AAQEP Accreditation 2022
Standard 3 Aspect F
Standard 3f: 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.
Description of Faculty Resources to support program:(See Appendix C: Faculty Qualifications)
As of July 2021, there are six tenured and tenure-track faculty in the Reading/Literacy
Program. All faculty have doctoral degrees in literacy fields and experience working
in K-12 classrooms. Dr. Imelda Basurto, Professor, works in the areas of intermediate
grades literacy and multicultural education. Dr. Lisa Bennett, Associate Professor,
works in the areas of early childhood literacy education and teacher inquiry. Dr.
Maria Goff, Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator, works in secondary literacy
education and literacy teacher learning. Dr. Steve Hart, Professor, works in the areas
of elementary literacy and service learning. Dr. David Low, Associate Professor, works
in the areas of critical pedagogy and literacy education. Dr. Juliet Wahleithner,
Associate Professor and Director of the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, works
in the areas of writing and teaching writing.
Combined, program faculty provide a well-rounded expertise in K-12 literacy research, instruction, and assessment.
Description of Staffing Support resources to support program:
(See Appendix C: Staff Qualifications)
The Reading/Literacy program faculty and students are supported by three key staff
members throughout the various phases of the program.
Renee Petch, Graduate Admissions Analyst, supports the program applicants through their application process and communicates with the program coordinator to review and approve applications in a timely manner. Renee continues to support students and the program coordinator throughout the program by processing Advancements to Candidacy, course substitution requests, and applications for graduation.
Carmen Chapmen, LEBSE Department Assistant, supports Reading/Literacy program faculty and students. Carmen ensures courses are correctly entered into the schedule of classes and available for students to register. Carmen also helps students in the registration process as needed.
Sherri Nakashima, Credential Analyst, supports the Reading/Literacy program coordinator and completers. Sherri tracks and forwards CTC credentialing updates to the program coordinator and processes Reading/Literacy Added Authorization and Reading/Literacy Leadership Specialist Credential applications for candidates and completers.
Description of Institutional Support for program:
(See Appendix C: Facilities and Appendix C: Student Support Services)
The Reading/Literacy program is fully online and does not require the use of classroom
facilities. However, the instructional designers in the Center for Faculty Excellence
(CFE) provide support in the development of the Reading/Literacy Program Canvas site
and in the development of courses in the Canvas LMS.
Institutional support of Reading/Literacy students and faculty comes from a variety of resources. The Division of Research and Graduate Studies provides important dates, deadlines, and processes for all graduate students as well as information for scholarships and fellowships. The Graduate Writing Studio offers writing support for graduate students at any phase of their program and the Graduate Statistics Studio offers research and statistical support for graduate students. The Kremen School has a subject specific librarian, Matthew Doyle, who is available to provide research support for students. The Technology Services Help Center offers technology support for students and faculty through email and Zoom as well as through device lending programs.
Description of Student Mechanisms and how data are used:
The program seeks student feedback at multiple times throughout the program. In the
middle of each of the first four semesters, students are sent a check-in survey through
Google Forms. This survey is brief, consisting of three questions. Students rate the
current semester so far (good, just okay, not so good), have the option to give an
additional descriptive response, and select if they would like to set up a 15 or 30-minute
advising meeting with the program coordinator. The program coordinator reviews this
data and sets up advising appointments with the students who submitted a request and
will address common questions or concerns with the whole cohort either through a meeting
or through an email. For example, if many students have questions about the Advancement
to Candidacy process, the program coordinator will advise students on the processes
and documents linked in the program Canvas site.
At the end of the program, before students take their comprehensive exam, or, if they are not in the MA program, before they apply for their Specialist Credential, students must complete the Program Exit Survey. While this survey has been in existence for a number of years, the program coordinator was the only person to review this data. Going forward, the program will review and analyze each cohort’s exit survey data at the start of each academic year. The exit survey data will inform future programmatic and course-level decisions to ensure the program is reaching its goals for student success.