Ohio will become the first state in the nation to use a single set of standards to evaluate how effectively its education colleges prepare students to become teachers.
The state's Board of Regents is now collecting data for a comprehensive report card that will be released at the end of 2012. The reports will be released annually and will summarize the quality of teachers each program produces
according to the news release.
All 50 colleges of education in Ohio - 13 public and 37 private - will participate in the program, which is being enacted as part of former Gov. Ted Strickland's Ohio House Bill 1. It will create a single statewide standard for quality teacher education according to the release.
Knowing that the quality of the teacher in the classroom is the single most important factor in the success of the student
we need to know that we are doing the best job possible in preparing teachers
said Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Board of Regents.
Ohio is the first state in the U.S. to implement such a program, which will measure the beginning teacher's ability to communicate effectively with parents
structure lessons and manage a classroom
according to the news release. The program will also look at whether graduates passed the state licensure exam, how well they performed on the Teacher Performance Assessment and other criteria to be determined by the Ohio Department of Education.
The state will also recognize education colleges that place graduates in hard-to-staff schools, use innovative technology for instruction and whose education students gain international experience, according to the news release.
OU's Patton College of Education and Human Services is adapting to better meet these statewide standards, said Renee A. Middleton, the college's dean. Faculty members in the college have undergone training to help the curriculum align with the new criteria.
I think that we'll score very well (on the report card). ... I think we would be competitive
and we're doing a lot of innovative things that set us apart from others in the state
Middleton said. I think we're a model for how to work effectively to meet the needs of the learner in rural areas ... as well as in other contexts.
The Patton College is also participating in the Southeast Ohio Teacher Development Collaborative, which helps place students in Southeast Ohio's education colleges with effective teacher mentors in K-12 school systems.
We're looking at how we provide candidates with diverse field experiences and work with kids from diverse backgrounds
Middleton said. One of the most important things is ... mentor teachers.
@ThePostCampus
