Assessment Overview Discipline/Program Name PTA Assessment Year 2012 2013 Learning Outcome 1. Demonstrate entry level clinical skills required to perform the duties if a Physical Therapist Assistant in a variety of practice settings 2. Demonstrate the professional behaviors required to perform the duties of a Physical Therapist Assistant in a variety of practice settings. 3. Program admission requirements accurately identify the level of reading skills required to support mastery of Physical Therapy content leading to an overall program retention rate of Outcome Type Methodology n History Benchmark Results Discipline Discipline Skills Assessment 10 ALL Skills Assessment 10 ALL 75%. SLO Correlation 20 5 4. Program admission requirements accurately SLO Correlation 22 5 Students in PTA 282 will achieve entry level competency in at least 13 of the 16 clinical skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. Entry level competence is at the 100% mark on the scale of 0-100%. Students in PTA 282 will achieve entry level competency in at least 6 of the 7 professional behavior skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. Entry level competence is at the 100% mark on the scale of 0-100%. A correlation value of r >=.5 will exist for Accuplacer reading comprehension scores and PTA 110, 120, 140 and HPR 117. A correlation value of r >=.5 will exist for Accuplacer All but one of the 10 students met the benchmark of achievement of entry level competency in at least 13 of 16 clinical skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. 100% of the 11 students met the benchmark of achieving entry level competence on 7 of the 7 identified skills. Correlation RC to 110 0.184252 Correlation RC to 117 0.23473 Correlation RC to 120 0.130618 Correlation RC to 140-0.1169 Strength of Results Weak Neutral Weak Correlation MS to 110 0.217917 Weak
identify the level of math skills required to support mastery of Physical Therapy content leading to an overall program retention rate of 75%. Describe the Learning Outcome That You Have Measured SLO, Discipline or Other Pre-Post Test, Judged Competition, Embedded Questions, Rubric Graded Essay Nu mb er of Stu de nts As ses sed # of Years This Outcom e Has Been Assesse d Alegbra scores and PTA 110, 120, 140 and HPR 117. Correlation MS to 117 0.299793 Measurement Standard Correlation MS to 120-0.05444 Correlation MS to 140-0.08777 Report the Results of Your Data Analysis Strong: Exceeds Benchmark Neutral: Meets Benchmark Weak: Misses Benchmark Recommendation: Complete this Assessment Overview Table after you have completed your Assessment Summary in the following template.
Program / Discipline Assessment Report Program/Discipline: Physical Therapist Assistant Responsibility: Paula Provence Program/Discipline's Mission Statement: The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program provides physical therapist assistant education to a widely diverse student clientele. Since the educational needs of the program's constituency vary significantly, the program is committed to maintaining instructional flexibility to provide for these diverse needs; it encourages lifelong learning. The PTA program is also committed to improving student learning through continual assessment of student achievement. The Physical Therapist Assistant program fosters a sense of personal and professional integrity, ethics and responsibility, and understanding of the critical thinking and problem solving processes; it develops communication skills and promotes an awareness and acceptance of individuals and groups from various backgrounds. The physical therapist assistant program's commitment to this educational process will prepare students with the medical knowledge, clinical skills, and professional behaviors necessary to meet the challenges inherent within our complex, evolving systems of physical therapy and health care delivery. The Physical Therapist Assistant program responds to our physical therapy community including efforts to advance the recognition of the field of physical therapy and the role of PTAs within the field. We partner with area clinicians and facilities to determine and meet their needs for physical therapist assistants. Program/Discipline's Assessment History: By using the assessment process as an evaluative technique, how has it previously affected your program's curricula and/or teaching strategies? The PTA program has been assessing the ability of graduates to function at an entry level in a variety of setting for several years. Now that our curriculum has stabilized from the mandated changes of Common Numbering we can again look at a two cycle result period to consider cause and effect between curriculum and results. PTA students continue to perform well in areas assessed and become successfully employed in the community. Despite positive results the program continues to consider improvements to our program. Changes in the PTA program curricula are more reflective of retention rates than assessment performance. As previous assessments have shown, program goals are being well met by the students who complete the program. However, retention rates have resulted in our re-sequencing the curriculum for increased retention. By using the assessment process as an evaluative technique, what changes to student learning have been noted? The PTA program assessment has confirmed that our graduates are obtaining the level of education and training required for program objectives to be met. What unintended consequences, if any, have occurred because of the assessment process? We have not experienced any unintended consequences. Who receives information about your department's assessment and why? (Please note if you plan on altering either of these items for the coming year.)
Program assessment information is shared with students, faculty, our advisory committee and the PT community at large. It is also communicated to the Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education albeit in a different format. Part 1: Previous Academic Year Assessment Summary Previous Academic Year: 2011-2012 Outcome #: 1 Outcome Type (choose one): X Discipline/Program SLO Other If Student Learning Outcome (choose one): Communication Society and Culture/Diversity and Global Awareness Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Quantitative Reasoning Technology Interpersonal Skills/Leadership and Teamwork Aesthetics Values and Ethics Information Management Personal Development and Responsibility Benchmark for success 1) Please specify what percentage of the sample size is expected to meet or exceed your benchmark. 2) What is the rationale for choosing this measure? Description of assessment process: 1) What assessment methods were used to measure this outcome (i.e. pre/post test, portfolio review, etc.)? 2) How do these methods show students are learning? 3) What frequency is this outcome being measured (i.e.: each semester, yearly, every other year, etc.) and why? 4) How many students made up the sample size? Outcome Title: Entry Level Clinical Skills Outcome Description: "Demonstrate entry level clinical skills required to perform the duties if a Physical Therapist Assistant in a variety of practice settings." Method #1 Benchmark: Students in PTA 282 will achieve entry level competency in at least 13 of the 16 clinical skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. Entry level competence is at the 100% mark on the scale of 0-100%. Method #1 Rationale: Our benchmark was set at 13 of 16 clinical skills because there are a few skills in the Clinical Performance Instrument which cannot be completed in every facility. For example, skill #18 involves demonstrating the ability to appropriately delegate components of interventions to physical therapy aides and other support personnel. Not every clinic utilizes support personnel; therefore, it is appropriate to allow for this exception in the benchmark rather than need to exclude the student from the results based on such an occurrence. Method #1: Students' clinical skills will be assessed in their final clinical internships (PTA 282) by clinical instructors using the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument (version 98). The 16 clinical skills measured by this assessment include: 1. Performs in a safe manner that minimizes risk to patient, self, and others. 6. Communicates in ways that are congruent with situational needs. 7. Produces documentation to support the delivery of physical therapy services 8. Delivers established patient care to reflect respect for and sensitivity to individual differences.
9. 10. Participates in patient status judgments within the clinical environment based on the plan of care established by the physical therapist Obtains accurate information by performing selected data collection consistent with the plan of care established by the physical therapist. 11. Discusses the need for modifications to the plan of care by the physical therapist. 12. Performs physical therapy interventions in a technically competent manner. 13. Educates others (patients, family, caregivers, staff, students, other health care providers) using relevant and effective teaching methods. 14. Participates in activities addressing quality of service delivery. 15. Participates in addressing patient needs for services other than physical therapy. 16. Manages resources (e.g. time space and equipment) to achieve goals of the clinical setting. 17. Participates in fiscal management of the physical therapy setting. 18. Uses physical therapy aides and other support personnel according to legal standards and ethical guidelines. 19. Implements a self directed plan for career development and lifelong leaning. 20. Assists the physical therapist in addressing primary and secondary prevention needs of individuals and groups. Results What were the results of the assessment process? (List results for each method, if more than one were used.) While the evaluation tool is completed by students and their clinical instructors as a formative evaluation earlier in their educational program, its use during PTA 282 is a summative evaluation. At the completion of this clinical affiliation, students have completed all didactic and clinical coursework. This year our sample size is 10. Student Total Competencies Completed Competencies completed at 100% Competency number and competency level if less than 100% Competency not observed during internship Example 16 16 N/A N/A 1 16 16 N/A N/A 2 15 15 N/A 15 3 15 9 9 = 75; 10=65; 15
11=75; 12=85; 13=85; 14=60 4 15 15 N/A 15 5 16 16 N/A N/A 6 16 16 N/A N/A 7 16 13 7=91; 10=83; 11=96 N/A 8 14 14 N/A 15, 18 9 16 16 N/A N/A What did the department learn? 1) How did group performance compare to the benchmark? 2) How does the data compare to the previous year, if applicable? 3) If multiple measures were used, how do they compare to each other? 10 15 15 N/A 20 All but one of the 10 students met the benchmark of achievement of entry level competency in at least 13 of 16 clinical skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. In comparing the results of this assessment cycle with the previous one, the same skills continue to appear as not observed. Given the change in PT practice and the lack of an update of the CPI, this occurrence is not unexpected. For future assessment cycles, there is an updated version of the CPI which will hopefully eliminate the issue with non observed skills. Student performance summary 1) Based on the findings, how does the department rate student performance in regards to this outcome (strong, weak, or neutral)? 2) How does this assessment affect plans for this coming year in terms of curricula, teaching strategies, and assessment methods? The results achieved by these indicators allows the department to continue to rate student performance and our achievement of program outcomes as strong. Despite our track record of achieving these results the program will continuously monitor this outcome to assure that changes in the profession, our student and applicant pool or the external environment do not result in any less.
Outcome #: 2 Outcome Type (choose one): X Discipline/Program SLO Other If Student Learning Outcome (choose one): Communication Society and Culture/Diversity and Global Awareness Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Quantitative Reasoning Technology Interpersonal Skills/Leadership and Teamwork Aesthetics Values and Ethics Information Management Personal Development and Responsibility Benchmark for success 1) Please specify what percentage of the sample size is expected to meet or exceed your benchmark. 2) What is the rationale for choosing this measure? Description of assessment process: 1) What assessment methods were used to measure this outcome (i.e. pre/post test, portfolio review)? 2) How do these methods show students are learning? 3) What frequency is this outcome being measured (i.e.: each semester, yearly, every other year, etc.) and why? 4) How many students made up the sample size? Outcome Title: Professional Behavior Outcome Description: Demonstrate the professional behaviors required to perform the duties of a Physical Therapist Assistant in a variety of practice settings. Method #1 Benchmark: Students in PTA 282 will achieve entry level competency in at least 6 of the 7 professional behavior skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. Entry level competence is at the 100% mark on the scale of 0-100%. Method #1 Rationale: Our benchmark was set at 7 of 7 clinical skills because there these skills should be attainable completed in every facility. Method #1: Students' professional behaviors were assessed in their final clinical internships (PTA 282) by clinical instructors using the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument (version 98). The 7 professional behavior skills measured by this assessment included: 2. Conducts self in a responsible manner. 3. Interacts with others in a respectful manner. 4. Adheres to ethical standards. 5. Adheres to legal standards. 6. Communicates in ways that are congruent with situational needs. 8. Delivers established patient care to reflect respect for and sensitivity to individual differences. 19. Implements a self directed plan for career development and lifelong leaning. While the evaluation tool is completed by students and their clinical instructors as a formative evaluation earlier in their educational program, its use during PTA 282 is a summative evaluation. At the completion of this clinical affiliation, students have completed all didactic and clinical
coursework. This year our sample size is 10. Results What were the results of the assessment process? (List results for each method, if more than one were used.) What did the department learn? 1) How did group performance compare to the benchmark? 2) How does the data compare to the previous year, if applicable? 3) If multiple measures were used, how do they compare to each other? Student performance summary 1) Based on the findings, how does the department rate student performance in regards to this outcome (strong, weak, or neutral)? 2) How does this assessment affect plans for this coming year in terms of curricula, teaching strategies, and assessment methods? Student Total Competencies Completed Competencies completed at 100% Competency number and competency level if less than 100% Competency not observed during internship Example 7 7 N/A N/A 1 7 7 N/A N/A 2 7 7 N/A N/A 3 7 7 N/A N/A 4 7 7 N/A N/A 5 7 7 N/A N/A 6 7 7 N/A N/A 7 7 7 N/A N/A 8 7 7 N/A N/A 9 7 7 N/A N/A 10 7 7 N/A N/A 100% of the 11 students met the benchmark of achieving entry level competence on 7 of the 7 identified skills. This data is comparable to the results of the previous assessment cycle. The identification of professional behavior skills not observed did not occur this cycle or the previous cycle but because of the importance of these skills we will continue to monitor this indicator. The results achieved by these indicators allow the department to continue to rate student performance and our achievement of program outcomes as strong. Despite our track record of achieving these results, the program will continuously monitor this outcome to assure that changes in the profession, our student and applicant pool or the external environment do not result in any less.
Outcome #: 3 Outcome Type (choose one): Discipline/Program X SLO Other If Student Learning Outcome (choose one): Communication Quantitative Reasoning Benchmark for success 1) Please specify what percentage of the sample size is expected to meet or exceed your benchmark. 2) What is the rationale for choosing this measure? Description of assessment process: 1) What assessment methods were used to measure this outcome (i.e. pre/post test, portfolio review)? 2) How do these methods show students are learning? 3) What frequency is this outcome being measured (i.e.: each semester, yearly, every other year, etc.) and why? 4) How many students made up the sample size? Results What were the results of the assessment process? (List results for each method, if more than one were used.) Outcome Title: Reading Comprehension Skills Outcome Description: Program admission requirements accurately identify the level of reading skills required to support mastery of Physical Therapy content leading to an overall program retention rate of 75%. Benchmark: A correlation value of r >=.5 will exist for Accuplacer reading comprehension scores and PTA 110, 120, 140 and HPR 117. Method #1: Compare Accuplacer reading comprehension scores of each student with final grades of PTA 110, HPR 117, PTA 120, PTA 140 for positive correlation. Accuplacer scores are required for PTA program admission. Current requirements were put in place on the assumption that the skill level represented by these levels would help assure student success. This assumption has never been tested by other than anecdotal evidence. Our sample size for this group is 22. Student RC Alg 110 117 120 140 1 111 77 4 4 3 3 2 104 96 3 4 3 3 3 112 97 4 3 2 3 4 110 97 3 2 0 0 5 84 69 2 6 116 95 4 4 3 3 7 92 53 2 2 2 2 8 107 54 2 1 9 108 2 2 1 1 10 61 55 3 2 11 116 78 3 3 3 2 12 117 114 1 1 13 82 83 2 2 2 2 14 111 107 3 3 2 1 15 104 52 3 3 2 2 16 110 64 3 2 2 2 17 106 85 1 0 18 99 109 4 3 2 3 19 92 51 3 2 2 3 20 120 70
21 117 119 4 4 22 82 114 Correlation RC to 110 0.184252 Correlation RC to 117 0.23473 Correlation RC to 120 0.130618 Correlation RC to 140-0.1169 Combining this year s data with 09-12 data, the sample size is 74 and the correlations are: Correlation RC to 110 0.097799 Correlation RC to 117 0.221964 Correlation RC to 120 0.033495 Correlation RC to 140-0.12643 What did the department learn? 1) How did group performance compare to the benchmark? 2) How does the data compare to the previous year, if applicable? 3) If multiple measures were used, how do they compare to each other? Student performance summary 1) Based on the findings, how does the department rate student performance in regards to this outcome (strong, weak, or neutral)? 2) How does this assessment affect plans for this coming year in terms of curricula, teaching strategies, and assessment methods? Although the overall sample size is improving, we still need to combine these numbers with data collected from future classes to determine if a strong enough correlation exists to incorporate this information into selection criteria. 2011 2012 results show the strongest correlation between the Accuplacer Reading Comprehension scores and final grades for HPR 117. This is consistent with previous data. When this data is combined with previous years, the strength of the correlation is slightly weaker than the previous composite. The data does not support any other correlations. Because initial results are not conclusive, we will continue the current minimum requirement for PTA program admission.
Outcome #: 4 Outcome Type (choose one): Discipline/Program X SLO Other If Student Learning Outcome (choose one): Communication Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Quantitative Reasoning Benchmark for success 1) Please specify what percentage of the sample size is expected to meet or exceed your benchmark. 2) What is the rationale for choosing this measure? Description of assessment process: 1) What assessment methods were used to measure this outcome (i.e. pre/post test, portfolio review, etc.)? 2) How do these methods show students are learning? 3) What frequency is this outcome being measured (i.e.: each semester, yearly, every other year, etc.) and why? 4) How many students made up the sample size? Results What were the results of the assessment process? (List results for each method, if more than one were used.) Outcome Title: Math/Algebra Skills Outcome Description: Program admission requirements accurately identify the level of math skills required to support mastery of Physical Therapy content leading to an overall program retention rate of 75%. Benchmark: A correlation value of r >=.5 will exist for Accuplacer Alegbra scores and PTA 110, 120, 140 and HPR 117. Method #1: Compare Accuplacer Algebra scores of each student with final grades of PTA 110, HPR 117, PTA 120, PTA 140 for positive correlation. Accuplacer scores are required for PTA program admission. Current requirements were put in place on the assumption that the skill level represented by these levels would help assure student success. This assumption has never been tested by other than anecdotal evidence. Our sample size for this group is 16. Student RC Alg 110 117 120 140 1 111 77 4 4 3 3 2 104 96 3 4 3 3 3 112 97 4 3 2 3 4 110 97 3 2 0 0 5 84 69 2 6 116 95 4 4 3 3 7 92 53 2 2 2 2 8 107 54 2 1 9 108 2 2 1 1 10 61 55 3 2 11 116 78 3 3 3 2 12 117 114 1 1 13 82 83 2 2 2 2 14 111 107 3 3 2 1 15 104 52 3 3 2 2 16 110 64 3 2 2 2 17 106 85 1 0 18 99 109 4 3 2 3 19 92 51 3 2 2 3
20 120 70 21 117 119 4 4 22 82 114 Correlation MS to 110 0.217917 Correlation MS to 117 0.299793 Correlation MS to 120-0.05444 Correlation MS to 140-0.08777 Combining this data with the 10-12 data, the sample size is 62 and the correlations are Correlation MS to 110 0.24826 Correlation MS to 117 0.339804 Correlation MS to 120 0.33495 Correlation MS to 140 0.296798 What did the department learn? 1) How did group performance compare to the benchmark? 2) How does the data compare to the previous year, if applicable? 3) If multiple measures were used, how do they compare to each other? Student performance summary 1) Based on the findings, how does the department rate student performance in regards to this outcome (strong, weak, or neutral)? 2) How does this assessment affect plans for this coming year in terms of curricula, teaching strategies, and assessment methods? Although the overall sample size is improving, we still need to combine these numbers with data collected from future classes to determine if a strong enough correlation exists to incorporate this information into selection criteria. 2011-2012 results suggest a possible correlation for Accuplacer Algebra scores and final grades for PTA 110 and HPR 117. When this data is combined with previous data, the possible correlations extends to PTA 120, and PTA 140. Given the increasing evidence of a correlation between Algebra scores on the Accuplacer and success in HPR 117, PTA 110, PTA 120 and PTA 140, we will increase the required Accuplacer algebra score for admission to 61 and continue to monitor the data.
Part 2: Current Academic Year Assessment Plan Current Academic Year: 2012-2013 Intended Learning Outcomes (only include if they differ from those noted in Part 1) The PTA program will continue to monitor achievement of clinical and behavior skill attainment in our final student affiliation. As well as collecting data to assess whether program admission requirements accurately identify the level of writing and math skills required to support mastery of Physical Therapy content leading to an overall program retention rate of 75%. Assessment Method(s) (only include if they differ from those noted in Part 1) Beginning with our Summer 2012 affiliations, the PTA program now utilizes the August 2009 edition of the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI). The revised version of this document now contains 14 instead of 20 skills. Consequently, the breakdown of clinical and professional skills for Outcomes #1 and #2 have changed. Beginning with the 2012-2013 report, CPI clinical skills will be # s 1,7,8,9,10,11,12,13 and 14. CPI professional behavior skills will be skill #s 2,3,4,5 and 6. We will also continue to evaluate placement scores (using whatever tool is selected) and course grades to acquire a larger sample size. Benchmarks (only include if they differ from those noted in Part 1) Outcome #1 Students completing PTA 282 will achieve entry level competency in 9 of 9 clinical skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. Entry level competence is at the 100% mark on the scale from 0 100%. Outcome #2 -- Students completing PTA 282 will achieve entry level competency in 5 of 5 professional behavior skills included in the PTA Clinical Performance Instrument. Entry level competence is at the 100% mark on the scale from 0 100%. Have you submitted a separate budget worksheet? (Choose by bolding; for information about this worksheet, please refer to the specific budgeting e-mail sent by the committee chairperson.) Yes No Please submit this report (including both last year's summary and this year's plan) in a Word document to the Program Assessment committee chairperson (Cheyne Bamford: cheyne.bamford@arapahoe.edu). If you have any questions about the process, please contact the chairperson.