April 13, 2000

 

ASU On Top: Institutions of Higher Education Report

John T. Bennett  Administration Beat

 

Appalachian State University’s teacher-training program received the highest score in the State Board of Education’s first Institutions of Higher Education Performance Report.  ASU’s Reich College of Education scored 130 out of a possible 150 points, sharing the top spot with Greensboro College and Salem College.   The Institutions of Higher Education Performance Report ranked all 46 of North Carolina’s public and private institutions of higher learning that offer a teacher education program.  For the first time in the history of North Carolina higher education, the study holds each institution accountable for their role in preparing students for careers as public school teachers.  Reich College of Education Dean Dr. Charles R. Duke stressed the importance of the accountability of each teaching education institution.  “It’s very important, and I think that we should be able to show that our graduates are performing well,” said Duke.  Though Duke is a proponent of institutional accountability, he is concerned that accountability in the eyes of the general public gets narrowed down to the test scores of prospective teachers.  “We certainly do not in any way support that as far as saying that because you score a certain level on a test that guarantees that you are going to be an excellent teacher,” said Duke.  Duke added that test scores are simply one piece of a very dynamic formula that goes into the make-up of a good teacher.    This type of study is new to the realm of higher education, as only a few states in the nation have begun to use the method.  Each institution was evaluated on the following: its compliance with national and state accreditation standards, the quality of graduates it produced and the institution’s involvement with the public schools.   In compiling each school’s score, the State Board of Education conducted surveys of graduates and their employers, the percentage of graduates from an institution who are currently employed and test scores of prospective teachers and graduates of that institution’s teacher education program.  In coming years, the State Board of Education will use the results of the Institutions of Higher Education Performance Report to reward and punish institutions with teacher-training programs.  Schools who score at the top of the report will receive 500 scholarships worth $2,500 each.  Schools that fall on the other end of the spectrum will be sanctioned by the board, and forced to submit a detailed plan of correction to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.  Were the schools at the bottom of the report to remain among North Carolina’s worst in terms of teacher-training programs, state education officials could go as far as to shut down that institution’s program.  Duke said that while university officials were pleased to be on top of the rankings, it is apparent that the State Board of Education needs to refine the collection of data, and make various changes to the overall process of preparing the report until all parties involved are comfortable with its results.

 
   

theapp@appstate.edu