Faculty/Staff Perceptions of a Standards-Based Exit Portfolio System for Graduate Students
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Faculty/Staff Perceptions of a Standards-Based Exit Portfolio System for Graduate Students Tena L. McNamara and Rita L. Bailey Published online: 30 June 2006
ABSTRACT: New standards for certification were recently developed for speech– language pathology graduate training programs by the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association. The new standards are outcomes-based rather than process-based. Using a collective case study approach, this article highlights the perceptions of faculty and staff regarding use of a standards-based exit portfolio system for students in a Speech–Language Pathology graduate program at a medium-sized, public university after two semesters of use. KEYWORDS: performance-based portfolio assessment; grading rubrics; knowledge and skills assessment.
In the field of speech–language pathology, graduate programs are accredited by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA). New standards for certification were developed for speech–language pathology graduate training programs that were required to be implemented in 2004 (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2001). As such, accredited programs have realigned their curricula with the new standards; the old standards were process-based, whereas the new standards are outcomes-based. Process-based standards require students to pass a certain sequence of courses. The process of taking and passing the courses is seen as evidence that the student has learned the required content of the courses. By completing the required courses, the process-based method assumes that the students have the knowledge Tena L. McNamara received a B.S. degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology and an M.S. degree in Audiology from Bradley University, and the Doctor of Audiology Degree from the University of Florida. She is now Assistant Professor at Illinois State University. Special interests include soundfield FM systems utilized in classroom settings, auditory processing disorders, electrophysiology, and phonological awareness. Rita L. Bailey is a speech–language pathologist and holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Speech–Language Pathology and an Ed.D. in Special Education, all from Illinois State University. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Illinois State University. Her primary research interests include pediatric dysphagia, service-learning, alternative-augmentative communication methods, and voice. E-mail: [email protected].
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and skills required to be professionals. Conversely, outcomes-based standards assess performance levels expected of students with respect to the standards. Students’ abilities are measured directly in course assignments that assess students’ ability to apply knowledge and skills. A committee of faculty and staff from the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Illinois State University initiated the task of realignment of the curricula beginning in t
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