The MQuITE project seeks to involve all stakeholders in the development of a contextuallyappropriate means of measuring quality in initial teacher education in Scotland. It engages with both literature and practice to inform this process. The project runs for six years (tracking graduates over five years) and involves all ITE universities in Scotland, as well as GTCS. It is designed to be developmental in nature, securing, as it does, a sound base for the study of quality in ITE in its initial phases and then testing this in subsequent years. An ongoing feature of the project is the way in which markers of quality are returned to and modified in light of accrued data. In this way the project does not seek to maintain a static representation of quality but rather a dynamic interpretation that is modified in light of progression both of students as they become teachers and the various routes into teaching that now exist in Scotland. This work will contribute significantly to the development of quality teacher education in Scotland, and will also offer a useful perspective to the international debate on measuring quality in ITE

Rauschenberger, EA

Adams, P

Kennedy, A

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Meise Botanic Garden

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E-space: Manchester Metropolitan University's Research Repository

	 	MQUITE	EXECUTIVE	SUMMARY	 1		Measuring	Quality	in	Initial	Teacher	Education	(MQuITE)	Literature	Review:	Executive	Summary		Purpose	of	the	Literature	Review	The	MQuITE	project,	funded	by	Scottish	Government	and	supported	by	the	General	Teaching	Council	for	Scotland,	seeks	to	develop	and	implement	a	context-appropriate	approach	to	measuring	quality	in	initial	teacher	education	(ITE)	in	Scotland.		The	focus	of	this	literature	review	is	therefore	on	the	various	conceptualisations	and	measures	of	“quality”	vis-à-vis	teaching,	teachers,	and	(ITE)	across	the	globe.	This	is	a	conceptual,	rather	than	a	systematic,	review	of	the	literature	on	ITE	and	quality.	It	explores	how	others	have	defined	and	attempted	to	measure	quality	in	ITE,	issues	related	to	this	challenge,	and	the	unexplored,	yet	important,	elements	of	ITE	that	affect	quality.	It	incorporates	discussion	of	current	debates,	contextually-derived	tools	and	frameworks,	and	gaps	in	measurement	that	become	significant	when	attempting	to	devise	a	productive	and	system-aligned	framework	for	measuring	quality	in	Scotland.				Scope	and	methodology	The	review	considered	studies	that	focused	on	either	(1)	ITE	programmes,	their	component	dimensions	and	effectiveness	in	preparing	teachers	as	measured	in	various	contexts,	and/or	(2)	teacher	effectiveness	as	related	to	ITE	and	related	routes	into	teaching.		Since	the	meaning	of	terms	relating	to	quality	in	the	education	sector	shift	noticeably	in	different	contexts,	close	attention	was	paid	to	the	cultural	and	political	environment	and	historical	trajectories	in	which	studies	of	teacher	education	programmes	were	situated,	and	how	quality	indicators	developed	in	relation	to	their	local	contexts.			For	the	purpose	of	timeliness	and	relevance,	only	sources	published	on	or	after	2005	were	considered.	The	geographical	scope	of	the	literature	is	global;	however,	the	review	only	examined	studies	and	documents	published	in	English.			Context	The	review	is	set	within	the	contemporary	global	context	which	positions	teachers	as	central	to	improving	pupil	attainment,	and	pupil	attainment	as	central	to	economic	competitiveness	on	the	global	stage.	This	policy	meta-narrative	is	understood	within	an	increasingly	neo-liberal	approach	to	education,	where	externally	imposed	accountability,	high-stakes	testing	and	a	focus	on	the	measurement	of	outcomes	as	opposed	to	processes,	is	increasingly	common.		In	the	Scottish	context,	the	embedding	of	Curriculum	for	Excellence	within	a	post-Donaldson	teacher	education	framework	has	resulted	in	significant	change	for		 	MQUITE	EXECUTIVE	SUMMARY	 2		teachers.	This	has	been	compounded	by	teacher	workforce	shortages	in	particular	subjects	and	in	particular	geographical	areas,	resulting	in	a	call	for	‘new	and	innovative’	ITE	routes	to	be	developed	to	address	such	pressing	challenges.	Thus,	ITE	in	Scotland	is	becoming	increasingly	diverse	and	subject	to	increased	scrutiny.	Against	this	background,	the	need	for	a	collaborative,	sector-developed	means	of	measuring	quality	in	pursuit	of	enhancement	becomes	more	vital.		Overview	of	findings	The	literature	reviewed	represents	a	synthesis	as	well	as	a	sampling	of	what	is	current	in	the	field	of	ITE	quality.		Other	studies	and	models	could	have	been	profiled	but	the	selection	reviewed	here	purposefully	represents	the	diversity	and	design	of	contemporary	ways	in	which	ITE	quality	is	being	conceptualized	and	measured.		The	review	has	aimed	to	highlight	the	historical	and	political	context	shaping	debates	about	the	quality	and	impact	of	ITE	and	the	teachers	it	produces,	whilst	recognising	that	the	responsibilities	and	challenges	placed	upon	teachers,	and	by	extension	teacher	educators,	are	increasing.		In	light	of	the	need	to	understand	how	to	best	prepare	effective	teachers,	ITE	faculty	have	begun	to	develop	collaborative	and	context-sensitive	ways	to	measures	programme	quality	and	effectiveness.		The	myriad	of	different	instruments	and	tools	for	assessment	may	be	appropriated	and	combined	in	different	ways	to	develop	such	frameworks.				This	review	has	profiled	six	examples	of	ways	stakeholders	and	researchers	inside	and	outside	of	ITE	are	building	frameworks	to	measure	quality.		First,	Darling-Hammond,	Hammerness,	and	colleagues	offer	a	potential	way	to	assess	how	ITE	programmes	compare	to	a	particular	model	of	“powerful”,	or	in	their	view	exemplary,	ITE	by	assessing	programmatic	vision	and	coherence	as	well	as	the	quality	of	its	practicum.		Secondly,	various	states	across	the	U.S.	exemplify	how	value-added	measurement	(VAM)	methodologies	are	combined	with	more	commonly	used	instruments	to	compare	and	assess	the	effectiveness	of	ITE	programmes	and	their	graduates	across	local	ITE	sectors.	Thirdly,	Boston	College’s	‘value-driven’	programme	and	corresponding	model	of	assessment	provides	a	more	sophisticated	and	complex	way	of	determining	how	ITE	was	developing	and	impacting	the	knowledge,	skills,	and	dispositions	of	its	graduates	in	the	field.		Fourthly,	the	Stanford	STEP	evaluation	model	–	based	heavily	around	professional	standards	and	concentrating	on	portfolio-type	teacher	assessments	–	represents	a	contrasting	approach	in	which	a	single	programme	is	conceptualized	and	its	impact	measured.		Fifthly,	the	Australian	SETE	project	provided	insight	into	how	an	ITE	quality	assessment	may	benefit	from	a	theoretically-driven	approach	to	research	design	and	address	the	concerns	and	interests	of	individuals	in	three	overlapping	“spaces”	through	which	ITE	is	conceptualized,	shaped,	and	experienced.		Finally,	an	international	study	of	how	ITE	programmes	in	17		 	MQUITE	EXECUTIVE	SUMMARY	 3		countries	are	developing	future	maths	teachers	illustrates	how	researchers	are	exploring	the	impact	of	national	contexts,	along	with	programmatic	structures	and	practices,	on	the	quality	of	ITE.	Across	these	contexts,	discussion	of	recruitment	strategies	and	retention	rates	are	important	as	they	both	shape	ITE	quality	and	its	operating	contexts,	as	well	as	being	shaped	by	ITE	quality.			Research	indicates	that	recruitment	and	retention	trends	are	likely	shaped	by	policy	incentives,	wider	social	status	of	the	teaching	profession,	and	employment	prospects	and	working	conditions.		Still,	the	type	of	candidates	ITE	programmes	attract,		as	well	as	how	effectively	they	are	prepared	through	their	programme	for	a	teaching	career	represent	two	key	ways	in	which	ITE	affects	recruitment	and	retention	in	the	profession.			When	assessing	ITE	quality,	recruitment	to	ITE	and	retention	in	the	field	of	teaching	emerge	as	important	factors	in	considering	the	long-term	impact	of	ITE	quality.		If	ITE	programmes	educate	effective	teachers	but	they,	by	and	large,	do	not	stay	in	the	profession	then	quality	ITE	loses	some	of	its	importance.		On	the	contrary,	if	ITE	can	prepare	and	help	the	profession	to	retain	effective	teachers,	ITE	programmes	will	benefit	both	in	terms	of	claims	for	time	and	resources	with	which	to	prepare	the	next	generation	of	teachers	along	with	increased	influence	on	the	future	of	the	profession.				Gaps	within	the	Literature	Notable	gaps	exist	within	the	research	literature	around	ITE	quality	measures	and	frameworks	that	deserve	attention.		The	literature	review	identified	two	such	gaps;	–	factors	that	were	often	neglected,	or	virtually	absent,	in	ITE	quality	frameworks	and	studies.		These	gaps	concern	ITE-school-community	partnerships,	and	the	role	of	teacher	educators	in	contributing	to	ITE	quality.			Conclusion	While	the	quality	or	effectiveness	of	ITE	programmes	are	a	common	concern	and	focus	of	policy-makers,	researchers,	and	other	stakeholders	in	most	countries,	there	is	yet	to	emerge	a	common	“best”	way	to	document,	analyse,	measure	and	judge	the	impact	of	ITE.		Notwithstanding,	a	number	of	insights	emerge	from	this	literature	review.		First,	there	are	clearly	many	questions	to	consider	in	the	development	stage	of	a	Scottish	ITE	quality	assessment	framework.		These	questions	are	helpfully	summarized	by	Feuer	et	al.	(2013,	pp.	6-7),	who	recommend	considering:			 	 		 	(1) What	is	the	primary	purpose	of	the	ITE	evaluation	system?			(2) Which	aspects	of	ITE	matter	most?			 	MQUITE	EXECUTIVE	SUMMARY	 4		(3) What	sources	of	evidence	will	provide	the	most	accurate	and	useful	information	about	the	aspects	of	teacher	preparation	that	are	of	primary	interest?			(4) How	will	the	measures	be	analysed	and	combined	to	make	a	judgment	about	program	quality?		(5) What	are	the	intended	and	potentially	unintended	consequences	of	the	evaluation	system	for	ITE	and	education	more	broadly?		(6) How	will	transparency	be	achieved?		What	steps	will	be	taken	to	help	users	understand	how	to	interpret	the	results	and	use	them	appropriately?			(7) How	will	the	evaluation	system	be	monitored?				 While	the	studies	and	measures	profiled	in	this	literature	offer	a	variety	of	innovative	ways	in	which	one	may	conceptualize	an	ITE	quality	framework,	it	is	worth	considering	early	on	whether	any	framework	would	be	best	primarily	guided	by	shared	values	(the	Boston	College	Social	Justice	Model),	professional	standards	(the	Stanford	STEP	Model),	or	a	particularly	theoretical	approach	(the	Australian	SETE	Spatial-based	Research	Design).			Consideration	may	be	given	to	the	ways	in	which	(1)	Scottish	ITE	programmes	engage	in	and	manage	their	school	partnerships	(and	potentially	in	the	future,	community-partnerships),	(2)	ways	in	which	their	teacher	educators	contribute	toward	the	quality	of	ITE,	and	(3)	ways	in	which	ITE	programmes	support	the	professional	practice	and	development	of	teacher	educators.	Fortunately,	the	MQuITE	study	is	in	the	unique	position	of	being	a	meso-level,	longitudinal	study	of	ITE	quality	and	impact.		This	is	not	common	in	the	literature	as	most	internal	studies	of	ITE	quality	led	by	teacher	educators/researchers	tend	to	focus	on	one	particular	programme	or	institution.		Meanwhile,	other	studies,	usually	conducted	by	external	researchers,	assess	a	larger	sample	of	ITE	programmes	on	a	macro-level.		The	MQuITE	study	presents	an	opportunity	for	a	meso-level	analysis	in	which	the	eight	universities	providing	ITE	in	Scotland	collaborate	to	assess	the	impact	and	quality	of	their	programmes	individually,	comparatively,	and	collectively.		Furthermore,	the	five-year	cohort	study	allows	for	the	collection	of	large	amount	of	quality	data	on	a	particular	cohort	that	will	provide	valuable	and	varied	insights	into	the	quality,	impact	and	future	direction	of	Scotland’s	ITE.	The	study	also	provides	an	important	opportunity	to	explicate,	articulate	and	synthesise	current	approaches	to	measurement	and	quality	embedded	in	ITE	practice	and	in	the	institutional	processes	of	such	unviersities.			 	MQUITE	EXECUTIVE	SUMMARY	 5		Reference	Feuer,	M.	J.	et	al.	(2013)	Evaluation	of	Teacher	Preparation	Programs:	Purposes,	Methods,	and	Policy	Options.	Washington,	D.C.:	National	Academy	of	Education.	Available	at:	https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED565694	(Accessed:	10	May	2017).		