Teacher Certification Office Yearly Report

Covering the 2005-06 Academic Year Scott Fiedler – Coordinator of Teacher Certification

Missouri State University Teacher Certification Office Yearly Report: 2005-06 Academic Year Section I – Major Changes this Academic Year A. Staffing Changes 1. VIP Graduate Assistant re-located B. Budget Information 1. Yearly Office Supply Budget 2. Transcript Analysis Fee Budge C. Addition of New Certification Programs since 2002 1. VIP Alternative Certification Program Approval 2. Severely Developmentally Disabled – Alternative Certification Program 3. Future Directions: i. Elementary Education at Crowder College ii. Expand MAT to either West Plains or Northeast area D. Teacher’s Aide Rule Changes E. Office Projects 1. Website re-designed 2. Post bac Guide to Teacher Certification re-designed 3. Community College Agreements Established 4. Yearly Program Changes Reported to DESE 5. Office database expanded and query system developed 6. Monitoring of BSED Graduates who have not passed Praxis II 7. Credit Card Processing Section II – Student Data A. Certified Students Since Summer, 2002 by year (both BSED and Post Bac/Masters) B. Active Students According to the Teacher Certification Office Fall, 2003 vs Fall 2005 1. Active Students in our database – Totals since 2002 2. Active Students by Program Type 3. New Students Requesting an Analysis, Fall04 – Summer05 4. Active vs. Inactive Students 5. Students Registered for classes by area C. Deleted Students 1. Total Deleted Students per year since 2002 D. Students on a Provisional Certificate

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1. Yearly totals since 2002 2. Currently teaching on a provisional by area E. Teachers Aide Rule/One Block Waivers 1. Yearly Totals since 2002 2. Totals by area Section III – Office Workload A. Number of Analysis completed 1. Yearly Totals of new analysis per year since 2002 2. Yearly totals of updates per year since 2002 3. Combined Totals B. Front Office Staff 1. Average Phone calls per day 2. Number of new transcripts received per day 3. Transcript Analysis Requests processed per day C. Coordinator Work Load 1. Advising Appointments (30 day period) 2. Consultations with Faculty/Staff (30 day period) 3. Student requests for information (30 day period) 4. Certification Issues (30 day period)

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INTRODUCTION For the 4th straight year, the Teacher Certification Office has seen a steady increase in the number of students interested in pursuing teacher certification at the Post Baccalaureate or Master’s Level. The Mater of Arts in Teaching (MAT) is now the second largest Masters program at Missouri State, closely followed by the Special Education Alternative Certification Track (SEACT) which has grown from a handful of students to over 100 in only 3 years. The new Visually Impaired certification program has resulted in an increase of over 100 students in it’s first year and is now serving students in 7 states and 2 countries, and the new Severely Disabled certification program, while intended to be a small program, will also cause in increase in overall numbers. In 2002, the Teacher Certification Office worked with approximately 350 students seeking certification. That number has grown to a consistent 900-950 in 2006. The purpose of this report is to highlight the changes, recognize the accomplishments, and provide the data related to the work done by the Teacher Certification Office during the 2005-06 academic year.

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Teacher Certification Office Missouri State University

Section #1 Major Changes During 2005-06 This section of the yearly report describes the major changes that have occurred within the Teacher Certification Office within the last academic year. A. Staffing Changes In 2005 an additional Graduate Assistant was added to the Teacher Certification Office in response to the addition of the new nation-wide Visually Impaired Certification Program. The primary responsibility of this graduate assistant was to monitor the recruitment application and selection process for all students pursuing Visually Impaired certification at Missouri State University. Due to the rapid growth of this new program and the complex nature of a nationwide web-based program, this position required that the GA spend all 20 hours per week monitoring the program. During the 2004-05 academic year, office traffic again increased as a larger number of students contacted the Teacher Certification Office for information regarding our certification programs. Therefore, an additional student worker was also added to the office staff to assist in the additional workload. Therefore, in fall 2005 the staffing pattern was changed to the following: Coordinator of Teacher Certification Teacher Certification Assistant - Transcript Analyst Graduate Assistant – Office Administration Graduate Assistant – Data Management and Student Tracking Graduate Assistant – Visually Impaired Certification Program Tracking Student Worker – 15 hours/week: Data Entry and General Office Work Student Worker – 20 hours/week: Special Projects, office traffic. Unfortunately, at the end of spring 2006 it was learned that the Graduate Assistant position for the VIP program would be moved back to the Associate Dean’s Office and would have shared responsibilities with that office. Immediately this change affected our ability to effectively work with these students in a consistent and timely manner. As of fall 2006 this graduate student will now be working with both the VIP program and the Special Education and Elementary Education Master’s Programs, which will further pull this employee from the VIP program. Due to the continuing increase in office traffic and number of active students in our post bac and masters level certification programs and the amount of money spent on student workers and graduate assistants simply to handle daily office traffic, the Teacher Certification Office is requesting that a Full Time Administrative Secretary position be added. This would eliminate the need for one Graduate Assistant and one Student Worker, and would allow for our office to work much more effectively and consistently with incoming students.

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B. Budget Information The Teacher Certification Office currently operates on the following budgets:  Office Supply Budget: 1015-11-0305 This budget is used for daily office expenses such as phone and data lines, long distance, office supplies, postage and printing. o Total budgeted for 2005-06: $2,200.00 o Total Expenditures for 2005-06: $6,500.00 

Transcript Analysis Fees: 1017-11-0335 This budget is used for all student worker salary, one Graduate Assistant salary, travel expenses, and any major equipment purchases. o Account balance July 1, 2005: $ -14,580.00 o Deposits 2005-06: $ 18,485.00 o Expenditures 2005-06: $ 21,107.00 o Balance as of June 30, 2006:

$ -18,629.00

o Student wages paid in 2005-06 $ 18,440.00 The obvious conclusion is that if the Teacher Certification Office did not have to pay for two student workers and one Graduate Assistant out of the Transcript Analysis Budget, our income would far exceed our expenses and we would not have a negative balance. 

Transcript Analysis Deposits: 1016-00-1245 This account is used to deposit money from Transcript Analysis fees (see deposits above).

C. Addition of New Certification Programs since 2002 In the 2005-06, the Teacher Certification Office was responsible for monitoring and administering the following programs:  26 Initial Certification Programs  7 Added Certificate Programs  4 Alternative Certification Program (MAT, SEACT, SDD, VIP) Visually Impaired (Blind and Partially Sighted) Alternative Certification Program: In November 2005 Missouri State received formal approval from DESE to add Blind and Partially Sighted (Visually Impaired) (Birth – Grade 12) as an “Alternative Certification Program”. This program immediately increased the workload of the Teacher Certification Office staff. To begin this program, the following activities were completed:  Website: New VIP Program website developed to include information for currently certified teachers, new Teacher Education candidates and those interested in Project Diverse as a funding source for this program.  Publications: Academic Program guide, DESE Certification Matrix and Transcript Analysis template. Also developed new application materials including form letters and a “Declaration of Intent” form.

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During the 2005-06 academic year, the number of students pursuing certification in Visually Impaired has grew rapidly. The following table provides data regarding the change in students pursuing this certification: Table 1

Academic Year

Active Students 20 30 91

Enrolled Students 7 15 48

# of States Represented 2 5 7

2004-05 2005-06 Fall, 2006 (Official Census) Percent Increase Since 2004

355%

586%

250%

Because this program serves students adding certification and earning initial certification, the following table provides data regarding the number of students actively pursuing certification in each area: Table 2

Academic Year Fall, 2006 (official Census)

VIP (Initial Certification) 34

VIP Added (Adding Certification) 57

Severely Developmentally Disabled (SDD) Alternative Certification Program In July 2006 Missouri State received formal approval from DESE to add Severely Developmentally Disabled (SDD) (Birth – Grade 12) as an “Alternative Certification Program”. This program has also increased the workload of the Teacher Certification Office staff. To begin this program, the following activities will be completed fall 2006:  Website: New SDD Program website developed to include both recruitment and application materials for those interested in pursuing this certification program.  Publications: An Academic Program guide, DESE Certification Matrix and Transcript Analysis template are under development fall 2006. Information on this program was also added to the Post Baccalaureate Guide to Teacher Certification  DESE Certification Matrix and MOSTEP Matrix: Both a Certification Matrix and a MOSTEP Matrix were developed and will now need to be maintained long-term. Future Directions: Currently there are discussions within the College of Education to expand certification programs at both the undergraduate and Post Bac/Masters Level. The following programs may be expanded within the next year:  Elementary/Middle School Education at Crowder College  MAT Program in West Plains or somewhere Northeast  SEACT Program in Joplin D. Teacher’s Aide Rule Changes for 2006-07 Students who enroll in EDC150 beginning Spring 2006 are no longer allowed to get “Prior Experience Credit” for student teaching utilizing the Teacher’s Aide Rule. Instead, they are required to enroll in alternative student teaching coursework (EDC199 and EDC499 or program equivalent). During EDC199, the Coordinator of Teacher Certification is responsible for

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observing them in the classroom for a minimum of 2 hours to verify that they are performing duties that qualify them for credit. Students are also required to complete a teaching journal and a time log for the semester they are enrolled in EDC199. During Spring 2006, 1 student enrolled in EDC199 and was supervised by the Coordinator of Teacher Certification. Fall 2006, 11 students have registered for EDC199 and are being supervised. These students are located throughout Southwest Missouri, and several of them are over 100 miles from Springfield. If this program continues to grow as anticipated, other resources will need to be utilized to supervise these students. E. Office Projects Completed During the 2005-06 academic year, several projects were completed by the Teacher Certification Office staff: 1. Website Re-Designed: In Summer 2006, the Teacher Certification Office moved their website to a new address: www.missouristate.edu so that prospective students would be able to find it more easily. This address also worked better in publications than the previous web address that was very long and difficult to type. The staff then participated in a day-long retreat to re-design the entire website to make it more user-friendly and organized. Once the re-design concept was developed, the entire site (over 100 pages) was moved to webpress. This process took approximately 2 months. 2. Post Baccalaureate Guide to Teacher Certification: This publication is reprinted every two years. Due to the large number of changes to certification programs at the post bac and masters level during the last two years, the entire guide needed to be re-designed and several new pages were added. The new guides were available in August, 2006. 3. Community College Agreements/PEU Codes Established: In 2005, a new system of PEU codes were developed to aid in the transfer of education courses from Community Colleges. Once established, the staff in the Teacher Certification Office began the process of contacting all of the Community Colleges with education programs to reevaluate those courses and update our articulation agreement. An advising worksheet was then developed for each community college program displaying which courses students should complete as part of their AA degree in order to transfer easily to Missouri State’s Elementary Education program. These agreements will now be maintained longterm by the Teacher Certification Office. 4. Yearly Program Changes Reported to DESE: In spring 2005 it was determined that the College of Education should communicate all program changes to DESE on a yearly basis. This responsibility fell under the Teacher Certification Office. In May 2005 all of the program changes since the DESE/NCATE visit were brought to DESE for review and approval. This has now become a yearly process, and changes that occurred during the 2005-06 academic year will be brought to DESE during fall 2006. The Teacher Certification Office will continue to track ALL curricular changes effecting certification programs, and will report those changes yearly to DESE.

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5. Office Database Expanded and Query System Developed: In 2004 the Teacher Certification Office developed a web-based database to track all paperwork processes and students pursuing certification at the post bac or masters level. It was then determined that the database could track all data needed for reporting purposes in the MAT, SEACT, VIP and SDD programs. Therefore, the database underwent a major update to include this information. Once completed, a new query system was then developed so that data could easily be extracted from the database. This process, in conjunction with Web Services at Missouri State was took approximately 9 months to complete. 6. Monitoring of BSED Graduates Missing Praxis II Exam: During spring, 2006 it was discovered that the Degree Check Office at Missouri State had been holding the “Application for Missouri Teachers Certificate” for all BSED Graduate who had not passed Praxis. However, no one in that office or in the College of Education was following up with any of those students to encourage them to attempt the Praxis II again or to determine their intent. Therefore, in Spring 2006 the Teacher Certification Office assumed responsibility for the tracking of all students who have graduated but did not pass Praxis. As of Fall, 2006 we have tracked 62 students. The Table Below provides data regarding these 62 students:

Status Have Passed Praxis and are now Certified Have chosen not to pursue certification Still attempting to pass Praxis and become certified Attempted to contact, but have received no response

Number of Students 15 9 15 23

7. Credit Card Processing: In February 2005, it was determined that the number of requests from students to pay their Transcript Analysis Fee by credit card had increased to the point where it was necessary to investigate the possibility of accepting credit card payments in the Teacher Certification Office. After brief discussions with Financial Services, it was determined that we could easily incorporate credit card payments into our current transcript analysis process. In February 2005 the Teacher Certification Office began processing Credit Card Payments in person and over the phone. Due to the low volume of transactions in comparison to Financial Services, it was also determined that the Teacher Certification Office would not be charged for any of the credit card processing fees. New processes were developed for the processing of individual cards over the phone and in person, each staff member was trained to process credit cards, and the Transcript Analyst agreed to coordinate the deposits and all other record-keeping associated with this process.

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Section #2 2005-06 Student Data The purpose of this section is to provide demographic and enrollment data for the students in the post baccalaureate and masters level certification programs. Table 3a

Certified Students Per Academic Year (Fall, Spring, Summer) Academic Year Post Bac/MAT Undergraduate Students Certified Students Certified 2002-03 111 417 2003-04 137 382 2004-05 134 390 2005-06 115 412

Total Students Certified 528 519 524 527

Table 3b

Students actively seeking certification through the Teacher Certification Office Academic Year Active Students Percent Increase Over Previous Year 2002-03 477* n/a 2003-04 460* (**) -4% 2004-05 706 35% 2005-06 761 7% Fall 2006 (census) 960 21% *based on CECT Codes in Missouri State Database ** Slight decrease was due to the removal of old CECT codes from inactive and deleted students

Table 3c

Active Students by Program Type: Program 2005-06 Post Bac 551 MAT 86 MAT-Joplin 16 MSED 13 SEACT 66 VIP 0 ADDED 29

2006-07 624 105 31 27 77 22 95

Table 4

New Students requesting at least one analysis, including those admitted to Alternative Certification Programs (MAT, SEACT, VIP, SDD) Academic Year Number of New Analysis 2004-05 300 2005-06 824

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Active vs. Inactive Students Each Fall, the Teacher Certification Office staff reviews each student file to determine which students have had no activity in the last 3 semesters. Activity would include any of the following:  Requesting an analysis  Requesting an update to an analysis  Taking at least one course at Missouri State  Taking a course at another institution for certification and transferring it to Missouri State Table 5

Active vs. Inactive Students Year

Active

Inactive

Fall, 2002 Fall. 2003 Fall, 2004 Fall, 2005 Fall, 2006

325 441 706 761 960

No data No data 256 269 322

Percent of Students Inactive n/a n/a 36% 35% 34%

Table 6

Active Post Bac and Masters Students Registered for Classes at Missouri State Year Total Active Total Percent Registered Registered 2002-03 325 290 89% 2003-04 441 340 77% 2004-05 706 275 39% 2005-06 761 368 48% Fall 2006 960 444 46% As the numbers above indicate, since the requests for certification has risen very quickly we have been unable to provide the quality service required to assist a large percentage of students in registering for classes. While fewer than 50% of active students are registered at Missouri State, the rest fall into the following categories: 1. Those taking correspondence or online courses at another institution to meet deficiencies 2. Those who requested an analysis after classes started, and are waiting until the following semester to start classes 3. Those who are sitting out for a semester, but will be returning 4. Those who have decided not to complete the program, but have not notified our office. I believe this indicates an area of needed improvement in our office. However, the Coordinator of Teacher Certification is the only advisor in this office, and currently has over 400 advisees. Unless a full-time Academic Advisor is hired for this office, the percentage of registered students will remain low.

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Deleted Students Each fall, the Teacher Certification Office staff reviews all “inactive” student files to determine which files have had no activity in the last three years. Those files are then deleted. If a student’s file is deleted, they must submit all new materials if they wish to pursue certification in the future. Table 7

Deleted Students Since the 2002-03 Academic Year Year Students Deleted 2002-03 912 2003-04 278 2004-05 236 2005-06 202 This indicates an area that is in need of improvement. We lost 36% of our total post bac certification student population in 2004 and 21% in 2005. This can only be improved through the acquisition of additional staff to follow up with these students. Students on a Provisional Certificate Changes in the TAC rule in 2003 have allowed students to teach while pursuing certification through DESE. At the same time, we requested and received approval to consider all post bac and masters level certification students “alternative” certification students. Therefore, all were eligible for Provisional Certification. The following tables provide data regarding provisional certificates at Missouri State:

Year

2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-06 Total

Number of Students Recommended for Provisional 11 74 120 102 307

Percent Increase over the Prior Year

573% 62% -15%

Students Who Requested a Provisional Certificate Actively 164 Teaching on a Certificate

Number of students currently teaching on a Provisional Certificate broken down by area: (Both Confirmed by DESE and pending approval but teaching) Teaching Area Number of Students Fall, 2006 Early Childhood Education 2 Early Childhood Special Education 1 Elementary Education 6 Cross-Categorical Special Education 55 Blind and Partially Sighted 4 Middle School Education 22 Secondary Education 11

Agriculture Art (K-12) Business (9-12) Biology – Categorical Biology – Unified Science Chemistry – Categorical Chemistry – Unified Science Earth Science – Categorical English (9-12) French (K-12) German (K-12) Journalism (9-12) Mathematics (9-12) Music – Instrumental (K-12) Music – Vocal/Choral (K-12) Physical Education (K-12) Physics – Categorical (9-12) Physics – Unified Science (9-12) Social Studies (9-12) Spanish (K-12) Speech/Theatre (9-12) TESOL (K-12) Vocational Family and Consumer Science Total

1 7 15 1 5 0 2 1 10 1 0 0 12 3 2 1 0 1 3 3 1 2 3 164

Teacher’s Aide Rule/One Block Waiver The addition of the Teacher’s Aide Rule has allowed a number of students to pursue certification while working in the public schools as either a Teacher’s Aide or as a teacher on a Provisional Certificate. This program has also added a significant work load to the Teacher Certification Office staff. Beginning Spring 2006, all students pursuing credit for student teaching utilizing the Teacher’s Aide Rule are required to register for EDC199 and be supervised in the classroom by the Coordinator of Teacher Certification. During fall 2006, 11 students enrolled in EDC199 and will be visited in classrooms throughout Southwest Missouri. The following tables provide data regarding the Teacher’s Aide Rule and One-Block Waivers: * It should be noted that the number of TAR and OBW requests approved is typically very high because the Coordinator of Teacher Certification meets with each student who applies for a waiver before any paperwork is completed. Only those students who have relevant experience and a good chance of being approved are actually encouraged to apply for the TAR or OWB.

Teachers Aide Rule (TAR) Requested Per Year Year # Approved Approved Requested 1 Block 2 Blocks 2002-03 54* 20* 18* 2003-04

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Denied 8*

Pending 8*

% Approved 85%*

2004-05 2005-06 28 * Data is not available by year.

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Teachers Aide Rule (TAR) by Area Overall Totals – Since Program Began in 2002/03 academic year Area # Requested # Approved # Denied Early Childhood 21 19 2 Elementary 26 22 4 Special Education 9 6 3 Middle School 3 3 0 Secondary Education 17 15 2 Totals 76 65 11

0

93%

% Approved 90% 85% 67% 100% 88% 86%

One Block Waivers (OBW) Requested Per Year since program began in 2002/03 academic year Year # Requested # Approved # Denied % Approved 2002-03 No Data No Data No Data No Data 2003-04 6 5 1 83% 2004-05 2005-06 0 0 0 n/a Teacher’s Aide Rule and One Block Waivers (OBW) approved per group since program began in 2002/2003 academic year Group Approved Denied % Approved Post 46 9 81% Bac/Masters 88% Undergraduate 24 3 Total

70

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83%

Section #3 Office Workload The purpose of this section is to highlight the actual workload of the Teacher Certification Office. Work load will be broken down per employee, and data pertaining to the volume of work completed will be reported. Transcript Analyst: The Teacher Certification Office completes a Transcript Analysis for each student expressing interest in teacher certification, whether or not that student ever pursues coursework for certification. Historically, approximately 50% of those who receive an analysis are actually taking coursework that semester. Therefore, the number of students receiving an analysis from our office is typically double that of enrolled students with a CECT (Teacher Certification) code. 13

Prior to 2002, Transcript Analysis was completed ONLY by the Director of Teacher Certification. Due to increased volume of requests, a Graduate Assistant was hired during the 2002-03 academic year to assist with this process. Quickly, transcript analysis became that GA’s only responsibility. In summer 2005, it was determined that the responsibility of transcript analysis needed to be shifted to a full-time employee who would work in the Teacher Certification Office for more than 1-2 years. Since there is a significant learning curve in this position, a long-term employee was needed. Therefore, the Administrative Secretary position was changed to a Transcript Analyst position. Work Load of the Transcript Analyst: This person is also responsible for monitoring the office budget, completing all deposits and credit card processing, and assisting with office traffic as needed. The following table highlights the number of analysis completed per year: Number of Analysis Complete Per Year since 2002 Academic Year New Analysis Updates 2002-03 147 120 2003-04 214 198 2004-05 450 294 2005-06 824 537

Total Analysis 267 412 744 1361

Number of Analysis Completed in 2005-06 Per Employee Employee Analysis Completed Brooke Turner (Graduate Assistant) 71 Carrol Vaught (Graduate Assistant) 54 Cindy Yoest (Graduate Assistant) 9 Jane Peterson (Graduate Assistant 10 Jennifer Jensen (Transcript Analyst) 648 Mary Hall (Student Worker) 248 Scott Fiedler (Coordinator) 164 Not Indicated 157 Transcript Analysis Fee Income by Fiscal Year: Year Total Income 2002-03 $ 9,635.00 2003-04 $ 7,305.00* 2004-05 $ 12,245.00 2005-06 $ 19,140.75 * July 2004: Transcript Analysis fees increased from $25 to $40, and the number of analysis requested per student was limited to 3.

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Fiscal Year Income by Month 2500 FY 02 - 03 FY 03 - 04 FY 04 - 05 FY 05 - 06 2000

Dollars

1500

1000

500

0 Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Months

Graduate Assistants: The Graduate Assistants are primarily responsible for all daily office traffic including answering phones and scheduling appointments, processing all incoming and out-going mail, receiving and sending faxes, and providing potential students with information on our Post Bac and Masters level certification programs. Currently, the GA’s are also responsible for the maintenance and enhancement of our office database, and all updates to our Academic Program Guides, analysis templates, and certification Matrix’s (as directed by the Coordinator). Workload of the Graduate Assistants: The following table highlights the amount of office traffic handled by the Graduate Assistants: Office Traffic by area per month Responsibility

Phone Calls Received Phone Calls Made Appointments Scheduled Walk-Ins requesting Information Transcripts Received and Processed

Average # of Contacts Per Month 410 80 43 43

Average Time Spent per Contact 10 minutes 10 minutes 2 minutes 15 minutes

Total Minutes Per Month 4100 800 86 645

97

15 minutes

1455

15

New Student Applications 47 Processed Out of State Applications 8 Processed Totals Per Month 728

20 minutes

940

15 minutes

120 8146

Based on the above data, the current amount of office traffic currently uses almost all of the time worked by our two Graduate Assistants. This prevents them from completing any other tasks for our office. Since office traffic does not decrease during break periods, this adds a great deal of extra responsibility to the Transcript Analyst and Coordinator during times the Graduate Assistants are not on contract. 1 hour = 60 minutes 20 hours per week = 1,200 minutes per week Multiply by 4 weeks per month = 4,800 minutes per GA Multiply by 2 GA’s = 9,600 Minutes per month available Coordinator of Teacher Certification: The Coordinator of Teacher Certification is responsible for the overall administration of all Teacher Certification programs at both the Post Baccalaureate and Masters level. Some specific responsibilities currently include:  Academic Advising for all post bac certification students  Academic Advising for ½ of the MAT students  Respond to potential students to discuss certification programs through email, phone and meetings on campus for all post bac and masters programs  Maintain all printed publications relating to teacher certification (Post Bac Guide to Teacher Certification)  Complete transcript analysis as needed (overflow)  Serve as an non-voting member on the following committees Professional Education Committee PEC Screening Committee College of Education Exceptions Committee BSED Oversight Committee Early Childhood Program Screening Committee (voting member)        

Coordinate the articulation of all Community College Education coursework Monitor all BSED programs for compliance with DESE certification Requirements Assist faculty and staff in proposing new certification programs to DESE Report yearly to DESE regarding all changes in certification programs offered at Missouri State Respond to students, faculty and staff regarding issues relating to certification Supervise full time staff and graduate assistants Web developer for the Teacher Certification Office. Also the web developer for the Advisement Center, and the Student Services Office as needed. Process all applications for certification, Out of State Verification Forms, Provisional Applications

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Administer the Teacher’s Aide Rule and One-Block Waiver policy. Teacher of Record for EDC199, and student teaching supervision for approximately 15 students per semester.

Coordinator Workflow: The following chart highlights the volume of student, faculty and staff contact by the Coordinator of Teacher Certification. Responsibility

Average Contacts per Month

Advising Meetings Advising Post Bac Students Advising MAT Students Advising through Mail Advising Post Bac Students Advising MAT Students Advising by Telephone Advising Post Bac Students Advising MAT Students Total Advising Contacts Per Month Responsibility

25 10 20 3 123 Average Contacts Per Month

Consultations with Faculty and Staff Faculty Staff Total Contacts Responsibility Requests for Information Phone Email Meetings * VI Program Inquiries (New Program) Total Contacts Responsibility Certification Issues Phone Email/Correspondence Meetings

50 15

16 12 28 Average Contacts Per Month 30 30 15 10 75 Average Contacts Per Month

23 14 8 Total Contacts 45

Total contacts in an average 30 day period: 271 17

Conclusions Based on the data collected from the 2005-06 academic year, the following conclusions can be made regarding the work load of the Teacher Certification Office (TCO): 1. The maximum student workload the Teacher Certification Office can maintain and provide quality customer service to the students with the current staffing pattern is approximately 700 students. Currently, the TCO is serving over 900 students. This was determined based on the following: A. Our enrollment rate for active students is only approximately 50%, and approximately 35% of our students are “inactive”. Currently, we have no staff to contact students to encourage and support their enrollment B. The advisement load for the Coordinator of Teacher Certification is averaging 450 students. That constitutes the largest advising load in the College of Education. C. Judy Gregg, who has been designated as an additional advisor for our office consistently reports to our staff that she cannot see students for weeks at a time because of her work load placing student teachers and practicum students. D. Judy Pickering, who has also been designated as an additional advisor for our office is completely booked during spring and fall advising seasons and has only met with two post bac students fall 2006 due to scheduling difficulties. 2. No new programs can be added to the Teacher Certification Office workload without adding an additional full-time Academic Advisor, which would release the Coordinator of Teacher Certification to administer these additional programs. 3. The online VIP program will need to practice controlled growth. Currently, this program is growing at a rate of 355% over two years, and even with a dedicated Graduate Assistant this program is requiring a great deal of administrative support from our staff because it is being offered nation-wide. Unless the program is capped at 100, additional support staff will be needed. 4. The largest need currently is for the Teacher Certification Office to obtain funding for a fulltime Administrative Secretary. On any given day, up to 5 different employees may answer the office telephone, and we are being forced to use Graduate Assistants and Student Workers to explain complicated post bac and masters level certification programs to students. Since the average length of employment for a GA or student worker in our office is 18 months, we are constantly training new staff. With an average 6 month learning curve, we believe students are getting very inconsistent and sometimes inaccurate information.

Future Directions The Teacher Certification Office is currently working toward completion of the following goals for the 2006-07 academic year: 1. Re-write the Teacher Certification Office Policy and Procedures Manual. This document will easily reach 100 pages in length. 2. Complete an updated MoSTEP Matrix for ALL teacher certification programs, and permanently house them on the TCO website

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3. Continue to lobby for office expansion to Hill Hall 207, and for a new Administrative Secretary and a Full-time Academic Advisor.

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