Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to footer content

AAQEP Accreditation 2022

Standard 3 Aspect F

Preparation programs ensure that candidates, upon completion, are ready to engage in professional practice, to adapt to a variety of professional settings, and to grow throughout their careers. Effective program practices include: consistent offering of coherent curricula; high-quality quality, diverse clinical experiences; dynamic, mutually beneficial partnerships with stakeholders; and comprehensive and transparent quality assurance processes informed by trustworthy evidence. Each aspect of the program is appropriate to its context and to the credential or degree sought.

Faculty Resources:
The Single Subject Teacher Credential Program possesses a cadre of well-qualified faculty (Appendix C) to teach the core courses (LEE 157, LEE 156, SPED 158, C&I 151, C&I 152, C&I 161, EHD 154A & EHD 154B) and to supervise credential candidates in their field placements (EHD 155A & EHD 155B). During the time of this report, the Single Subject (SS) Program had three (3) tenured SS Program Faculty, seven (7) tenure-track faculty, three (3) Temporary Faculty, and twelve (12) initial student teacher coaches.

Even though the academic subject matter faculty who teach methodology courses (CI 161) are not housed in Kremen, they are expected to meet university and program qualifications in their respective academic subject matter areas. In addition, all faculty who teach the subject-specific pedagogy courses also supervise and/or coach our candidates in their final student teaching (EHD 155B) phase of the program and are assigned to teach the professional development seminar (EHD 154B) that accompanies final student teaching. These individuals also participate in the admission process by interviewing every potential credential applicant during the admission process of the program. As a result, all the faculty hired through the academic subject matter area departments are identified as Academic Subject Matter Area Coordinator/Advisors and assigned to the Single Subject Teacher Credential Program through their College/School. Currently, there are eleven (11) Academic Subject Matter Area Coordinators/Advisors in the areas of Agriculture, Art, English, Math, Music, Physical Education, Spanish, Science, and Social Science, as shown in the Faculty Table in Appendix C.

By design, the Kremen School of Education and Human Development hires faculty who possess a master’s and/or doctoral degree in the related area with a minimum of three (3) years K-12 teaching experience. Field placement coaches must possess a clear California teaching credential or a clear administrative credential or have expertise in a teacher preparation program with a terminal degree, in addition to the minimum requirements. All coaches must also be experts in their supervisory content area, i.e., Ag, Art, English, Industrial Technology, Math, Music, Physical Education, Science, Social Science, World Language (Spanish and French). 

Each faculty member and coach is also screened at the outset of their hiring to ensure excellence in academic credentials and relevant current experience in the field of practice related to the subject matter taught or supervised. The hiring process includes a rigorous initial interview and, at times, a teaching demonstration. Once hired, all faculty, including first and second phase coaches, receive support from either a full-time faculty member or another coaching supervisor to teach and/or supervise in the program. In addition, final phase student teaching coaches are mentored by their respective Academic Subject Matter Area Coordinators/Advisors. 

All thirty-six (36) faculty members participate in the governance of the program through Single Subject program faculty meetings, supervisor/coach meetings, Academic Subject Matter Area Department Coordinator/Advisor meetings, and Single Subject Advisory council meetings. It is important to note that the majority of our faculty, including coaches, spend the majority of their time in teaching-related work. Our faculty also engage in research that contributes to the knowledge base of our credential candidates. Their work is aligned with the focus of the program and with their designated academic subject matter area. 

Another resource that needs to be considered are the master teachers who partake in the supervision of our credential candidates during initial and final student teaching.  All Single Subject master teachers must hold a valid credential in the teaching assignment they are supervising and have a minimum of three (3) years of appropriate teaching experience. All the master teachers in our program are up-to-date on their knowledge of the subject matter they teach and the California content standards and frameworks. This is evidenced by their active participation in their in-service training and professional development conferences they attend.  

Staffing Support:
As documented in Appendix C, two support staff members assist with the admission and credential process of our candidates, with three additional staff members advising students during the recruitment and admission process. These three advisors meet and hold informational sessions with prospective students about admission-related requirements and prerequisites, as well as with students who are interested in returning to the program.  

The Office of Clinical Practice (OCP) supports candidates during their initial student teaching. OCP is staffed by an OCP Coordinator and an OCP Program Assistant. Both the OCP Coordinator and the Program Assistant provide placement support to candidates and the matching of candidates with an initial student coach/supervisor.

During the final phase of student teaching, the Academic Subject Matter Departments support the candidates by providing them with a final student teaching university coach, hired through their respective college/school. Additional professional development support is also provided by the EHD 154B instructor hired by the candidate’s academic subject matter area department.

Description of Institutional Support for program:
Fresno State provides a number of institutional supports for the Single Subject program (Appendix C). With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, most of the Single Subject credential classes were moved online.  This necessitated overhauling the classes, resulting in an increase in online learning software, virtual tutoring, video conference tools, hot spots and iPads for both faculty and students. Fresno State’s Center of Faculty Excellence provided current and innovative technologies not only to our faculty but also to our candidates.  

Another support provided to our credential candidates during the pandemic was the use of a virtual student teaching simulation, known as simSchool, which allowed them to fulfil their student teaching requirements virtually. 

Every semester, the Career Development Center offers an “Interview and Resume” workshop to our candidates. Additional services provided by the university include: 

  • the Student Health and Counseling Center Services
  • the Food Cupboard
  • the Clothing Closet

Every semester during orientation, candidates are encouraged to reach out to their Academic Subject Matter Advisor, the Single Subject Program Coordinator, the Department Chair, the Associate Dean, and the Dean regarding coursework issues and are encouraged to reach out to their supervisor for any student teaching issues. 

Student Feedback:
Single Subject Credential candidates provide feedback through their end-of-course evaluations, coach and mentor teacher evaluations, the CTC Completer Survey, and the First-year Teacher Survey issued through the CSU Chancellor’s Office, as highlighted in Appendix C. Even though the student course evaluations are not shared with the program, all the faculty use the results to adjust their teaching. Coach evaluations are shared with the department chair, who in turn shares the results with the Single Subject Program Coordinator. Mentor Teacher evaluations are shared with the Program Coordinator and the school district liaison.  As far as the data from the CTC Completer and the First-year survey are concerned, that data was left unanalyzed until this year.  However, this year’s analysis of the data collected showed that, overall, our credential candidates are satisfied with the program.  

Top of Page