Chipola Education Program Earns An ‘A’ For Reading Instruction
MARIANNA—Dr. Gina McAllister, Dean of the Chipola College School of Education, recently announced that the Chipola Teacher Education program was recognized by the National Council on Teacher Quality for earning a grade of “A” for strong preparation in Reading Instruction in the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education program.
A letter from Kate Walsh, President of the National Council on Teacher Quality, states, “We are happy to recognize the strong preparation in reading instruction that your undergraduate program provides to your elementary teacher candidates.”
The Chipola program was part of a small group - only about a quarter of programs nationwide - to qualify for an ‘A’ by providing a combination of explicit instruction on each of the five components of reading instruction; support for instruction with high-quality textbooks that accurately detail established principles of scientifically-based reading practices; and, evidence that teacher candidates must demonstrate mastery through in-class assignments, tests, and fieldwork.
Chipola’s Teacher Education program will be evaluated on additional elementary standards (elementary math, building knowledge, selection criteria, diverse recruitment, classroom management, and clinical practice) during the Spring 2020 semester.
NCTE evaluated 1,000 traditional elementary teacher preparation programs across the country on the key components of the science of reading. Programs in Florida performed well above the national average, with 76 percent (22 of 29) programs now earning an A or a B. In total, 16 programs in Florida earned an A in the 2020 Teacher Prep Review. These include: Barry University, Chipola College, Daytona State College, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida SouthWestern State College, Florida State University, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach Atlantic University, St. Petersburg College, University of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of Miami, University of North Florida and the University of West Florida.
To see how Florida teacher preparation programs performed in the interactive Teacher Prep Review database, visit: www.nctq.org/review/standardDetails/Early-Reading.
The National Council on Teacher Quality is a nonpartisan research and policy group, committed to modernizing the teaching profession and based on the belief that all children deserve effective teachers. The council recognizes that it is not teachers who bear responsibility for their profession's many challenges, but the institutions with the greatest authority and influence over teachers. More information about NCTQ can be found at www.nctq.org.