Literacy TPE Certification Literacy Coursework

Part 2. Overview of Required Courses for Literacy Instruction and Process for Program Revisions

2.1 Table of Literacy Coursework

2.2 Process to Ensure Alignment

Due to the small size of the Education Department, department meeting time was primarily utilized to review the Literacy TPEs and assign roles and required actions needed for Literacy TPE updates since their announcement in 2019. During the 2020-21 school year, the Chair shared Literacy TPE updates with all faculty and gathered suggestions from literacy and ELD/SDAIE experts. A faculty member developed a Literacy TPE Matrix that was adopted for all syllabi starting in the Fall 2021 semester. All resources related to SB488 including literacy TPEs, standards, and performance assessment were distributed and discussed during the 2023-24 academic year department meetings. During an extended department meeting in May 2024 and department meetings in August and September 2024, all full-time faculty participated in reviewing responses to the TPE Certification process prior to uploading to the accreditation website.

2.3 Describe how the program has ensured that faculty teaching the literacy instruction courses understand the requirements in SB 488, the new standards and TPEs, and the evidence base supporting them. If this response differs by pathway, please respond for each pathway.

The Chair of the Education Department provided faculty teaching ED170 Reading & Language Arts Instruction course all information on SB488 provided by the CTC as it was made available. A variety of resources related to the research base were made available to all faculty, but particularly the faculty member teaching ED170. During the 2023-24 academic year, the Department Chair also met with the ENG106 Language Acquisition and ED130 Special Education professors (traditionally part-time faculty) to review the requirements of SB488 and the new standards and TPEs, review the course syllabi, and identify areas of course improvement to align with SB488. In the event that new instructors teach any of the coursework listed in the Literacy Coursework Table, they will meet with the Chair to review SB488 requirements and review the syllabus to confirm alignment with the new literacy standards and TPEs.

2.4 Describe how the institution/program has provided opportunities for faculty teaching these courses to engage in professional learning to ensure that they are prepared to teach new content as required by SB 488, the standards, and the performance expectations. If none has been provided to date, provide information about the implementation plan for specific professional development and learning that will take place. If these responses differ by pathway, please respond for each pathway.

Since the initial announcement of new literacy teacher performance expectations in 2019, Westmont’s education faculty have been involved in a variety of professional development opportunities to be prepared to teach to the new standards and performance expectations required by SB488. A summary of professional learning opportunities can be found in the Westmont Professional Development for Literacy Instruction overview. However, this professional development was primarily for full-time faculty, including the instructor of ED170 Reading & Language Art Instruction, and in the future the chair will meet with part-time instructors teaching smaller sections of TPE7 to provide a few targeted resources that align with their courses.

2.5 What steps has the program taken or will take in the coming months to communicate to mentor/cooperating teachers and other PK-12 partners the new requirements of SB 488, the new literacy instruction program standards, TPEs, and upcoming performance assessment requirements? (meetings, notifications, handbook updates, etc.)

This May 2024, the program updated our 2024-25 Teaching Credential Handbook and Cooperating Teacher Checklist to include information on the requirements of SB488, TPE7, and the upcoming Literacy TPA requirements. While the current MOUs with our local K-12 partners describe the need for appropriate placements to meet TPA requirements, an updated MOU addendum was drafted to make these requirements more specific and improve alignment with the new literacy TPA requirements. These details will be reviewed with cooperating teachers during initial cooperating teacher training for the 2024-2025 school year and summarized in an e-mail to administrators and cooperating teachers prior to the student teacher semester. The department also plans to highlight changes made to align with the SB488 at our annual Teacher Advisory Board to get feedback from our local K-12 partners.

2.6 In what ways did the program’s process for reviewing its coursework and clinical practice requirements against the new standards and TPEs include individuals with expertise in literacy instruction for multilingual/English learner students?

Current and former adjuncts for our ENG106 Language Acquisition and individuals with expertise in literacy instruction for multilingual/English learner students were consulted throughout the process of adapting our coursework syllabi to the new TPEs. A list of experts and description of their expertise in literacy instruction for multilingual/English learner students can be found in the Expert Consultants for Literacy Instruction for Multilingual/English Learner Students Table.

2.7 Provide links to syllabi that demonstrate that the English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy Standards, English Language Development (ELD) Standards, and English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework are required and central components for candidates in literacy instruction coursework. These links should be bookmarked to the exact place in the syllabi where this occurs. Multiple links to different sections of the same syllabus are acceptable.

The English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy Standards, English Language Development (ELD) Standards, and English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework are required and central components in the following coursework: