Introduction
Alderson-Broaddus College was founded in 1932 through the merger of Alderson College and Broaddus College, both of which were affiliated with the American Baptist Churches – USA. The college is private, co-educational, comprehensive, and emphasizes the liberal arts, Christian studies, teacher preparation, the sciences and service to the underserved in Appalachia. The college, located in the Philippi, West Virginia, enrolls about 780 students in thirty-five fields of study, and is organized into five divisions: 1) Education and Special Programs, which houses teacher education, 2) Health Sciences, 3) Humanities, 4) Natural Sciences, and 5) Social Sciences.

The program, accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) since 1994, currently prepares undergraduate students to become elementary, secondary , physical education, and music teachers (at both levels). The program has three full-time faculty members, six full-time faculty from other units in the college, and nine adjunct faculty members, and it enrolls slightly more than 100 students or about 12% of the college’s enrollment.

Program claims
The Alderson-Broaddus College Division of Education faculty makes the overarching claim that its graduates are informed, thoughtful, and sensitive to the educational needs of others. The model, called ITS (standing for Informed, Thoughtful and Sensitive) yields nine outcomes, which align with the three components of TEAC’s Quality Principle I and with the ten INTASC standards adopted by West Virginia.

The faculty claims its students are “informed” because they:

1. Know their subject matters and can use their knowledge to plan and provide meaningful lessons.
2. Know pedagogy.
3. Understand and respect individual differences and diversity to help all learners develop and learn.
4. Plan and implement effective instruction.
5. Can manage their classrooms effectively.
6. Can use effective communication strategies.

The program further claims that being informed leads to their students being “thoughtful,” which is seen in the fact that they:

1. Use different assessments strategies and undertake self-improvement based on research and evidence of best practice in schools.

In addition, the program claims their students’ being informed and thoughtful leads to their being “sensitive,” a state indicated by two outcomes of the program

1. The student’s application of ethical standards to teaching, including legal responsibilities and a values structure for decision-making in the classroom.
2. The student’s capacity to work collaboratively and effectively with peers, teachers, parents, and a variety of groups to improve learning in the classroom.

Sources of evidence
The evidence supporting the faculty’s claims comes from the following sources:

• Scores on the Praxis II content area examinations
• GPA of 2.5 overall and in content specialty and education courses (an admission standard for the program)
• Survey of graduates’ (2002) perceptions of how well they were prepared for teaching
• Ratings by cooperating teachers of the program’s effectiveness
• Grades in specific courses (Education 270 Development in Early Childhood through Adolescence, 290 Psychological Foundations of Learning Education 360 Educational Issues in Multicultural and Global Society, Special Education 200/210 – Areas of Exceptionality in Special Education, Special Education 340 Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Strategies for Classroom Teachers).
• Scores on the Principles of Learning and Teaching license examination (PLT)
• Analysis by the faculty of the senior portfolio for evidence of diversity
• Ratings on the ten scales of the Performance Assessment Instrument (PAI)
• Pilot data on pre – post-test assessment of three work samples.

In addition, the faculty have intimate qualitative knowledge of their students that reinforces their conclusions about their students’ competence.

Reliability and validity of measures
The faculty investigated the reliability and validity of their assessments through correlational techniques when these could be supported by their database. On the whole the faculty found reasonable correlations between the grades they give, the student teaching assessments, and license test results.

Results
The faculty analyzed data for the complete group of 87 students that graduated from the program between 2000 -2005 and found:

• Praxis II content exam mean scores in the18 specialty content specialty areas exceeded WV passing score;
• GPA at admission, student teaching grades, content specialty grades, professional education grades, educational psychology, and the mean in all majors exceeded the 2.5 standard by approximately one letter grade;
• Results from the 2002 graduate survey on 14 items that were aligned with the program’s outcomes were generally in the top two levels of the form ( “helpful – very helpful” or “well prepared – very well prepared”),
• The work samples designed and implemented by seniors and implemented in their student teaching for the spring of 2005 showed the students could use different types of assessments and their students learned the lessons;
• The Cooperating Teachers Program Evaluation supported the claims 80% - 98% of the time for 14 items aligned with the claims
• Mean scores on the Principles of Teaching and Learning exam were above the passing score in every program option
• The Performance Assessment Instrument ratings of student teaching (1 to 5) averaged above 4.34
• The senior portfolio had evidence of the students’ ability to differentiate instruction for their students.
• The mean course grades for Education 270, 290, 360, Special Education 200 and 340 ranged between 3.00 and 4.00.

Internal audit
An internal audit was conducted by selecting a sample of six students, one from each of the last six years of graduates.

Overall, the audit revealed an effective quality control system. In particular, college level committees made changes to the curriculum, particularly the science content specialties; faculty were hired and reviewed through appropriate procedures; classroom and office space were more than adequate (e.g. newly renovated science and math classroom and laboratory facilities); professional development funds were increased and available to faculty; administrative support was ample; student support services were available and well-utilized; admission and retention processes were working as designed; and student feedback procedures are in place.

The audit also revealed some areas of concern. In particular, revisions to the data base are needed and all assessment forms need to be revised to more directly assess the nine identified outcomes. The forms also need to be discussed with cooperating teachers and college supervisors to determine if the assessments provide a good range of choices; surveys of graduates need to be distributed more frequently.

Evidence of commitment and capacity
On the whole the program conforms to the institutional norms with regard to the length of the curriculum, qualifications of the faculty, class sizes, and professional development opportunities. The program is more favorably placed with regard to classrooms, technology, offices and monies for travel, instructional materials and full-time secretaries than the college as whole.

The faculty members concluded that the institution is committed to the program.