College of Education among the best in state for fifth year
Janel Shoun-Smith |
For the fifth year in a row, state data on the effectiveness of new Tennessee teachers indicates that Lipscomb University’s College of Education is one of the most effective teacher preparation programs in the state.
The State Board of Education’s 2015 Report Card on the Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs, previously released by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, analyzes data covering numerous factors over the preceding three years to determine the state’s most effective teacher training programs.
In the 2015 report, Lipscomb was found to be among the top teacher education programs that have consistently produced educators who outperform other teachers in the state. In addition, data showed Lipscomb to be the largest teacher preparation program among all private universities in the state. In 2014, Lipscomb University had 239 graduates.
“We are again proud of our great Lipscomb teachers and especially of the success they demonstrate in classrooms with their own students!” said Deborah Boyd, interim dean of the college. “Great teaching is both skill and art, and our teachers work hard to translate those into positive outcomes for their students.”
Lipscomb’s completers have a 100% PRAXIS II pass rate. Education graduates must pass PRAXIS exams before obtaining licensure. Lipscomb’s graduates are significantly more likely to be teaching the year after graduating as compared to education graduates across the state, according to the report card.
Lipscomb has consistently fared well in the annual report card, produced at the behest of the Tennessee General Assembly to inform the public of the effectiveness of teacher training programs and to provide teaching programs the opportunity to improve their quality through the use of data.
Over the past three years, Lipscomb’s graduates have had statistically positive results in terms of student TCAP composite scores, in addition to reading/language arts and sciences scores. Lipscomb University education graduates tend to be more effective than other beginning teachers in these academic areas, according to the report card.
Lipscomb currently serves as the summer institute host and the certification partner for Teach for America Nashville, which also scored highly in the report card. Lipscomb provides the course work required for Teach for America corps members to pass the Tennessee certification exam.