NCTQ to Release Another Report December 10

By Mary Harrill

On December 10, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) will release a report on how well educator preparation programs prepare teachers to effectively manage classrooms. The report will include an analysis of 122 programs, judging them based on what NCTQ has identified as the five most important classroom management strategies:

• “Rules: Establish and teach classroom rules to communicate expectations for behavior.
• Routines: Build structure and establish routines to help guide students in a wide variety of situations.
• Praise: Reinforce positive behavior, using praise and other means.
• Misbehavior: Consistently impose consequences for misbehavior.
• Engagement: Foster and maintain student engagement by teaching interesting lessons that include opportunities for active student participation.”

AACTE has no further information about the report at this time, but we’ll keep you posted as we learn more. Information on past NCTQ reviews is available here.

NCTQ Promotes Inspectorate Model as Alternative to Program Accreditation

By Sarah Pinsky

Last summer in its 2013 Teacher Prep Review, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) set forth recommendations for state and local policy makers who want to see the ratings increase for educator preparation programs in their jurisdictions. One of these recommendations was to “revamp current inspections of teacher preparation programs, performed as a condition of program approval.” Positing that neither state program approval site visits nor national accreditor site visits have proven to be meaningful, NCTQ recommended that states employ independent inspectors, along the lines of the British inspectorate model for preparation programs, to conduct program evaluation site visits and program evaluations.

NCTQ Collecting Data for 2014 Review

By Sarah Pinsky

In the last couple of weeks, many AACTE members have been contacted by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) inviting them to submit new materials by December 15 for the council’s 2014 review of education schools.

Of note in NCTQ’s communication with members is that the 2014 review will be a ranking, rather than a rating, of programs, and that programs that don’t set a minimum GPA entry requirement can meet the selectivity standard by showing that the average GPA of admitted candidates is a 3.3 or higher.

AACTE will continue to support members’ decision-making regarding their engagement with NCTQ and to represent members’ concerns about the organization and the work it produces. Members can find materials, including AACTE’s statement on the release of NCTQ’s 2013 review, in the NCTQ-U.S. News resource section of AACTE’s web site.

Free Webinar to Address Preservice Preparation for Online Teaching

By Aimee Hall

The Midwest Regional Educational Laboratory at American Institutes for Research will host a free webinar Wednesday, November 20, 1:30-3:00 p.m. CST, to address the question of how we prepare preservice teachers to work in online and blended settings.

“Making Connections: Teaching Preservice Teachers to Teach Online” will feature Kathryn Kennedy, director of research at the International Association for K-12 Online Learning, and Leanna Archambault, assistant professor at Arizona State University, who coauthored the 2012 study Offering Preservice Teachers Field Experiences in K-12 Online Learning: A National Survey of Teacher Education Programs.

Announcing AACTE’s New Blog!

By AACTE

AACTE is excited to announce its new blog: Ed Prep Matters.

Ed Prep Matters offers news and insights on educator preparation from AACTE and guest bloggers in the field. Combining the best elements of AACTE’s former weekly NewsStream service and monthly Advisor newsletter in one convenient, up-to-date site, Ed Prep Matters is your new trusted source for professional information—without the wait!

Key Features:

• Instant access to the latest information by visiting EdPrepMatters.net (no login required!) or by adding Ed Prep Matters to your RSS feed.
• Weekly e-mails every Tuesday that highlight the past week’s posts, in case you missed anything.
• Faster delivery of outside news articles and commentary through the AACTE Twitter feed, which is featured in the blog’s sidebar.
• A dedicated Member News section to share your and fellow AACTE members’ updates and achievements.

We invite you to read and interact with us through this exciting new AACTE resource—and please let us know how we’re doing!