GACE Ethics Assessment and Code of Ethics Scenarios

… learning to support ethical best practices

Addressing Ethics in Education

• Ethical decision making is at the heart of effective teaching practice

• Teachers make hundreds of ethical decisions per day — the majority of which are in grey areas

• Critical need for tools to help teachers make ethical decisions before the damage is done

• We’ve been collaborating with numerous Georgia and nationally-renowned subject matter experts on a product that will help us get in front of the problem.

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What Is Our Solution?

“Ethics for the Professional Educator”

• A series of training modules and assessments

• A self-guided, coordinated learning progression

• Packed with interactive and authentic scenarios

• Affordable, paid for by the learners

• Taken online on the learner’s computer or tablet

• Two levels: Program Entry and Program Exit

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Demonstration and Code of Ethics Scenarios

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Supporting Research • The purpose of our planned research is to:

– Provide evidence to support our claims regarding the use of the test scores, as well as any secondary claims about the impact of the modules and tests

– Inform future assessment and module development

• Proposed research questions for 2015 (and beyond) include: – What causes candidates to struggle with the assessment?

– Do candidates retain knowledge from the modules over time?

– What is the impact of use of the modules/tests on the behavior of Georgia educators?

– What are the needs of Georgia Preparation Programs?

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Outreach to Program Providers

Georgia Leadership version to

launch

ETS to release version aligned to Model Code

of Ethics

NASDTEC Model Code of Ethics to be

released

Georgia Program

Entry level launched

Timeline

Q4 2014 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015

Continuous enhancements and research

Georgia Program Exit

level to launch

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Designing the Georgia Educator Ethics Assessment

Claim

Design began with the inference (claim) we want to make about candidates.

Content

In order to support the claim, what content must we present.

Material

Scenarios and videos are developed to illustrate the content; assessment items are developed to align to the content.

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Assessment Claims

• Georgia Educator Ethics – Program Entry

– Candidates who have completed the Program Entry test have had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Code of Ethics for Educators and with the principles of ethical decision making in an educational context

• Georgia Educator Ethics – Program Exit

– Candidates who have completed the Program Exit test have demonstrated an understanding of the Code of Ethics for Educators and an understanding of how to apply ethical decision-making principles in an educational context

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Modular Design

• Georgia Educator Ethics is a training and assessment program composed of a series of modules that combine instruction and testing –Module 1 – The Professional Educator: The Trailer

–Module 2 – The Professional Educator: An Introduction

–Module 3 – The Professional Educator and the Student

–Module 4 – The Professional Educator and the School

–Module 5 – The Professional Educator and the Community

–Module 6 – Ethical Decision Making for the Professional Educator

–Module 7 – The Professional Educator in Georgia

– Educator Ethics Program Exit End-of-Course/Summative Test

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End-of-Module Tests

• Several of the modules have an end-of-module test

– Objective questions with a single best answer

– Some scenario-based questions

– Questions are related to topics covered in the module

• Also have an end-of-course/summative test

• Results are provided to the state and the learner’s designated institutions via ETS’s Data Manager

• Results can help guide further instruction on educator ethics

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What Else Is Georgia Doing?

• Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) are instructing and assessing candidates on the Georgia Code of Ethics and on ethical decision making.

• The GaPSC and ETS are conducting statewide technical assistance meetings (face-to-face and webinars) for EPP faculty.

• We are also developing a resource-sharing site for EPPs and working on collaborative research models.

• The GaPSC is integrating a focus on ethics in most statewide meetings with P-12 and EPPs.

An Opportunity

•Short Term Equip educators with tools for ethical decision

making

Protect the students

•Long Term ‒ Reduce the number of ethical violations

‒ Elevate the profession