Board of Advisors Meeting Report

February 13, 2003

REPORT ON THE CENTER FOR COMPETENCY-MEASURED EDUCATION MEETING, SALT LAKE CITY, UT, FEBRUARY 6, 2003.

We acknowledge with thanks the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for this meeting as well as the assistance "in-kind" we received from the staffs of The Oquirrh Institute, the Alta Club, and the Little America Hotel.

The meeting was scheduled to coincide with the first anniversary of the Oquirrh Institute [formerly known as the Institute for State Studies], launched during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Following breakfast and a morning session of presentations and discussions, guests of the Center for Competency-measured Education joined several members of the Instituteís Board of Overseers and participants in other Institute projects for lunch in the Main Dining Room of the Alta Club. Center Director Clara M. Lovett reported on short-term accomplishments and outlined long-term plans.

The morning session was devoted to discussion of competency-measured approaches to higher education, with special focus on teacher preparation and certification programs. This focus was appropriate because the Centerís first formal project, "Teachers of Tomorrow"—funded by the Gates Foundation and the Office of Innovation & Improvement, U.S. Department of Education ‚ explored strategies used in eight states [Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana and Oklahoma] to remove statutory or regulatory barriers to non-traditional teacher preparation and certification programs. Intentionally, however, the session touched on the broader issue of how and why to adopt competency-measured credentialing systems in higher education.

Dr. Samuel H. Smith, president emeritus of Washington State University and Interim CEO of the Oquirrh Institute, greeted the participants and explained the Center for CMEís mission.

Dr. Ryan Watkins, assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at The George Washington University, followed with an overview of the state of research on alternative methods of measuring student learning and of credentialing college students. He discussed the main drivers behind the renewed interest of employers and educators in competency-measured college degrees: the short shelf life of most curricula; the need for a workforce that knows how to learn and re-learn, and the demographics of todayís college students, most of whom are not recent high school graduates, are fully or partially self-supporting, and attend more than one institution before they earn their degrees. Employers (and, in the public sector, legislators as well) want proof of value added, i.e., what students know and can do. Students want portable credentials as close as possible to a "universal currency" for their efforts.

An extended and lively break in the proceedings occurred when Utahís Governor Michael O. Leavitt joined the meeting. While those present probably expected a warm but perfunctory greeting and a quick departure, the Governor took time to share recent conversations he has had with the President of Mexico and several cabinet ministers. A common concern is the plight of Mexican children whose parents come to the United States in search of work.

The Governor has proposed to the government of Mexico a pilot project, based among the estimated 150,000 Mexican nationals residing in Utah, to develop portable educational dossiers for each youngster enrolled in school. The portable dossiers would document what each student has learned [competencies in reading, writing, arithmetic etc.] and thus enable teachers to track academic progress, or lack thereof, as immigrant families move from one neighborhood or state to another or as they move back and forth across the U.S.-Mexico border. Gov. Leavitt suggested that a successful pilot project involving Utahís relatively small Mexican population might be replicated and scaled up in the border states. Dr. Marti Watson Garlett, dean of the Teachers College at Western Governors University (WGU), then picked up on Dr. Watkinsí presentation, giving a current and concrete example of "research in action." WGUís teacher preparation/certification programs start from the research-documented attributes of a successful teacher, identify domains of knowledge and hands-on experiences that enable those attributes, and finally develop individualized academic plans that build on the studentís previous knowledge and also identify gaps to be filled.

The Honorable James Geringer, former Governor of Wyoming and a founder of competency-measured WGU, discussed the role of policy makers and the interaction with educators in the preparation of teachers. Like Drs. Watkins and Garlett, Gov. Geringer emphasized that there is much we already know about the attributes of a successful teacher and the reasons for the unacceptably high rate of attrition in the teaching profession. However, stakeholder groups spend more time blaming others for what is not working than they do working together. Educators and policy makers need to recognize that they are all in this together and share examples of successful collaboration and innovation.

Dr. Wade McLean, Superintendent of Marana USD in southern Arizona and also chair of the Arizona State Board of Education, echoed Gov. Geringerís comments and offered examples of successful collaboration and innovation in the recent work by the ABOE and the NEA-affiliated Arizona Education Association. When working together, these groups have made a positive impact on legislation and regulation, including the adoption of community college post-baccalaureate certificates, competency-measured teacher preparation programs, and others.

Dr. Gregory Fitch, president of the Utah College of Applied Technology (by student headcount enrollment, Utahís largest post-secondary institution), closed the presentations with an example from a different realm of how employers, legislators and educators came together to create a new institution. Dr. Fitch moved the discussion back to Dr. Watkinsí comments about the "drivers" for change in student credentialing: the fluid, rapidly changing nature of the economy and workforce and the needs of adult students themselves, including those enrolled in distance education programs.

After the presentation, Dr. Lovett moderated a Q&A and discussion hour. Given the relatively small size of the group, all participants, whether formally members of the "Teachers of Tomorrow" Advisory Board or not, were asked to give their input.

Two issues were considered:
1. The most useful and appropriate ways of reporting on and disseminating the lessons learned in the eight states covered by the project. Although some participants suggested expanding the inquiry to a larger number of states, the consensus was that the project director should prepare a report on the eight states, with specific examples of the processes used to open new pathways to teacher preparation and to promote collaboration among various stakeholders. Dr. Lovett agreed to submit such a report to the USDOE and the Oquirrh Instituteís Board of Overseers by the first week in March 2003. Comments by the Department and other users of this information will determine whether or not to extend the inquiry to other states where the elements for successful coalitions and significant reform appear to be present. 2. The long-term agenda of the Center for Competency-measured Education. Beyond the issue of teacher preparation, Dr. Watkinsí overview of research on the design of competencies and assessments and the hands-on experiences of Drs. Garlett and Fitch in constructing competency-measured programs shed light on appropriate "next steps" for the Center.

The steps:
A. RECRUIT individuals and entities that are committed to the long-term transformation of credentialing systems for high school and college graduates;
B. PROMOTE additional research on the design of alternative credentialing systems;
C. STRENGTHEN and expand the network of Center Fellows (professional educators and parents, policy makers, scholars) and organize the Fellows to work as consultants to high school districts and IHEs;
D. IDENTIFY public entities and private foundations able to support specific high school districts and/or IHEs committed to the implementation of competency-measured diplomas and degree programs.

In the next three weeks, Dr. Lovett will prepare the report on "Teachers of Tomorrow" and submit it to the USDOE and the Oquirrh Instituteís Board of Overseers; she will reconfirm the interest of about 40 individuals in the target states in serving as Center Fellows; and she will supervise the development of a website for the Center.

In addition, Dr. Lovett will also reconstitute and expand the Board of Advisors. As constituted in the summer and fall 2002, the fifteen-member Board includes members of the Oquirrh Instituteís Board of Overseers as well as educators and policy makers specifically interested in alternative teacher certification. The Board should be strengthened by the addition of members, including business representatives, who are interested in the larger CME agenda.