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Remembering Mitchell Chester
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Sadly, our Commissioner, Mitchell Chester, passed away on Tuesday. He was a thoughtful, insightful leader and a kind person. He was student-focused in every facet of his work and he believed in the power of educator preparation to close equity gaps. We persist in his legacy.
If you would like to send a card to his family, please address it to:
Family of Commissioner Mitchell Chester
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148
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Massachusetts Launches New Mixed Reality Avatars
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Mixed-reality simulations give candidates key skill-building experiences in feedback-rich environments before entering their practicum. To further improve the experience, ESE has been working closely with a number of collaborators to develop four Massachusetts-specific avatars (characters). Now, early in their prep experience, many candidates will have valuable experience teaching English Language Learners and students with disabilities, running a successful parent-teacher conference, and asking for feedback from a supervising practitioner. We are excited to introduce you to our new avatars:
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Davy Keo thrives with a combination of auditory and visual learning. She is from Cambodia and is an English Language Learner (WIDA Level 3). She can struggle when language exceeds her grasp or she doesn’t understand a cultural nuance. She appreciates a patient approach and the use of visual aids like flashcards, charts, graphic organizers, and puzzles. She is most comfortable working independently. She loves music, volleyball and art.
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Harrison Reed has above average intellectual ability with a specific learning disability which manifests in his verbal communication. He has difficulty processing complex language and directions with multiple steps. He is friendly and social as long as he feels his challenges aren’t a focal point. He appreciates individualized attention and patience. His hobbies include video games, drawing and sports.
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Bennett Reed plays two roles: a supervising practitioner or Harrison’s father at a parent-teacher conference. He believes in an expert and authoritative student-centered style. He is direct, confident and decisive. As a supervisor, he tends to contribute to the conversation by providing big picture goals, focusing on results - including keeping kids at the center of decisions - and “out of the box” thinking. As a parent, he has specific concerns about his son’s classroom experience.
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Nate Pittman is a strong visual learner and responds well to engaging via screens and technology. He has been diagnosed with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. He struggles to understand figurative language and to connect socially. He requires extra processing time for tasks. He responds well to concrete language, visual support strategies and repetition. He loves science, math, the solar system and graphic design.
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For readers unfamiliar with mixed reality, it is an immersive experience. Candidates stand in front of a virtual classroom to teach avatars who are played remotely by a trained improvisational actor. The avatars respond differently depending on lesson objectives and the pre-set difficulty level. For example, if the candidate is learning classroom management skills, one student will be distracted by his or her phone, another will be constantly interrupting, and another will be staring into space. Candidates can teach all students at once and also step forward for to coach individuals one-on-one. The avatars’ personalities are so strong that some candidates are sad to leave them at the end of the semester.
In addition to being one of the first organizations in the state to use mixed reality, Bridgewater State has been a key collaborator with ESE. “I was skeptical at first,” says Dr. Misti Neutzling, Assistant Professor of Movement Arts. “When it’s new - especially new technology - you have to take a deep breath before walking into it. But when I saw candidates getting up and talking in front of these avatars, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh this is so cool!’ My students would love it!"
Bridgewater State uses mixed reality early in their candidates' experience.
"Mixed reality offers an accelerated view of a candidate," explains Dr. Neutzling. "With the simulations, I find strengths and weaknesses very early...in five minutes, you see right away where they need to grow and areas where they have strengths. Then we have a good year and a half to improve. That’s the biggest benefit as a faculty member.”
Mixed-reality simulations are a key component of preparation at UMass-Boston, as well. Dr. Kristin Murphy, Assistant Professor of Special Education, worked closely with ESE to develop the new avatars. She says, “The simulations give us the opportunity to observe students practicing the concepts we are discussing abstractly in class and may not be able to see our students practicing in the field. It’s a concrete place for my colleagues to be able to observe and provide on-the-spot coaching. That was something that really drew me to it in the first place. I love remote control teaching – in early coursework, students can pause the simulation if they need to.”
UMass-Boston uses mixed reality to augment student teaching, as well. Candidates practice scenarios that have challenged them in student teaching and receive immediate feedback from both instructors and peers.
“One of the most powerful things is getting to watch my students’ confidence increase,” says Dr. Murphy. “They are so nervous, and then afterwards they say, ‘I’m so glad I did that! I had never had an opportunity to speak to a parent of a child with disabilities yet - that was really hard and I was really glad that I was able to practice it.’”
“The simulations allow candidates to take risks,” adds Dr. Neutzling. “Our candidates were struggling the most with classroom management, so that’s what we focused on [first]. We pause the simulation as often as necessary. We use the fishbowl method with their peers around them to strike up conversation. Candidates also write reflectively about their experiences after the fact.”
Currently, ESE is supporting eleven providers in the use of mixed-reality simulations through the EPIC grant. This pilot has funded the development of the aforementioned Massachusetts-specific avatars, start-up costs and candidate time in the simulator. Fortunately, the technology is reasonably priced for the estimated impact. If you are interested in using mixed-reality simulations, please contact edprep@doe.mass.edu and visit the MURSION website.
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Supervisor Certification Pilot
Applications due July 27th
We are pleased to announce the launch of the EPIC Supervisor Certification Pilot. Supervisor Certification is a rigorous, performance-based process designed to provide a measure of excellence in the critical skill of delivering high-quality feedback to a teacher candidate. We are offering grants to Sponsoring Organizations to help facilitate a pilot of the certification with up to 250 Program Supervisors and Supervising Practitioners across the state.
By participating in the pilot, Sponsoring Organizations are eligible to receive $250 per supervisor they recruit. These funds may be used towards any activities associated with supporting or training supervisors (either those involved in the pilot or the broader group a provider works with). For their part, participating supervisors will receive a $500 stipend upon completion as well as a waiver for the cost of the final task (a $107 value).
Please apply! We will accept applications until July 27.
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Calibration Training Workshop Series
Applications due July 30th
During the 2017-18 school year, ESE is facilitating a Calibration Training Workshop Series. Teams of teacher educators will use video, real-time data analysis, and guided discussion to develop a shared understanding of proficient practice and common expectations for high-quality feedback. By participating in these workshops, teacher educators and SO/district partnerships will:
- Come to agreement around what high-quality practice looks like, resulting in more consistent and rigorous expectations for candidate performance;
- Collectively identify look-for's associated with proficient practice in four essential elements; and
- Practice drafting evidence-based, actionable feedback designed to reinforce high expectations for performance.
If you are interested in participating - please apply! We will accept applications until July 30.
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Ed Prep Data, Disseminaton, & Use
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Teacher Pathway Study - Year 1 Final Report
We posted the final report for the Teacher Pathway Study on our website. The study examines how three outcomes—student achievement on state standardized tests, summative performance ratings from educator evaluation, and teacher attrition—vary among teacher candidates from different licensure pathways, preparation program types, and specific organizations. For those of you already familiar with the report, no substantive changes were made to the draft. On our Continuous Improvement page, you can also find the study overview, research brief, and the slide deck from the overview webinar. |
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Teacher Pathway Study – Year 2
The second year of the Teacher Pathway Study will focus on outcomes for completers from the Performance Review Program for Initial Licensure (PRPIL) program. We posted the overview on our Continuous Improvement page.
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Communication Feedback
ESE needs your help to improve our agency-wide communication! We can always count on our educator preparation folks to give us some honest and helpful feedback. Please take two minutes (literally) to complete our survey. Thank you!
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