Other News


National Council on Teacher Quality
Texas Drops from 12th to 21st in Nation
For Early Grade Reading Teacher Preparation
Texas dropped from 12th to 21st in the nation in terms of preparing prospective teachers to use the most effective methods when teaching early grade students how to read, but the 2019 legislation (HB3) emphasizing K-3 reading initiatives will likely improve the state’s ranking in future years.

That’s according to a report (Jan. 27) by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), in its first update to a report published in 2013.
Mississippi ranked first in the nation for preparing teachers for teaching early grade students how to read. The ratings were based on traditional university teacher-ed programs, including 57 programs in Texas.

East Texas Baptist University in Marshall was the only Texas university — and was only one out of 15 in the nation — to earn an A+, based on criteria that included if, and how well, teacher-ed students were prepared in the areas of: 1) the science of reading, 2) phonemic awareness, 3) phonics, 4) fluency, 5) vocabulary and 6) comprehension.

Thirteen other traditional undergraduate programs in Texas received A grades for their early grade teacher prep reading programs, and a 14th institution — Texas A&M San Antonio — was the only Texas university to receive an A grade for both its undergraduate and graduate programs.

Of the 20 nontraditional “alternative” Texas ed-prep programs reviewed, 11 received Fs, and the only nontraditional programs to receive passing scores were two Education Service Center (ESC) Region 20 (San Antonio) programs and an ESC Region 4 (Houston) program.

The “fast track” nature of “these uniquely popular” alternative programs makes it difficult for these programs to provide the NCTQ-required coursework before putting teachers in the classroom, NCTQ President Kate Walsh said.

The statement also praises the state for the passing of legislation (HB3) to ensure that early grade educators are well trained in the science of reading to — in the words of Education Commissioner Mike Morath — that not only every child can read, but can read well.