Primary Education program earns A+ in teacher preparedness
The National Council on Teacher Quality recognized Miami for its excellence in reading instruction.
Primary Education program earns A+ in teacher preparedness
The National Council on Teacher Quality recognized Miami for its excellence in reading instruction.
Miami University’s Primary Education PK-5 program earned an A+ from the National Council on Teacher Quality.
The NCTQ awarded the highest grade to Miami University for how well it prepares future educators to teach reading to elementary students. The departments of Teaching, Curriculum, and Educational Inquiry and Educational Psychology at Miami University contributed to the curriculum that led to this recognition.
“This recognition reflects our faculty's commitment to preparing future educators with the knowledge and skills needed to help children become successful readers,” said Amity.
Noltemeyer, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Society. “We are proud that our coursework aligns with the evidence based on effective reading instruction and equips graduates to make a positive impact in their classrooms.”
The report, Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation, spotlights Miami University for meeting the standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods of reading instruction.
To earn an “A,” programs needed to demonstrate that coursework for future elementary teachers includes all five core components of scientifically based reading instruction and avoid teaching more than three instructional methods that are unsupported by the research on effective reading instruction. Those areas include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
To earn an A+, programs needed to exceed those targets and not teach any instructional practices that are unsupported by research.
“Every child deserves a teacher who has been well prepared to teach reading, and every teacher deserves the opportunity to enter the classroom ready to help students succeed,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “Across the country, many teacher preparation programs still do not fully align with the science of reading, but Miami University of Ohio is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.”
NCTQ’s methodology is informed by a panel of reading experts, teacher preparation faculty, reading advocates, and measurement experts. To evaluate the quality of preparation being provided, a team of experts at NCTQ analyzed syllabi, including lecture schedules and topics, background reading materials, class assessments, assignments, and opportunities to practice instruction in required literacy courses for elementary teacher candidates at Miami University of Ohio.