SOPHE - Recognized by CAEP as a SPA for Health Education Teacher Preparation |
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Society for Public Health Education
February, 15, 2021 Volume 1, Issue 1
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Table of Contents
- Chair Introduction & Update
- CAEP News
- Trainings
- Resources
- Calendar
- Announcements
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From the desk of SOPHE’s School Health Education SPA Director
Susan Goekler, PhD, RMCHES®, FAAHE, FASHA (aka Susan Wooley)
Welcome to the SOPHE Shorts – a newsletter for faculty in school health education on Specialized Professional Association (SPA) accreditation news, updates and developments in the field.
I am pleased serve as SOPHE’s SPA Director for School Health Education and chair of the SPA Coordinating Committee. Along with Dr. Adrienne Lyde Gabrielson, I co-chaired SOPHE’s Health Education Teacher Preparation Standards Writing Group, so I know the current SOPHE standards well.
In 1989, I began serving as a folio reviewer for NCATE when AAHE was the designated SPA for health education. I continued reviewing when NCATE dissolved and merged into the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). I have chaired AAHE’s NCATE Committee, trained other reviewers, and co-authored the 2008 iteration of the Health Education Teacher Preparation Standards. I have also co-authored/co-edited several school health-relevant publications that include book chapters, encyclopedia articles, peer reviewed journal articles, and books, including Health Is Academic: A Guide to Coordinated School Health Programs.
Those roles were as a volunteer – serving the health education profession. In my paid positions, I served as CEO of two professional associations, the Directors of Health Promotion and Education (DHPE) and the American School Health Association (ASHA), where I oversaw operations and represented the association, its members and the field. My career has been varied, having worked in academia, schools, hospitals, nonprofit agencies, associations, and the government. I am retired now and live in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree with honors in biology from Case Western Reserve University. I received my master’s degree in health education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a PhD in health education from Temple University. I am a Retired Master Certified Health Education Specialist (RMCHES®).
If you have questions about SOPHE’s Teacher Preparation Standards or applying for recognition through the CAEP process, you can contact me at schoolhealthed@SOPHE.org
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Applying for national recognition of your health education teacher preparation program?
SOPHE has established professional standards for preparing health education teachers. In 2020, SOPHE signed an agreement with the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) as a CAEP Specialized Professional Association (SPA) partner. As part of the agreement, educator preparation providers pursuing accreditation through CAEP and seeking national recognition of their health education programs as part of the process, may adopt the SOPHE Standards and have programs reviewed using CAEP accreditation information management system (AIMS). This article outlines important information about the process.
National Recognition by a SPA
National recognition of discipline-specific teacher preparation programs is a separate process from accreditation of the college or university’s overall teacher preparation program. Whereas CAEP determines whether providers meet accreditation standards, SPA recognition may be used by CAEP to determine whether content and pedagogical knowledge is met (i.e. CAEP Standard 1).
SPAs determine whether provider’s program meets the standards set by its profession. Data from this process may be used to partially address CAEP Standard 1.
The State’s Role
Each state determines criteria for approving educator preparation programs leading to P-12 licensure, certification, and endorsement within its jurisdiction. Some states manage the process themselves, and some rely on CAEP’s partner SPAs to review teacher preparation programs to make program approval decisions. As of 2020, CAEP has signed agreements with 34 states including the District of Columbia. Among these, Delaware, Indiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, require SPA review in areas with a CAEP-SPA agreement. In 19 other states, SPA review is an option accepted by the states. For the remaining educator preparation programs, they have a choice to pursue SPA review after meeting state specified requirements.
Requirements for Applying for CAEP Health Education Recognition
Health education teacher preparation programs that want national recognition while pursuing CAEP accreditation are scheduled to submit a report of their program three years before their CAEP site review. As evidence that their health education teacher preparation program prepares its teacher candidates to meet national SPA standards for quality teachers, the program’s report must provide six to eight assessments that are required of all health education teacher candidates. Through the totality of those assessments, candidates must demonstrate that they meet the national SPA standards. The report form requires a copy of the actual assessments and data from at least two administrations of each assessment. Professionals selected and trained by the SPA review this information to determine if a health education teacher program meets the national SPA standards.
Aligning Your Courses with the National Standards
After understanding the SPA application process, an essential step requires course content in the teacher preparation program to align with the SOPHE National Standards. This alignment process should include developing six to eight data driven assessments submitted with the report as evidence that the preparation program meets the standards. Note, each standard includes performance indicators, or elements that must be apparent in the assessments submitted. These assessments must be implemented in the program to allow the minimum two administrations of all assessments prior to submitting the application.
SPA Review Cycles
There are two SPA review cycles per year - spring and fall. The spring deadline for submitting reports is March 15 and the fall deadline is September 15. The initial review report should be submitted at least three years prior to an accreditation visit. This allows programs enough time to submit revised reports and achieve recognition prior to the accreditation visits if the initial application fails to achieve national recognition.
To help programs meet its professional standards, SOPHE has prepared a guidance document available on its website. Dr. Susan Goekler serves as SOPHE’s SPA Director and can answer questions via email at schoolhealthspa@sophe.org.
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SOPHE SPA Coordinating Committee Charge & Members 2020
To oversee its SPA processes, SOPHE’s Board created a SPA Coordinating Committee with the purpose to:
- Lead the process to revise or update the professional standards for school health education teacher preparation programs in concert with any changes in the health education profession, and to meet CAEP SPA requirements.
- Assist teacher preparation institutions in preparing materials for SOPHE/CAEP national recognition as a component of accreditation.
- Recruit and train program reviewers on the SOPHE/CAEP standards, incorporating quality assurance findings from the SOPHE SPA Audit Committee.
- Determine and/or update the criteria for national program recognition in health education teacher preparation.
- Support and participate in the SOPHE/CAEP program review process.
- Recommend modifications or updates to the SOPHE SPA Manual.
- Advise on changes in higher education that may impact SOPHE’s SPA standards and processes.
- Recommend outreach to potential health education teacher preparation programs that may consider SOPHE SPA recognition in the future.
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The members of the initial coordinating committee include university faculty and K-12 teachers with some members having experience as reviewers. |
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Dr. Donna J. Bernert
Associate Professor, Health Education and Promotion, Kent State University
Dr. Bernert has held positions in school health education for over 35 years as a health educator, sexuality education specialist, and disability professional in public schools, universities, community organizations, and professional nonprofit associations. Currently, she coordinates and teaches in the graduate school health licensure programs offered at Kent State University. She has served as a SPA reviewer of health education teacher preparation programs since 2008, and is a member of the National Committee on the Future of School Health Education. She is licensed in Ohio to teach special education, elementary education, early childhood education, and health education.
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Mrs. Rachel Erisman
Health and Physical Education teacher, IM Terrell Academy for STEM and Visual Performing Arts, Fort Worth, Texas Independent School District
Mrs. Erisman has taught health education for 10 years in the Fort Worth ISD. Always striving to bring the best to her students, she specializes in the integration of technology and the fidelity of curriculum delivery. In 2016, she was honored as the district’s Teaching Chair for Excellence in Health and Physical Education. Mrs. Erisman has been an integral part in the development and improvement of FWISD’s High School Health curriculum through a CDC grant aimed to encourage positive choices in teens’ behaviors.
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Dr. Deitra Elaine Wengert, MCHES, FASHA, FAAHE, FNAS
Professor and School Health Education Specialist, Towson University
Dr. Wengert served as the School Health Coordinator from 1984-2019. She is the Department NCATE compiler and now the CAEP compiler for School Health Education. She has served as an accreditation reviewer for the NCATE Board of Examiners on-site and off-site reviews (2004-2016), AAHE/NCATE Program (SPA) Reviewer and Auditor, AAHE-Special Program Reviewer for NCATE (2004- 2019) and AAHE-Special Program Auditor for NCATE (2004-2019).
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Dr. Deborah Fortune, MCHES®, FAAHE
Associate Professor, North Carolina Central University
Dr. Fortune is serving as an advisor to the committee. She is SOPHE’s incoming president. In a past life, she was the SPA coordinator for AAHE, when it was the health education SPA under NCATE. Dr. Fortune is an associate professor in the Department of Health Education at North Carolina Central University and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist.
Prior to her current position, Dr. Fortune was the director of the National HIV & CSHE Project with the American Association for Health Education. She has been a faculty member at the following institutions: East Tennessee State University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and Marymount University. Dr. Fortune received her B.S. degree in Biology from Mississippi University for Women, M.S. degree in Community Health Education from the University of Southern Mississippi, and her Ph.D. in Public Health Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Fortune has provided instructor training in comprehensive school health education (Growing Healthy curriculum and Teenage Health Teaching Modules), HIV/AIDS for African Americans, youth violence prevention, and cultural diversity in health education.
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Dr. Jacqueline V. Jackson, CHES®
Interim Chair, College of Education and Human Development, Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Jackson State University
Dr. Jackson has worked at Jackson State University for 20 years in the College of Education. As a CHES®certified faculty instructor, she has taught entry-, intermediate- and senior-level courses to teacher candidates in health and physical education. She has served on the teacher education task force charged with the oversight of improving through performance assessment the clinical experience of all teacher education candidates within the college and on the process review for health education team at the university for the Mississippi State Department of Education. As interim chair, she works with the university’s CAEP assessment/SPA team to ensure appropriate training for all teacher education candidates.
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Mr. Chris A. Moore, M.S.
Health teacher and assistant soccer coach, South Hills High School in Fort Worth, Texas
Mr. Moore is entering his 13th year teaching with the Fort Worth Independent School District. Cultivating environments that intentionally include and promote health for students of all genders and sexual orientations is his passion. In 2016, Chris assisted the Superintendent of the Fort Worth ISD in revising the district’s Transgender Guidelines. He has presented on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender student inclusion in Health and PE spaces at multiple District, State, and National level conferences. In 2019, Chris helped revise all language in the Health curriculum, HealthSmart, to be inclusive of Transgender students and LGB students. Chris received his Bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance with a concentration in Licensure from the University of Tennessee at Martin, and his Master’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of North Texas.
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If you are interested in serving on the committee in the future or have questions about the committee, please contact Susan Goekler, the SPA Coordinator and Committee Chair at schoolhealthed@sophe.org
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Upcoming SOPHE Webinar
Friday, March 5, 2021, 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET
SOPHE Recorded Webinars
PowerPoint Slides
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CDC’s Operational Strategy for K-12 Schools through phased mitigation includes recommendations for–
- Consistent implementation of a combination of strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools, including consistent mask use; maintaining at least 6 feet of distance to the greatest extent possible; handwashing and respiratory etiquette; cleaning and maintaining healthy facilities; and carrying out contact tracing in combination with isolation and quarantine.
- Recommended steps schools can follow depending on how COVID-19 is spreading in the community.
- Indicators to reflect the level of COVID-19 in the community.
- Vaccination for teachers, school staff, and in communities.
- Testing to identify people infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 to limit transmission and outbreaks.
CDC is also releasing The Science Brief: Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in K-12 Schools, which reviews the latest scientific evidence on COVID-19 among children and adolescents, in school settings, and about virus transmission, and other key considerations.
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Preparation for SPA Recognition
SOPHE’s 2019 Health Education Teacher Preparation Manual is a guidance document for institutions seeking national recognition of their health education teacher preparation program. It includes a detailed description of the knowledge base underlying each of the six HETP standards and 28 components, information on the required assessments to show that teacher candidates can demonstrate the expected knowledge and skills, sample rubrics, exemplars and templates, and information on SOPHE’s SPA process. The manual is essential for faculty overseeing health education teacher preparation programs and can be useful for states and policymakers concerned with health education teacher performance.
Other Resources
Additional resources to assist professional preparation programs:
COVID-19 Educator Preparation Resources
The COVID-19 Education Coalition released two new resources for institutions of higher education Eeucator prep programs and teacher candidates! This includes resources to prepare for future crises that could threaten to interrupt the preparation of teachers and an infographic that amplifies five areas of student agency in online learning. For more information, visit the COVID-19 Education Coalition website.
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Join us March 16, 2021, for a virtual CAEPCon, offering multiple synchronous and asynchronous sessions. CAEP staff, volunteers, and education preparation providers bring you the latest information on the standards, strategies, and processes needed to succeed in developing candidates that meet the needs of all K-12 learners. Sessions focus on:
· Virtual strategies
· The revised CAEP Standards
· The new CAEP Workbook
In addition, sessions aimed at Standards 1, 3 and 5 are provided. We break down areas where educator preparation programs have had problems, provide real world examples, and offer tips for collecting and providing evidence used to meet the standards.
Whether you are a CAEP veteran or a novice, we have sessions to address all aspects of the accreditation process. CAEP is committed to advancing equity and excellence in educator preparation and we show how providers rise to the challenge to better serve candidates and K-12 learners.
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We are bringing the annual conference to you! You can participate from anywhere in the world!
Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Framework: Challenges and Future amidst COVID-19
April 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET
Speakers:
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Donna Harris-Aiken, senior advisor, Policy & Planning, US Department of Education (invited)
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Sharon Adams- Taylor, associate executive director, School Superintendents Association
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Vito Borrello-National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement
Moderator:
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Rosemary Reilly-Chammant, PhD., Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and President, SSDHPER
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SOPHE SPA Reviewers Wanted
We need you to assist in become a SOPHE SPA reviewer. Those who meet the following professional preparation and experience in one or more of the following areas are eligible to become reviewers:
- Secondary school health teacher with a degree in health education and at least 3 years teaching experience and currently employed in a school or school district.
- Secondary school health teacher with National Board Certification in health education, and at least five years of experience and currently employed as a school health educator or supervisor in a school or district.
- District-level health education coordinator, with a master’s degree in health education and five years or more experience teaching health education in a school system.
- Doctoral-prepared health educator with five years or more experience in preparing specialists for teacher certification in health education.
- Certified health education specialists [CHES®] with a master’s degree in health education with five years or more experience teaching health education in a school system and currently employed as a school health educator or supervisor in a school setting.
- CHES® with expertise in curriculum development with a master’s degree in health education and at least five years of experience in a school health education program.
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SOPHE will provide reviewer training and refreshers, and this service is also eligible for CHES/MCHES Category II credit. If you are interested in joining our review team, contact schoolhealthed@sophe.org.
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