin Keith, and Dr. Huili Hong.

FAST OFF THE MARK! The first 25 students to enroll in the Certificate for the Summer 2018 cohort will receive a tuition waiver and stipend for the workshop May 31 – June 8.

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Department of Curriculum and InstructionClaudius G. Clemmer College of Education401 Warf-Pickel HallEast Tennessee State UniversityTelephone: (423) 439-7595

DISCOVERY: Teachers find cross- disciplinary opportunity with new STEM certificate

WELCOME: Dr. Jamie Price teaches “why”

The “why” behind the “how” is the teaching focus for CUAI’s new Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education, Dr. Jamie Price, a summa cum laude graduate of ETSU with a B.S. and M.S. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in Teacher Education from University of Tennessee-Knoxville. “I want students to gain a deeper conceptual understanding of mathematics that will inform their own teaching practices and attitudes,” she notes. “Understanding how math works conceptually, the ‘why,’ makes a huge difference.” Dr. Jamie Price: Another great reason #whyteach!

KUDOS: Kendra Hampton wins scholarship

Joining the

The winner of the Knoxville Retired Teachers scholarship, MAT student Kendra Hampton plans to earn her licensure in 6-8th grade science and social studies and hopes to also coach basketball. Congratulations!

CUAI’s “STEM team” is growing, as teachers from across disciplines are discovering the new STEM Certificate program is both accessible and meaningful in creating enhanced student learning in all subject areas.

“After only two courses in the Certificate program, already I have a better picture of what problem-based learning looks like,” notes Wendy Courtney, Secondary S.T.R.E.A.M. specialist in Kingsport city schools. “I also feel a new sense of urgency in bringing STEM into our school at a deeper level.”

Encompassing 15 credit hours, the STEM certificate offers a broad-based program of study, comprised of one guided elective and four STEM-focused courses.

Courses include:

a STEM Theory and Pedagogy, covering topics such as problem-based learning, critical thinking, creativity and 21st century skills. a Creativity and Inquiry in STEM Education, addressing problem-solving within the design process, including real-world applications such as prototyping and product evolution. a Bridging STEM in Education and Business, exploring STEM’s impact on student learning, engagement and career preparation. a Integrated STEM Curriculum Development, emphasizing topics such performance-based assessment and leading collaborative teams.

For more information, see CUAI’s website: http://www.etsu.edu/coe/cuai/