Ohio strengthens its reports on teacher preparation programs

Each year, the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) collects and publishes data from Ohio’s teacher preparation programs in accordance with state law. These Educator Performance Reports are available for the state and individual higher education institutions (both public and private). Current metrics include licensure test pass rates, value-added data, information on field and clinical experiences (like the number of weeks teacher candidates spend student teaching), and results from the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES).[1]

In Ohio, these reports are currently the only objective resource that annually measures the outcomes of teacher preparation programs.[2] They are not an accountability measure—there are no consequences or rewards directly tied to the results. But they are an important transparency feature, as they give policymakers, prospective teachers, district and school administrators, and the public a closer look at how well Ohio’s preparation programs are training future educators.

Given that teachers matter more to student achievement than any other schooling element, such transparency is crucial. But the usefulness of these reports has been blunted by their formatting, which isn’t very user-friendly. Consider the 2024 institution profile for The Ohio State University, Ohio’s largest higher education institution. The report contains plenty of important information. But if you’re a prospective teacher trying to decide between Ohio State and other schools, or a district administrator searching for where to find the best new teachers, rifling through dozens of pages of data and trying to identify comparison points is both difficult and time-consuming.

Fortunately, all that changed this year when ODHE revamped its reports. Now, all the primary metrics fit on a single page—a much more user-friendly format that will allow a broad range of stakeholders to easily access data and make simple, quick comparisons. Given Ohio’s statewide early literacy initiative, it’s especially noteworthy that the revamped reports clearly identify first-time pass rates and test takers’ highest score pass rates on the state’s Foundations of Reading exam. That’s useful information for district and school leaders who might be considering which preparation programs to collaborate with for teacher training opportunities, student teaching partnerships, and other initiatives.

If you’re someone who prefers in-depth analysis and charts over glossy one-pagers, never fear: ODHE offers links to both the brand-new resource and a historical version. It also provides detailed reports on the value-added progress dimension and OTES results. For most folks, though, the newly published one-pagers are a clear upgrade.

Prospective teachers, in particular, should benefit. Let’s say Jane is an aspiring teacher who believes in the value of hands-on learning and wants to get as much experience in the classroom as possible before she graduates. Jane lives in northeast Ohio and is deciding between Kent State University and the University of Akron. A quick glance at each institution’s most recent report tells her that at Kent State, teacher candidates clocked 620 field hours prior to student teaching and spent an average of 15 weeks in their student teaching placement. At Akron, meanwhile, students spent just 160 hours in the field prior to student teaching and just 12 weeks in their student teaching placement. For Jane, the choice is clear: If she wants lots of clinical hours, Kent State is the best fit.

Meanwhile, in southwest Ohio, James and his parents are trying to decide between three institutions: Miami University, the University of Cincinnati, and Wilmington College. James prefers smaller class sizes, while his parents prefer minimal student loan debt. ODHE’s reports offer data on both in the form of annual enrollment numbers for preparation programs and in-state tuition rates. Although Wilmington College will likely have the smallest class sizes (its teacher preparation programs have an annual enrollment of just 73), it also has the highest in-state tuition (more than $32,000)[3]. For James and his parents, the University of Cincinnati is a solid compromise—its annual enrollment is much smaller than that of Miami University, and Cincinnati boasts the lowest in-state tuition of all three options.

State officials deserve credit for taking the initiative to update these resources. Now that the hard part is done, there’s some room to tweak the reports and make them even more useful. In the spirit of continuous improvement, here are three additional data points ODHE should consider adding:

• Job placement rates. Identifying the percentage of graduates from each institution who find a teaching job within one year could signal whether a program produces teacher candidates whom schools are eager to hire and could help aspiring teachers decide where to enroll based on job prospects.

• First-time pass rates for licensure exams. ODHE’s reports identify overall pass rates on licensure exams. But there’s a difference between overall and first-time pass rates. Overall pass rates include candidates who pass the exam, regardless of how many attempts it takes them to do so. First-time pass rates, on the other hand, show the percentage who pass the test on their first try. Teacher candidates who need more than one attempt to pass state licensure tests can still go on to be excellent teachers. But first-time pass rates are an important marker of how rigorously preparation programs are training aspiring educators. They should be included on the state’s performance reports.

• Retention numbers. Identifying the percentage of graduates from each institution who are still working in Ohio schools within five, ten, and 20 years could help pinpoint programs that do a particularly good job of preparing their students for the demands of teaching, as their graduates are more likely to remain in the classroom long term.

ODHE’s revamped reports are a big win for aspiring teachers, school leaders, and state policymakers. They are also an important complement to a forthcoming (fall 2027) report from the Department of Education and Workforce that will analyze statewide teacher supply and demand. Collectively, these resources should give policymakers a much clearer view of Ohio’s teacher pipeline—and how best to strengthen and expand it.