Section I, Institution and Educator Preparation Program Contextual Information

1a. Institutional background

Peru State College is Nebraska’s oldest college, founded in 1867, the year Nebraska became a state. The College was originally formed as the Nebraska State Normal School and was the third teacher education institution west of the Missouri River. Over its long history, Peru State College has undergone program restructuring, name changes, and changes in governance. It has evolved from a normal school to a Carnegie Classification of Master’s Colleges and Universities (larger graduate programs) institution. However, two characteristics have remained constant: the beautiful campus setting at the edge of the rolling Missouri River bluffs and the College’s commitment to offering high quality, affordable education to every high school graduate with a desire to attend.

Peru State College is a member institution of the Nebraska State College System and governed by the Nebraska State College Board of Trustees. Other member institutions are Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska, and Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. The Board of Trustees has seven members, six of whom are appointed by the Governor of Nebraska to six-year terms with legislative approval. The Nebraska Commissioner of Education serves as an ex officio member. The Governor also appoints annually a nonvoting student board member from each of the three state colleges.  The mission of Peru State College is to provide students of all backgrounds access to engaging educational experiences to strengthen and enrich communities in Nebraska and throughout the world.  Peru State College is an open enrollment campus with approximately 1,600 students coming from diverse races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

The mission of the Peru State College School of Education is to develop exemplary professionals dedicated to excellence in teaching and learning in the state of Nebraska and beyond. A strong emphasis is placed on a commitment to a culture of evidence that embeds, creates, and informs relevant coursework in content and pedagogy with diverse field experiences and mutually beneficial P-12 school and community partnerships to support the continual growth of Teacher Candidates. Faculty provide support for Teacher Candidates as they develop and nurture personal teaching identities based on their knowledge, skills, and dispositions, and use these to become reflective practitioners, wise decision- makers, and teacher leaders who promote student achievement.

At Peru State College, our mission is based upon the premise that each person has unique potential to be enhanced by his or her educational experiences. Therefore, as educators we acknowledge our role in this enhancement, our own responsibility to be reflective practitioners: persons grounded in a knowledge of the past, respectful and cognizant of the present cultural context in which we live, and highly aware of a future that requires adaptability and critical thinking skills. Our conceptual framework has long acknowledged the belief that our teacher candidates should be wise decision-makers.

The EPP has a long tradition of developing qualified professional educators who embody a sense of Pride, Excellence, Resilience, and Unity.  The EPP bases its program outcomes on the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) core teaching Standards for the initial endorsements and the advanced teaching endorsements.
1b. Endorsement Programs
Initial Level—field endorsements

  • Art (K-12)
  • Business, Marketing, and Information Technology (6-12)
  • Early Childhood Inclusive (B-3)
  • Elementary Education (K-8)
  • Health and Physical Education (PK-12)
  • English Language Arts (7-12)
  • Mathematics (6-12)
  • Music Vocal/Instrumental (K-12)
  • Science (7-12)
  • Social Science (7-12)
  • Special Education (K-12)

Initial Level – subject endorsements

  • Biology (7-12)
  • Chemistry (7-12)
  • English (7-12)
  • History (7-12)
  • Middle Level Education (5-9)
  • Core of English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science
  • Options for additional subject of Business and Health and Physical Education
  • Special Education (K-6) (7-12)

Initial Level - supplemental endorsements

  • Coaching (7-12)
  • Early Childhood Education (ages PK–3)
  • English as a Second Language (PK-12)

1c. Significant changes since last review

  • Added English as a Second Language supplemental endorsement (added on to a subject or field endorsement) implemented.
  • Established partnership with ESU 4 and NDE to form the Southeast Nebraska Teacher Academy.  This includes a 1 credit-hour substitute teaching course (ED 320).
  • Faculty developed new key assessments in Education courses that better align with CAEP expectations.
  • The Instructional Analysis Project (IAP) was revised to enhance the ability of teacher candidates and completers to assess instructional objectives, gather and analyze data, and make changes to instruction based on this information.
  • A behavior management course that was proposed as a result of lower means in management skills on the NCPE was created as a one credit workshop for all teacher candidates.
  • The EPP implemented the Educators Disposition Assessment (EDA) system. Use of this system has formalized professional expectations of teacher candidates and has been an effective tool to help faculty, college supervisors, and cooperating teachers better communicate these expectations. Teacher candidates are introduced to the EDA system as early as freshmen and it is implemented in all core Education courses, at a minimum.
  • The Early Childhood Education program was revised with input from partners.
  • Course delivery was changed for all programs; no upper level Education courses are offered in a fully online format as the majority of students preferred (via course evaluations and exit surveys) face to face and evening hybrid courses (face to face meetings paired with online delivery).

1d. Anticipated program and/or endorsement changes

At this time, there are no expected changes to endorsements. 

The EPP is adding a 1-credit hour Behavior Management Seminar to the Education Option in all endorsed areas with the exception of Early Childhood, Special Education, and Coaching.

While the 2021/2022 catalog is currently available for freshman advising, it will not become active until August 1, 2021. A few changes have been made in the coursework for individual endorsements to better meet the learning needs of the future teachers.

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