The College of Education and Human Services is preparing our students to be effective educators and is responding to the nationwide call for transformational improvements in our colleges of education. The College of Education and Human Services, which has been continuously accredited since 1974, engages in periodic reviews and ongoing program evaluations to ensure that our philosophy and practices are current, we adhere to high standards, and we plan for future development. CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) has four accountability measures, which are used to provide information on both program outcomes and impact. Data collected through these reviews lead to continuous program refinement in cooperation with our various constituencies including public school personnel, colleagues in liberal arts and sciences, and colleagues in education programs in other institutions of higher education.
Following is the list of the CAEP accountability measures with supporting evidence:
Accountability Measure 1
Completer Effectiveness
The New Jersey Department of Education collects teacher evaluation data on Rider graduates who were employed and evaluated in a New Jersey Public School. The most recent report (2023) and data on Rider graduates' impact on student learning and development and their teaching effectiveness can be found here: Performance Reports for Educator Preparation.
Student learning and development are measured by Student Growth Objectives (SGO) or by Student Growth Percentiles (SGP). SGPs measure student achievement gains within 4th-8th grade Language Arts and 4th-7th grade Math. Using the state standardized assessment, SGPs compare the change in a student's achievement from one year to the next to that of all other students in the state. According to the 2023 Rider PREP, 80% of Rider graduates who were evaluated with an SGP were rated as "Highly Effective" or "Effective." This rating means that the students of these Rider graduates showed one-year gains in Language Arts and Math achievement above what was typically seen across all students in New Jersey.
SGOs are academic goals for groups of students that each teacher sets with their principal or supervisor at the start of the year. According to the 2023 Rider PREP, 99% of Rider graduates who were evaluated with an SGO were rated as "Highly Effective" or "Effective." This rating means that the students of these Rider graduates met or surpassed their academic goals for the year.
Teaching effectiveness is measured by performance on a state-approved teacher practice instrument, which is used to gather evidence primarily through classroom observations. According to the 2023 Rider PREP, 99% of Rider graduates who were evaluated by their supervisors were rated as "Highly Effective" or "Effective" in their teaching effectiveness.
All New Jersey teachers earn a Summative Rating, which is an overall evaluation score based upon their students' achievement gains in Language Arts and Math (SGPs), their students meeting the academic goals set for them (SGOs), and multiple classroom observations (teaching effectiveness). According to the 2023 Rider PREP, 99% of Rider graduates who were evaluated by their supervisors in the workplace were rated as "Highly Effective" or "Effective" on their summative score.
Accountability Measure 2
Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Involvement
The College of Education and Human Services seeks feedback from employers and clinical partners as part of a continuous improvement process.
Employer Surveys
The College of Education and Human Services surveys the schools that hire our graduates on an ongoing and regular basis. The survey for employers of graduates from our initial teacher certification programs asks employers to rate the preparation of our graduates in five categories: content & instruction; classroom management & environment; diverse learners & individual differences; assessment; and professionalism.
In the most recent administration of the employer survey in Fall 2024 (N=33), employers agreed that Rider graduates are well prepared for their roles as beginning teachers. The mean score for each category was above a 3.0 (on a 1 to 4 scale with “3” representing agreement and “4” representing strong agreement):
The survey for employers of graduates from our advanced educator preparation programs asks employers to rate the preparation of our graduates in areas represented by CAEP standards and the professional standards for their respective area of preparation. In the most recent administration of the employer survey in Fall 2024 (N=7), 100% of respondents agreed that Rider graduates are well prepared in their roles as principals, teacher leaders, teachers of students with disabilities, reading specialists, and ESL/Bilingual teachers.
Stakeholder Involvement
The advisory board of the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) is comprised of representatives from the College’s P-12 partners. The board plays a critical role in guiding the college’s efforts to maintain and enhance the quality of its educator preparation programs. The board meets with the CEHS dean and educator preparation program directors at least two times per academic year.
The purpose of the advisory board includes the following:
- Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement: Collaboration between CEHS and Advisory Board partners is critical to maintaining an ongoing feedback system, to ensure program effectiveness and high quality field and clinical placements. Although the Advisory Board does not establish academic policy, their input is, however, crucial to strengthening and maintaining best practices in educator preparation in accordance with CAEP standards.
- Enhancing External Partnerships: Advisory Board members will provide advice on emerging trends and challenges affecting PK12 education, including regulatory policies and changes. Advisory Board contributions will then serve to strengthen external partnerships. CEHS will concomitantly share insights on higher education trends, in particular those related to post-secondary preparedness, grants, enrollments, research and new programs.
- Workplace Readiness: The Advisory Board will identify and define essential knowledge, skills and behaviors required for program completers to succeed in rapidly evolving diverse PK12 school environments. CEHS will leverage Advisory Board insights on dynamic areas of PK-12 curriculum, technology advancements, assessment and educator professionalism to ensure shared themes resonate in candidate preparation.
- Candidate Recruitment: The Advisory Board will assist in identifying potential recruitment strategies for individual students and cohorts. Additionally, they will help CEHS identify new program opportunities and leverage our program portfolio to reach different and new student audiences.
- Development and Alumnae Outreach: The Advisory Board is critical to CEHS development and alumnae outreach and plays a vital role in identifying development opportunities.
See CEHS Advisory Board for a list of current advisory board members.
Accountability Measure 3
Candidate Competency at Program Completion
The College of Education and Human Services measures candidate competency at program completion through pass rates on required Praxis assessments and for the initial level certification programs, performance on the clinical practice assessment (Danielson Framework) and Teacher Performance Assessment Portfolio.
Praxis Subject Assessment Pass Rates
| Number taking assessment | Rider pass rate | New Jersey Pass Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 103 | 91% | 82% |
| 2022-23 | 122 | 94% | 87% |
| 2021-22 | 130 | 96% | 90% |
Danielson Framework (Clinical Practice Assesssment)
Semesters: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Scoring Scale: Distinguished (4), Proficient (3), Basic/Developing (2), Unsatisfactory (1)
Benchmark: Mean score of 3.00. Results represent the final scores assigned during the cooperating teacher (CT) and university supervisor’s (US) final observation of the student teacher.
| Mean Scores | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | Component | CT | US |
| Planning and Preparation | Applying Knowledge of Content and Pedagogy | 3.32 | 3.46 |
| Knowing and Valuing Students | 3.60 | 3.64 | |
| Setting Instructional Outcomes | 3.35 | 3.42 | |
| Using Resources Effectively | 3.53 | 3.59 | |
| Planning Coherent Instruction | 3.47 | 3.46 | |
| Designing and Analyzing Assessments | 3.28 | 3.12 | |
| Learning Environments | Cultivating Respectful and Affirming Environments | 3.68 | 3.77 |
| Fostering a Culture for Learning | 3.64 | 3.65 | |
| Maintaining Purposeful Environments | 3.59 | 3.56 | |
| Supporting Positive Student Behavior | 3.56 | 3.52 | |
| Organizing Spaces for Learning | 3.52 | 3.59 | |
| Learning Experiences | Communicating About Purpose and Content | 3.44 | 3.51 |
| Using Questioning and Discussion Techniques | 3.33 | 3.18 | |
| Engaging Students in Learning | 3.48 | 3.49 | |
| Using Assessment for Learning | 3.44 | 3.30 | |
| Responding Flexibly to Student Needs | 3.52 | 3.56 | |
| Principled Teaching | Engaging in Reflective Practice | 3.59 | 3.62 |
| Documenting Student Progress | 3.49 | 3.47 | |
| Engaging Families and Communities | 3.40 | 3.47 | |
| Contributing to School Community and Culture | 3.48 | 3.57 | |
| Growing and Developing Professionally | 3.62 | 3.67 | |
| Acting in Service of Students | 3.73 | 3.72 | |
Teacher Performance Assessment Portfolio (TPA)
Semesters: Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
Scoring Scale: Distinguished (4), Proficient (3), Basic/Developing (2), Unsatisfactory (1)
Benchmark: Mean score of 3.00. Results represent the final scores assigned during the cooperating teacher and clinical supervisor’s final observation of the student teacher.
| Component | Mean Scores |
|---|---|
| Learner Development | 3.31 |
| Learning Differences | 3.32 |
| Learning Environments | 3.43 |
| Content Knowledge | 3.27 |
| Application of Content | 3.33 |
| Assessment | 3.31 |
| Planning for Instructions | 3.34 |
| Instructional Strategies | 3.30 |
| Professional Learning & Ethical Practice | 3.37 |
| Leadership & Collaboration | 3.52 |
| Professional Presentation | 3.52 |
School Leaders Licensure Assessment Pass Rates
| Number taking assessment | Rider pass rate | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 2 | 100% |
| 2022-23 | 13 | 100% |
Accountability Measure 4
Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Have Been Prepared
In May of each year, graduating students from the College of Education & Human Services participate in The Office of Career Development and Success First Destination survey.
Initial Teacher Certification
Of the 105 students who graduated in the 2022-2023 academic year with an initial teacher certification, 101 responded to the First Destination survey (90% response rate). Of those 97 graduates who responded, 88 reported that they were employed full-time (87% employment rate), 6 reported that they were continuing their education (6%), and 6 reported that they were seeking employment (6%).
Advanced Certification
Of the 31 students who graduated in the 2022-2023 academic year with an advanced certification, 28 responded to the First Destination survey (90% response rate). Across all programs, 26 graduates reported that they were employed full-time (93% employment rate).
Results from the 2023-2024 First Destination Survey will be available in August 2025.