NCTQ

Review of Teacher Preparation in Illinois

Even as Illinois takes steps to strengthen the quality of teacher preparation, the bar is not set high enough according to a report released by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) and commissioned by Advance Illinois.

NCTQ, citing a nationwide problem on how we educate our educators, compared Illinois’ progress with other states and found a need at the state regulatory level to:

require more rigorous preparation especially in reading and math for elementary teachers;
require separate certification or endorsement for middle school teachers;
require more specific content requirements for high school teachers, especially in sciences and social sciences;
further examine entry and exit requirements for teacher candidates; and
accelerate use of student success data in evaluating effectiveness of teacher preparation programs.

“Here in Illinois, as we strive to educate a more diverse student body and prepare students for the demands of a global economy, our achievement gaps are among the worst in the nation,” said Bill Daley, co-Chair of Advance Illinois. “Much depends on the effectiveness of our teaching force, so it is appropriate to take a closer look at how well Illinois is preparing teachers for the classroom.”

“As the first such ambitious effort in the nation, we expect this review will jumpstart an important conversation about how we strengthen the State’s expectations for new teachers,” said former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, co-chair with Daley.

The NCTQ review also evaluated the design of teacher preparation programs at 53 colleges and universities and three alternative certification programs. The findings showed wide variability in coursework requirements, curriculum, and use of evidence-based strategies in preparing teachers for today’s classrooms.

“We need to figure out which measures are the most relevant to teacher effectiveness, and promote consistent reporting that is open, accessible and meaningful,” said Robin Steans, Executive Director of Advance Illinois.

Advance Illinois noted that the review points Illinois in the right direction in terms of both state-level reforms and program transparency and added that the state’s P-20 Council and its Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Committee has agreed to review the findings and make recommendations to ensure continued transparency around state-level accountability and teacher preparation program quality.

Advance Illinois also recommended that, over time, in order to ensure complete program ratings, it will be essential to not only understand program design, but to also understand graduate outcomes, i.e. where program graduates teach, how long they stay in the profession, and their contributions to student learning as they lead in the classroom.

“Ultimately, teacher candidates need better information before they enroll in a program, principals need reliable information on new teachers as they make hiring decisions; and legislators and policymakers should better understand the important connection between improved student success and high quality teacher training programs,” said Steans.

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Download the full report.

Download the executive summary.

Download Advance Illinois' press release.