The USC Rossier School of Education implements an assessment system called AEGIS (Assessment and Evaluation Guide for Improvement System) for ongoing program and unit evaluation and improvement. The modern concept of aegis (Greek: Αιγίς) is doing something under the protection or authority of a powerful and knowledgeable source. The purpose of AEGIS is to provide the USC Rossier School of Education with a continuous improvement system derived from its Conceptual Framework and grounded in its Mission, Strategic Plan, and Guiding Principles.
Evaluation, primarily through key assessments, occurs throughout five phases of an annual assessment cycle and at critical transition points within every program to ensure a strong fit with the School’s mission, CTC and NCATE standards, the Conceptual Framework (CF) and Strategic Plan (SP). Similar efforts are conducted in the School of Social Work (SSW) for the Pupil Personnel Credential (PPS) and the Thornton School of Music (MUED) for the single-subject Music Education credential program. The alignment of the missions among the three schools is found in the Conceptual Framework (See Standard 1 Exhibit 1.5.c).
The CTC and NCATE Standards along with the CF and Guiding Principles are the foundation of the assessment system. The unit developed the Guiding Principles during the “Futures Conference” in 2000 (1.5.c) as Leadership, Learning, Accountability and Diversity and incorporated them in the newly designed Doctorate in Educational Leadership program in 2003 in four required core courses. (Dembo & Marsh, 2007, Developing a New Ed.D. Program in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, p.23 (1.5.c). The four Guiding Principles are also represented in the MAT program, which was redesigned in 2008 for both on-ground and online delivery.
In June 2011, faculty from each credential program held a retreat to begin the work of conducting an in-depth review of their programs. This retreat served as an interactive forum where all faculty members participated in a shared dialogue focused on understanding and proposing future outcomes for each program. The outcomes of this retreat became the foundation for the CF, based upon the philosophies, missions, visions, and goals common to all unit programs. The final outcomes of this effort are the proficiencies aligned with knowledge, skills, and dispositions in all programs. (2.3.a).
AEGIS is designed to (a) provide data-oriented evaluative linkages between professional standards and program generated proficiencies to produce teachers and other school personnel who can help all students learn; (b) establish an annual cycle of data collection, interpretation and meaning-making for program review and revision; and (c) use this combination of data and evaluation activities to maintain a dynamic and developing picture of candidate progress through programs and into practice over time.
Read the complete text of the Rossier Assessment and Evaluation Guide for Improvement System