U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
2004
Like last year's report, and the one before that, this update from the Education Department depicts "mixed" progress toward meeting the teacher quality provisions of No Child Left Behind. In 2003, eight states added content degree standards, so that "a content specific bachelor's degree is required for initial certification," bringing to 38 the number of states that consider this important factor. Forty-eight states now have criteria to assess the quality of teacher preparation programs, but few base their evaluations on teachers' success in raising student achievement. It's even more telling that only nine states in 2003 termed any of their preparation programs low performing, or even at risk of being low performing - a total of 25 programs out of 1,200 or so nationwide. Forty-one states, up from 35 in 2001, "have established a policy that links, aligns, or coordinates teacher certification or licensure requirements with state content standards for students." Unfortunately, in 2001-2 (the most recent data provided), only 33 states tested teachers for content knowledge and "most have set the minimum passing score - or cut score - so low as to screen out only the very lowest performing individuals." Worst of all, six states still lack any alternative routes to certification. This report doesn't have the stem-winding, bell-ringing policy clarity of its predecessors but it supplies a lot of information. Read it here.
