SC Issues In Communication

Faculty Development Days at Rider University featured a series on New Digital Tools. These tools were introduced by presenters who have used the tools in the classroom and experienced successful outcomes.

Rider University’s School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Going through the rigorous NCATE accreditation process helps us ensure that our programs are top notch and our candidates receive the most up-to-date education as possible. I was hired as the NCATE/Assessment Coordinator last fall to aid in this accreditation process.

This semester we are collecting our evaluations on-line using a new assessment system. This assessment system is called TaskStream. Ironically enough, the system was developed by a retired New York City teacher, Malcolm Thompson, who wanted to leave something behind that would help future teachers. He created TaskStream’s robust tools for this purpose and it has transformed into one of the finest assessment tools in the country.

In past years, our faculty, supervisors and cooperating teachers completed evaluations on their student teachers and candidates in pencil and paper form and mailed them into the placement office or handed them back to students in their courses. This semester, with our new electronic system, we are asking our population to complete these evaluations on-line.

Please see this screencast for more information on how to use TaskStream. Here is the presentation that outlines how TaskStream can be used for assessment.