This volume provides a synthesis of protocols, and strategies to support assessment leaders in effectively using data for educator preparation program improvement. Data-informed decision-making has become increasingly important in quality assurance for both internal and external audiences, yet there are scant resources to guide those charged with managing the development and application of data for monitoring and improving the quality of their programs. Until this work, there has been little explication of how assessment directors working in educator preparation should conceptualize, organize, and implement best practices in data collection, analysis, interpretation, and sharing. As state and national expectations for evidence of quality are growing, it is essential to chronicle the collective wisdom of assessment leaders in education preparation in one manuscript. For both novice and experienced assessment directors, this volume offers insightful perspectives and excellent strategies to facilitate the journey from complying with external expectations to strategically using data and evidence to achieve goals, leveraging assessment to achieve socially just outcomes, involving multiple voices and interpreters, and opening windows to further inquiry. The editors have gathered experts in all phases of the assessment process and organized their work in an easy-to-follow manner. This work provides both conceptual underpinnings of educator preparation quality assurance as well as practical lessons learned that will support the transformation of an assessment professional into an assessment leader.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; Christine Carrino Gorowara, Erica M. Brownstein, and Timothy Wall. Section I: Why (and Why Not) Engage In Assessment-based Program Improvement? Chapter 1. From Box Checking To Program Improvement: Our Student Outcome Assessment Journey; Heather R. Gallivan, Catherine M. Miller, Elizabeth K. Hughes, And Samuel L. Eskelson. Chapter 2. Retaining Diverse Educator Preparation Program Candidates in the STEM Pipeline: Ways to Improve On-Time Progress, Retention, and Graduation Rates; Deb Eldridge, Alton James, Esther Dale, Rachel Wedemeier, and Kandi Duff. Chapter 3. Approaches to Socially Just Evaluation Methods: Using Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Research With Grow-Your-Own Models; Sheri Hardee and Lauren Johnson. Chapter 4. Embracing edTPA: Our Journey With Data-Informed Practices; Srimani Chakravarthi, Tracy Spesia, Deborah Glenn, John Gambro, and Cindy Sloan. Section II: What Kinds Of Assessments Are (and Are Not) Useful For Monitoring And Improving Program Quality? Chapter 5. How Ohio Educator Preparation Programs Are Demonstrating The Impact Of Their Graduates On Student Learning; Leah Chamberlain And Amy Farley. Chapter 6. Guidelines for Assessment Coordinators: Conducting Collaborative Analysis of Student Learning for Program Improvement; Susan Colby and Monica Lambert. Section III: How Does Assessment-based Improvement Work In Practice? Chapter 7. Improvement Science: A Vehicle For Continuous Improvement; Matthew D. Campbell. Chapter 8. Servant Leadership-Inspired Assessment Practice: A Model for Assessment Professionals to Promote Creative Data Use for Program Improvement; Angela P. Wetzel. Chapter 9. Leading Assessment Efforts with the Heart and Curiosity of a Teacher; Jessica Marotta. Chapter 10. 10 Tenets of Educational Assessment; John R. McConnell III. Chapter 11. Continuous Improvement Modeling: Ten Steps to Educator Preparation Improvement; James P. Van Overschelde. Chapter 12. Lessons Learned During the First Year at a Small; Rural College, Jane Bogan. Chapter 13. Designing and Implementing a Quality Quality Assurance System; Cynthia A. Conn, Kathy J. Bohan, and Nicole J. Bies-Hernandez. Section IV: Whose Voices Can And Should Be Considered In Program Improvement? Chapter 14. Solving The Teacher Response Rate Challenge: Digital, Scalable, And Manageable; Jessica Evans And Miguel Gomez. Chapter 15. Transforming Teachers Into Researchers Using an Action Research Model; Deborah McCuin and Lisa K. Bonneau. Chapter 16. Using Data to Inform Program Changes and Foster Stakeholder Relationships; Gina Anderson, Sarah McMahan, and Brandon Bush. Chapter 17. Statewide Quality Assurance in Educator Preparation: The Many Roles of the Assessment Professional; Jillian McGraw and Amanda B. Turner. Chapter 18. Listening to the Voices of Preservice Teachers to Guide Program Improvement; Bobette Bouton and Benita Bruster. Chapter 19. Efficiency and Engagement in Program Assessment Conversations: Working Together to Create Useful Data; Amy Kline. About the Editors.