TOP GRADE IN TEACHER PREPARATION

The School of Education at CSU Pueblo recently earned a top grade from a national industry organization for its excellence in preparing future teachers to instruct children in reading.

The National Council on Teacher Quality evaluated teacher preparation programs nationwide. It awarded CSU Pueblo’s undergraduate program an “A” for training future teachers to use scientifically based methods when teaching core literacy skills to youngsters in primary grades. The program is among just 23 percent nationwide to earn an “A” for meeting standards set by literacy experts.

The council reported its findings last year in “Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening Elementary Reading Instruction.”

The findings are significant, the council noted, because one-third of fourth graders in the United States cannot read at a basic level. Failure to reach that milestone has lifelong consequences, including higher dropout rates, higher rates of unemployment, and lower lifetime earnings, the council reported.

“Giving teachers the knowledge and skills they need to teach reading effectively is fundamental for improving life outcomes for all children and reversing historical patterns of inequity,” according to “Teacher Prep Review.”

To earn the top grade, programs evaluated had to incorporate scientifically based instructional methods in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The report’s findings are important considering serious academic backsliding that occurred during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The average student in grades 3 through 8 lost the equivalent of half a grade level in math achievement and a third of a grade level in reading achievement,” according to a study released in January 2024 by researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities. Recovery is beginning, the researchers found, although many achievement gaps remain; that makes teaching effectiveness even more critical.

“We strive to provide relevant training to our students so they can enter their classrooms prepared and implement modern teaching techniques,” said Jeff Piquette, director of CSU Pueblo’s School of Education. “Our faculty ensures that our students learn information that is founded in modern research and tested in real-world application scenarios as they complete their student teaching requirements.”

Illustration at top: MHJ.