Teacher Preparation Notes (Page 1)

Standards and Accountability in Teacher Preparation

  • The standards and accountability movement in K-12 reform highlights issues of teacher quality: teacher preparation, teacher evaluation, and teacher certification.
  • This movement has shaped how teacher education is designed and assessed.

Organizations and Standards Shaping Teacher Education

  • In'TASC (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium)
    • Develops Core Teaching Standards detailing what teachers should know and be able to do.
    • Standards provide content and organizational framework for many teacher education programs.
    • Organizing Your Professional Portfolio feature in each chapter links portfolio content to In'TASC standards.
  • NBPTS (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards)
    • Produces standards for experienced teachers and has influenced teacher preparation design.
  • NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education)
    • Used in the accreditation of schools, colleges, and departments of education.
  • CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation)
    • Accreditation body for educator preparation programs.
  • TEAC (Teacher Education Accreditation Council)
    • Also involved in accreditation of teacher preparation programs (often discussed alongside CAEP).
  • NCTAF (National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future)
    • Influential in shaping standards and reform efforts.
  • Portfolio alignment
    • The portfolio organized around standards helps applicants and programs demonstrate alignment with In'TASC standards.

Pathways to Becoming a Teacher

  • Four-year baccalaureate teacher education program
    • Typically approved by the state or accredited by CAEP and TEAC.
  • Undergraduates from non-education majors
    • Can accumulate teacher education credits to qualify for certification.
  • Five-year extended preservice programs
    • Major in another field plus additional education coursework and student teaching in a fifth year; often awards a master's degree.
  • Alternative routes for degree-holders from noneducation fields
    • Compressed certification programs to certification.
    • Master’s degree programs leading to teacher certification.
  • Preview of next section
    • The text will review baccalaureate teacher education programs (common entry path) and the growing alternative certification option.

Baccalaureate Teacher Education Programs

  • Origin
    • Formal teacher preparation began at the Columbian School in Concord, Vermont and expanded to many colleges in the following years.
  • Significance
    • Baccalaureate programs remain the most common pathway into the teaching profession.

Next Section Preview

  • The next section reviews:
    • Baccalaureate teacher education programs (the most common entry path), and
    • The increasingly popular alternative certification program option.