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Program Goals

The philosophy of the Secondary Education Department at San Jose State University is based on a vision of professional educators who can funcation effectively and sensitively in the multicultural, multilingual, and technologically complex environment of today's secondary schools. The faculty is committed to preparing teachers who are critical and reflective practiioners who are prepared to:

1. make informed and thoughtful decisons in their daily practice,
2. serve in diverse educational contexts,
3. promote equity, respect for person, and social justice, and
4. provide fair-minded and responsive instruction for ethnically and linguistically diverse populations.

These teachers must also be aware of uses of technology for learning, and they must be well-prepared in current education throry, reseach, methods, and practice.

Outcomes - Single Subject Credential

(based on Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Professional Teacher Preparation Programs - Teacher Performance Expectations (TPE))

Single subject candidates will practice and be able to:

TPE 1: Specific Pedagogical Skills for Subject Matter Instruction in a single subject assignment

• demonstrate specific pedagogical skills for subject matter instruction in a single subject assignment

TPE 2: Monitoring Student Learning During Instruction

• use progress monitoring at key points during instruction to determine whether students are progressing adequately toward achieving the state-adopted academic content standards for students
• pace instruction and re-teach content based on evidence gathered using assessment strategies such as questioning students and examining student work and products
• anticipate, check for, and address common student misconceptions and misunderstandings

TPE 3: Interpretation and Use of Assessments

• understand and use a variety of informal and formal, as well as formative and summative assessments, to determine students' progress and plan instruction
• understand the purposes and uses of different types of diagnostic instruments, including entry level, progress-monitoring and summative assessments.
• use multiple measures to assess student knowledge, skills, and behaviors
• know about and can appropriately use informal classroom assessments and analyze student work
• understand format and administration of standardized testing
• accurately interpret assessment data to identify level of proficiency of ELL
• explain, to students and to their families, student academic and behavioral strengths, areas for academic growth, promotion and retention policies, and how a grade or progress report is derived

TPE 4: Making Content Accessible

• incorporate specific and varied strategies, teaching/instructional activities, procedures, materials, and experiences that address state-adopted academic content standards for students
• prioritize and sequence essential skills and strategies in a logical, coherent manner relative to students' current level of achievement.
• explain content clearly and reinforce content in multiple ways
• provide opportunities and adequate time for students to practice and apply what they have learned
• distinguish between conversational and academic language, develop student skills in using and understanding academic language, and teach students strategies to read and comprehend a variety of information sources in the subject(s) taught
• encourage student creativity and imagination
• motivate students and encourage student effort
• foster access and comprehension for all learners
• adjust lesson designs relative to students' current level of achievement.

TPE 5: Student Engagement

• clearly communicate instructional objectives to students
• ensure the active and equitable participation of all students and monitor student progress toward academic goals.
• candidates examine off-task behavior and use strategies to re-engage students
• encourage students to share and examine points of view during lessons
• use community resources, student experiences, and applied learning activities to make instruction relevant
• ask stimulating questions, help students frame meaningful questions, and challenge student ideas.

TPE 6B: Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Grades 4-8

• build on students' command of basic skills and understandings
• design learning activities to extend students' concrete thinking, foster abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills, and help students develop learning strategies to cope with increasingly challenging academic curriculum
• help students develop personal skills like time management, group work, peer relationships, appropriate classroom behavior, and responsibility to maximize learning

TPE 6C: Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Grades 9-12

• establish intellectually challenging academic expectations and provide opportunities for students to develop advanced thinking and problem-solving skills
• communicate course goals, requirements, and grading criteria to students and families
• help students to understand connections between the curriculum and life beyond high school, and the consequences of academic choices in terms of future career, school and life options
• promote behaviors important for work such as taking responsibility, being on time, and completing assignments
• understand and show sensitivity toward characteristics of adolescence

TPE 7: Teaching English Learners

• know and apply pedagogical theories, principles, and instructional practices for comprehensive instruction of English learners and English Language Development leading to comprehensive literacy in English
• familiar with the philosophy, design, goals, and characteristics of programs for English language development, including structured English immersion
• implement an instructional program that facilitates English language development
• draw upon information about students' backgrounds and prior learning to provide instruction differentiated to students' language abilities
• understand how and when to collaborate with specialists and para-educators to support English language development
• select instructional materials and strategies to develop students' abilities to comprehend and produce English and extend students' current level of development
• know and apply pedagogical theories, principles and practices for the development of academic language, comprehension, and knowledge in the subject area
• use systematic, explicit instructional strategies to make grade-appropriate or advanced curriculum content comprehensible to English learners
• allow students to express meaning in a variety of ways
• apply understanding of cognitive, pedagogical, and individual factors that affect students' language acquisition when planning lessons for English language development and for academic content

TPE 8: Learning about Students

• use formal and informal methods to assess students' prior mastery of academic language abilities, content knowledge, and skills, and maximize learning opportunities for all students
• understand how multiple factors, including family/parental support, gender and health, can influence students' behavior, and understand the connections between students' health and their ability to learn
• identify students needing specialized instruction, including students whose physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or health status require instructional adaptations, and students who are gifted

TPE 9: Instructional Planning

• plan instruction that is comprehensive in relation to the subject matter to be taught and in accordance with state-adopted academic content standards for students
• establish clear long-term and short-term goals for student learning, based on state and local standards for student achievement as well as on students' current levels of achievement
• use explicit, appropriate, and effective teaching methods to help students meet or exceed grade level expectations
• sequence instruction so the content to be taught connects to preceding and subsequent content.
• select or adapt instructional strategies, grouping strategies, and instructional material to meet student learning goals and needs
• plan lessons that connect the content to be learned with students' linguistic and cultural backgrounds, experiences, interests, and developmental learning needs
• plan differentiated instruction
• use available aides and volunteers , when appropriate, to help students reach instructional goals

TPE 10: Instructional Time

• allocate and adjust instructional time to maximize student achievement in relation to state-adopted academic content standards for students, instructional goals and scheduled academic tasks.
• establish procedures to maximize instructional time

TPE 11: Social Environment

• develop and maintain clear expectations for academic and social behavior that create a positive climate for learning
• establish rapport with students and their families to support academic and personal success
• respond appropriately to sensitive issues and classroom discussions

TPE 12: Professional, Legal, and Ethical Obligations

• recognize ways in which personal values and biases affect the teaching and learning of students.
• intolerant of all forms of harassment, discrimination, and exploitation
• understand important elements of California and federal laws and procedures pertaining to the education of English learners, gifted students, and individuals with disabilities, including implications for their placement in classrooms
• can identify suspected cases of child abuse, neglect, violent behavior, and harassment and implement school and district guidelines for reporting such cases
• understand legal and professional obligations to protect the privacy, health, and safety of students, families, and other school professionals
• act in accordance with professional ethical considerations

TPE 13: Professional Growth

• reflect on and evaluate their own teaching practices and subject matter knowledge
• seek to improve their teaching practices by soliciting feedback and engaging in cycles of planning, teaching, reflecting, discerning problems, and applying new strategies
• use reflection and feedback to formulate and prioritize goals for increasing their subject matter knowledge and teaching effectiveness.

Secondary Education

Assessment Schedule (doc)

Assessment reports for:  fall 2006 (doc)     spring 2007 (doc)        fall 2007  (doc)  

last updated 2/12/08