Annual state report card marks College of Education as in the top
Janel Shoun-Smith |
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For the third year in a row, Lipscomb University’s College of Education has been recognized by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission as one of the most effective teacher preparation programs in the state.
In an analysis of scores over three years on THEC’s Report Card on the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs, Lipscomb was found to be among the top six programs that have consistently produced teachers who outperform other teachers in the state from 2011 to 2013.
In the 2013 report card, Lipscomb scored statistically significant better outcomes than other beginning and veteran teachers in 35 different comparisons. Only two other programs – the Memphis and Nashville Teach for America programs – had more statistically positive areas than Lipscomb.
Lipscomb serves as the certification partner for Teach for America Nashville, providing the coursework required for Teach for America corps members to pass the Tennessee certification exam. In 2014, the college will become the Teacher for America institute host site for the program’s summer training of new corps members.
Lipscomb has consistently fared well in the annual report card, produced by THEC, at the behest of the Tennessee General Assembly, to inform the public of the effectiveness of teacher training programs and to provide programs with the opportunity to improve the quality of programs through the use of data.
- In 2013, Lipscomb was found to have statistically positive results in the areas of TCAP composite scores, math, reading/language, sciences, social studies, algebra and English.
- In 2012, Lipscomb was found to have statistically positive results in the areas of reading/language, algebra and high school composite and TCAP composite scores.
- In 2011, Lipscomb was found to have statistically positive results in the areas of algebra and high school composite scores and was recognized as one of only three programs in the state to produce teachers who achieve higher student achievement gains than veteran teachers. The other two programs were the Memphis and Nashville Teach for America programs.
“Our goal at Lipscomb is to produce top-performing teachers who consistently increase the quality of our schools and who help our students create and reach their goals. It is rewarding to see positive results reflected on the THEC report card,” said Candice McQueen, dean of the College of Education.
Earlier this year, Lipscomb’s College of Education was also recently recognized as one of only four programs in the nation to achieve a four-star rating in the inaugural National Council on Teacher Quality’s Teacher Prep Review, which evaluated more than 1,100 colleges and universities that prepare elementary and secondary teachers.
According to the NCTQ, the report is a consumer tool that allows “aspiring teachers, parents and school districts to compare programs and determine which are doing the best — and worst — job of training new teachers.”
About the Lipscomb University College of Education
Lipscomb University’s College of Education has a reputation for excellence that was established a century ago as Lipscomb began preparing teachers in the early 1900s. It is a known leader and innovator in education in the state of Tennessee.
The college offers undergraduate and graduate programs that enable candidates to teach in 24 different subject areas with students from kindergarten to high school. More than 800 students are currently enrolled in graduate education programs at Lipscomb and at three off-campus sites. The college’s programs are fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Tennessee State Board of Education.
The college has received more than $3.5 million in competitive grant monies to strengthen P-12 math and science instruction for local in-service teachers, including several recent Race to the Top grants and $1 million from the Ayers Foundation to establish the Ayers Institute for Innovative teaching and Learning.