AAQEP Accreditation 2022
Standard 1 Aspect C
Standard 1c: Evidence shows that, by the time of program completion, candidates exhibit knowledge, skills, and abilities of professional educators appropriate to their target credential or degree, including: Culturally responsive practice, including intersectionality of race, ethnicity, class, gender identity and expression, sexual identity, and the impact of language acquisition and literacy development on learning
Data Sources & Analysis
To examine our progress in preparing students’ engagement in culturally responsive practice, we selected two assignments at the personal and environmental levels as well as supervisor’s evaluation of students’ internship work.
Data Source 1
COUN 201 (Multicultural Counseling) Reflective Assignments:
Students enrolled in COUN 201 (Multicultural Counseling) were expected to complete
these assignments. For these assignments, students were expected to evaluate their
own identity as well as the intersectionality of multiple factors affecting their
own experience and learning. Additionally, students explored the impact of privilege
and oppression on their own development and future practice. The data were analyzed
from a sample of school counseling students enrolled in different COUN 201 courses
across different semesters from Fall 2018 to Fall 2020 to capture the learning of
multiple cohorts.
Candidates were evaluated in their ability to follow instructions, write their ideas clearly, organize material, present content effectively, and engage in self-work.
Rationale for using Data Source:
In order to prepare culturally sensitive and responsive candidates, students are required
to understand their own social experience in our societal context. Students assess
the interaction of race, ethnicity, class, gender identity and expression, sexual
identity, language acquisition, disability, learning style among other variables that
impact behaviors and roles. We believe this assignment demonstrates students’ understanding
about intersectionality and cultural competence.
Definition of Success:
Candidates were assessed using a 3-point scale (Excellent =3; Satisfactory = 2; Limited
= 1). Programmatically, candidates were successful when scoring at least a total of
12 points across the six areas.
Specific Elements of Data Source:
| Category | For Full Points | Level of Mastery |
|---|---|---|
| Follow Instructions | follows directions as written, includes all requirements | Excellent (3pt) Average (2pt) poor (1pt) |
| Writing mechanics | rare, minor errors in punctuation, grammar, or sentence structure; clear flow of language | same |
| Organization | clear thesis statement, transitions, division of sections; coherent flow of thought | same |
| Course content | overt reference to/citation of class readings (at least 3 DIFFERENT sources); clearly highlights key principles from class | same |
| Self work | clearly applies material to own life and counseling practice; shares own experiences, thoughts, feelings; shows self-awareness | same |
Displays of Analyzed Data:
Link to Full Dataset: Please refer to the following link to access full dataset:
Interpretation of Data:
Generally, students performed well in all areas. Students scored the lowest in writing
(M=2.36) followed by Organization (M=2.54), Follow instructions (M=2.64), content
(M=2.86) and Self-work (M=3). Students answered questions and reflected on their own
experiences to evaluate their own experiences. Students also needed to follow instructions
to facilitate their engagement with the assignment requirements.
Students scored high in the Self-work domain of the assignment, showing adequate preparation on the impact of intersectionality on learning and professional development. Moreover, students’ scores in Self-work indicated an ability to assess the impact of multiple layers of diversity on students’ experiences.
Overall, students scored above satisfactory in all areas with scores higher than 12 points total (M=13.39). Even though students worked on themselves and increased their awareness of intersectionality, the program faculty continues to identify mechanisms to improve written communication and to support instruction adherence. Furthermore, the program aims to support students’ engagement in self-work to increase their understanding of the impact of intersectionality on the lived experience of marginalized students and on their own experiences.
Data Source 2
COUN 201 Research Project Scores
Research based projects to analyze and understand the experience of marginalized groups and how experiences are shaped by environmental forces.
Students enrolled in Multicultural Counseling (COUN 201) completed these assignments to improve their understanding of the experience of marginalized groups. For these assignments, students were expected to explore and understand the experience of marginalized groups to understand their lived experiences. Additionally, students researched the impact of systematic forces on this group as well as ways to enhance the life of these marginalized groups.
Rationale for using Data Source:
In order to prepare culturally sensitive and responsive candidates, students are required
to increase their awareness about the struggles and challenges of socially marginalized
groups. Moreover, students need to enhance their knowledge on multicultural issues
as well as acquire culturally sensitive skills that can support the needs of clients.
Through engaging students in this assignment, our hope was to evaluate students’ understanding
of the impact of external and internal forces on marginalized groups.
Specific Elements of Data Source:
Definition of Success:
Students were assessed using a 3-point scale (Excellent =3; Satisfactory = 2; Limited
= 1). Programmatically, students were successful when scoring at least a 12 points.
Students were evaluated in their ability to follow instructions, write their ideas
clearly, organize material, present content effectively, and engage in self-work.
Students were required to incorporate research based resources to improve their understanding
of the experience of marginalized groups and to learn about interventions that could
improve the lived experiences of these groups. Programmatically, students were successful
when scoring at least 12 points.
Link to Full Dataset: Please refer to the following link to access full dataset:
Interpretation of Data:
Generally, students performed well in all areas. Students scored the lowest in organization
(M=2.43) followed by Writing (M=2.46), Follow instructions (M=2.61), Content (M= 2.86)
and Self-work (M=2.96). In relation to this aspect, the areas of content and self-work
are most relevant. Students scored high on their ability to effectively present class
material to support their increased understanding of the experience of individuals
belonging to marginalized groups. Moreover, candidates’ self-work score showed engagement
with research based material to explain the impact of environmental forces and personal
characteristics on the individual.
Overall, students scored above satisfactory in all areas with scores higher than 12 points total (M= 13.32) Even though students increased their knowledge about marginalized groups, enhanced their awareness and identified potential interventions to utilize with these populations, the program faculty continues to identify mechanism to improve written communication and to support instructions adherence. In addition, the program intends to continue strengthening candidates’ abilities to utilize research based information to enhance their understanding of the lived experience of marginalized groups.
Data Source 3
Site Supervisor Program Evaluation Survey
Perspective Captured from Data Source: Site Supervisor
Rationale for using Data Source:
Assessing candidates’ culturally responsive practice, including intersectionality
of race, ethnicity, class, gender identity and expression, sexual identity, and the
impact of language acquisition and literacy development on learning is an important
aspect of their internship evaluation conducted by their site supervisor who has closely
watched and supervised their efforts as counselors-in-training. We have used the COUN
249 Site Supervisor Evaluation through which site supervisors evaluate candidates’ fieldwork placement as a data
source for this standard because some specific items in this evaluation directly evaluate
candidates’ multicultural competence and commitment to diversity.
Specific Elements of Data Source:
The following items from the Site Supervisor Evaluation were selected for analysis:
- Have knowledge and ability to work with students of diverse backgrounds including socioeconomic disadvantages, English learners, homeless youth, foster youths, sexual minority youths, and racial and ethnic minorities
- Have knowledge and ability to work with students with disabilities and other educational/socioemotional needs that impact learning (including knowledge of IEP and Section 504 plans).
- Understand information on school, district, State, and Federal policies and the impact of resulting practices.
Definition of Success for Each Element:
Site supervisors evaluated students on a 4-point likert scale (1 = Very Unsatisfactory,
2 = Moderately Unsatisfactory, 3 = Moderately Satisfactory, 4 = Very Satisfactory).
Success for this data source will be indicated by achieving an average of 3.0 or higher.
Displays of Analyzed Data:
A total of 28 site supervisor evaluations were analyzed from Spring 2020 and Fall
2020 semesters. All evaluations were from one calendar year because previous academic
year evaluations were only kept as hardcopies and could not be accessed due to COVID-19
pandemic safety protocols and working remotely. Only Spring 2020 (when COVID-19 pandemic
started) and Fall 2020 surveys were conducted online and hence only those could be
analyzed.
Please see below a table that displays the means across survey items from the site supervisor evaluation that addresses this standard.
| Survey Item | Sample Size | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| Have knowledge and ability to work with students of diverse backgrounds including socioeconomic disadvantages, English learners, homeless youth, foster youths, sexual minority youths, and racial and ethnic minorities | 28 |
3.71 |
| Have knowledge and ability to work with students with disabilities and other educational/ socioemotional needs that impact learning (including knowledge of IEP and Section 504 plans). | 28 |
3.57 |
| Understand information on school, district, State, and Federal policies and the impact of resulting practices. | 28 |
3.61 |
Link to Full Dataset:
Interpretation of Data:
Means for three survey items from the site supervisor evaluation were calculated and
examined. The range of the means for these survey items was 3.57 to 3.71. All means
were above 3.0, indicating that site supervisors rated all students in the “moderately
satisfactory” to “very satisfactory” range. This suggests that site supervisors generally
perceived students to exhibit the knowledge, skills, and abilities related to culturally
responsive practice.
Next Steps:
Based on the data sources included in this report, school counseling students have
a suitable understanding of culturally responsive practices that include intersectionality
of multiple levels of identity. Students explored and analyzed their own as well as
others’ experiences to increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills to work with
diverse populations. Students’ performance indicated that most of them have received
high ratings on all evaluative areas.
In order to address what we found, the program plans to enhance candidates’ opportunities for self-work. These findings demonstrated the value of students’ engagement with self-evaluation and research to improve their understanding of the experiences of marginalized groups. Based on these results, the program also aims to continue creating opportunities for self-awareness and increased knowledge to facilitate the understanding of intersectionality among school counseling students. It is critical for our students to embrace culturally responsive practices to effectively work with students and understand the impact of diversity related issues on learning.