Editor’s note: Don Heller’s position has been changed to reflect his correct title; the name of the National Council on Teacher Quality has been changed and undergraduate has been changed to elementary.
The National Council on Teacher Quality, or NCTQ, released its ratings on teacher preparation programs- for colleges across the U.S., last week, giving MSU two out of four stars in their elementary and secondary education programs.
The ratings came as a surprise to MSU officials, after the graduate teacher preparation program has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report for 19-straight years.
Don Heller, dean of the College of Education, said the organization rated schools based on course syllabuses and textbooks, which he stated was the biggest problem.
“It would be like judging a restaurant simply by just looking at the menu and having had no experience with the food (or) the service,” Heller said.
The NCTQ’s four-star rating system is based on a set of 18 standards, including admissions standards, student teaching manuals and blueprints for training teachers.
Elizabeth Gutowski, who graduated last May with a degree in teacher education, was named the 2012 Michigan Association of Teacher Educators-, or MATE, Student Teacher/Intern of the Year. Gutowski pointed out this was the third consecutive year an MSU student won the Student Teacher/Intern of the Year award.
Katie Kosko, who graduated in 2010 with a degree also in teacher education, won the MATE award in 2011, and the National Student Teacher of the Year award in 2012. Kosko also had suspicions toward the validity of the report, stating the student teaching program is more rigorous then others.
“What is very unique is that MSU has one of the few programs in the state to require a full year of student teaching (after you graduate),” Kosko said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
