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 and data on Rider graduates' impact on student learning and development, and their teaching effectiveness can be found here: Performance Reports for Educator Preparation. According to the most recent Rider PREP (2021), the majority of teachers in the state did not receive a summative rating for the 2019-2020 school year due to the circumstances related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Therefore, this data is not being included in this report. The information below is based upon the most recent Rider PREP data that is available (2020).
Student learning and developing is 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 2020 Rider PREP, 67% 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.
In addition, teachers set SGOs for their students at the start of the year and are assessed on whether those objectives are met at the end of the year. 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 2020 Rider PREP, 100% 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 2020 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 2020 Rider PREP, 100% 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 & Human Services surveys the schools that hire our graduates on an ongoing and regular basis. The Employer Survey measures employers' perceptions of Rider University's graduates whom they have hired.
Initial Teacher Certification
Overall, employer satisfaction is high for all Rider University's Teacher Preparation Program graduates. In the most recent administration of the Employer Survey (spring, 2023) the mean score across all survey items was 3.4 (on a 1 to 4 scale with 4 indicating employers' highest satisfaction), which is a slight decrease from a mean score of 3.6 in spring 2021. The lowest score on individual items was 3.20 (Q2: Rider University prepares its graduates to implement developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences; Q8: Rider University prepares its graduates to use concepts and diverse perspectives to engage learners in local or global problem solving; Q10: Rider University Prepares its graduates to use data to plan, differentiate, and modify instruction for students with special needs) and the highest score eas 3.67 (Q12: Rider University prepares its graduates to appropriately utilize technology in teaching). The full results of the employer survey over the past several years can be found here: Employer Satisfaction Report - Teacher Preparation (PDF).
Advanced Certification
Overall, employer satisfaction is high for graduates from all of Rider’s advanced programs including ESL/Bilingual, Reading/Literacy, Teacher Leader, Principal, School Psychologist, and Special Education. The full results of the employer surveys for all advanced programs can be found here: Employer Satisfaction Report - Advanced Programs (PDF).
Accountability Measure 3
Candidate Competency at Program Completion
100% of our graduates meet New Jersey State certifications requirements.
Initial Teacher Certification
100% of our teacher education graduates meet New Jersey State teacher certifications requirements, which includes having a 3.0 Grade Point Average, obtaining a passing score on the Praxis Core exam, obtaining a passing score on the Praxis Subject Assessment, and obtaining a passing score on the edTPA teacher performance assessment. Below are our completers' GPA, Praxis scores, and edTPA scores for the past academic year.
Undergraduate Teacher Education Program Completers (PDF)
Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Education Program Completers (PDF)
Advanced Certification
100% of our advanced program graduates met New Jersey State requirements for the certification they are pursuing, which includes having a 3.0 Grade Point Average. For Principal candidates, it requires a passing score on the School Leaders Licensure assessment and for School Psychology candidates, it requires a passing score on the School Psychologist Praxis assessment. Here are our graduates’ GPA and Praxis scores for the past several years (PDF).
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 108 students who graduated in the 2021-2022 academic year with an initial teacher certification, 75 responded to the First Destination survey (69% response rate). Of those 75 graduates who responded, 58 reported that they were employed full-time (77% employment rate) and 14 reported that they were continuing their education (19%).
Advanced Certification
Of the 20 students who graduated in the 2021-2022 academic year with an advanced certification, 17 responded to the First Destination survey (85% response rate). Across all programs, 16 graduates reported that they were employed full-time (94% employment rate).
Employment Outcomes - Initial Teacher and Advanced Programs (PDF)