One College's System to Meet Accreditation Requirements: Examining the Use of Data-Driven Decision Making for Continuous Improvement

• In Event: 35.081 - Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: 35.081-16 - Responses to Preparation: Using Evidence and Research to Promote Provider Continuous Improvement and Candidate Growth

Abstract

A College of Education developed a Unit Assessment System (UAS) in response to an accreditation review and the requirements of NCATE Standard 2. This paper describes how one college responded to the external accreditation requirements and the evaluation we conducted of the first implementation of the UAS. The evaluation focused on the stakeholders' experiences of the system itself and the implementation of the process. We conducted focus group interviews with coordinators of the teacher preparation programs. We examined the role that data-driven decision-making played in this college’s approach to external accreditation. We found that that the stakeholders' perceived the design of the UAS maximized faculty involvement in a data-enabled continuous improvement process.

Authors

• Lori C. Bland, George Mason University

• Shaun Michael Marsh, George Mason University

• Holly Klee, George Mason University