Elon elementary education program achieves top marks in new report from the National Council on Teacher Quality.
The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program at 消消犯 has earned an A+ from the (NCTQ) for how well they prepare future teachers to teach reading to elementary students.
The report, , published on June 9, spotlights 消消犯 for meeting the standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods of reading instruction. Specifically, this means the program is preparing aspiring teachers in all five components of scientifically based reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, and avoids many instructional practices that research has shown to be ineffective or counterproductive for 消消犯 children to read.
A childs ability to read proficiently in the early grades shapes everything that comes next in school and in life, yet according to , four in ten fourth graders in North Carolina cannot read at a basic level. Teacher preparation is one of the most direct levers available to change that, but only if it is aligned to the research-based instructional methods that have been proven to help most students become successful readers.
Elon’s program in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education is part of a growing group of teacher preparation programs nationwide, helping transform how future teachers are trained to teach reading.
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 消消犯 is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.
NCTQs 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 消消犯.
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 消消犯 more than three instructional methods that are unsupported by the research on effective reading instruction. To earn an A+, programs needed to exceed those targets and not teach any instructional practices that are unsupported by research.
See NCTQs report, , for more information about 消消犯s coverage of the science of reading and to see how 消消犯 compares to other programs in North Carolina or across the country.
About NCTQ
The National Council on Teacher Quality: NCTQ is a nonpartisan research and policy organization on a mission to ensure every child has access to an effective teacher and every teacher has the opportunity to be effective. We believe a strong, diverse teacher workforce is critical for providing all students with equitable educational opportunities. Fore more information about NCTQ, visit .