Education Schools to Be Graded

By Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki, Detroit Free Press

Jun. 14–The Michigan Board of Education unanimously approved a measure Tuesday that will grade the state’s college and university schools of education by issuing annual report cards — part of a series of changes backers hope will ensure high-quality teachers in every classroom.

The report cards will grade schools on programs; the number of graduates passing the teacher certification test; the number of students graduating in six years; surveys of school districts hiring teachers, and how well the college or university recruits minority students and math, science and special education teachers.

“These factors would tell us collectively about the overall performance of their teachers,” said board Vice President John Austin.

As the program is phased in over the next three years, schools that get failing grades on the new report cards could receive help from the Department of Education. It’s also possible that federal funding or even the schools’ certification as teacher training institutions could be affected.

Lisa Kurtz, a 20-year-old student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor who is studying to become a teacher, said the grading system could make a difference for grads when it comes to getting a job.

“If a school does have a higher grade, I think it implies it’s a more challenging program and I think if kids are able to succeed in that program, it might be to their advantage,” said Kurtz, who lives in Grosse Pointe Woods.

Michelle Maci, who will be a senior this fall at Grosse Ile High School, wants to be a teacher and is already thinking about where she wants to go to college. The new grading system could affect her choice.

“I want to go to the school with the best teaching department, so that would narrow it down,” said Michelle, 16.

But college officials, who agree they should be held accountable for high-quality programs, said that educating future teachers is too complicated to be rated by a single grade.

“I think if we are going to grade teacher education institutions, we need to look very carefully at the criteria,” said Mary Lundeberg, chairwoman of Michigan State University’s Department of Teacher Education. “The issue for me isn’t whether we’re going to be held accountable. I think we should be held accountable. The issue for me is the criteria.”College officials also say they’re worried about the requirement to recruit minority students or those who would fill state shortages of math and science teachers.

“If a student is committed to literature, I don’t have the ability to convince them to become a math or science teacher just because the state needs math and science teachers,” said Robert Wiggins, associate dean of Oakland University’s school of education.

Eastern Michigan University’s diverse student body means that some students will have good reasons for taking more than six years to graduate, said Vernon Polite, dean of the College of Education.

“Some of our students have to work … for economic reasons,” Polite said. “I think it’s simplistic to think that all students will have the same outcome.”

Schools will be graded as exemplary, satisfactory, at-risk or low performing. Those rated at risk will have two years to improve their grade, or they will be moved into the low-performing category.

Those graded at-risk will get state help for two years before they could face stronger penalties. The guidelines for stronger penalties are yet to be developed.

In 2005, the education department required all colleges and universities that train teachers to publicly post the percentage of graduates who passed required certification exams in the areas they expect to teach.

In the coming year, the department is also expected to consider more requirements, including re-examining how teaching colleges are certified. They also are to consider how to provide additional support for new teachers — about half of whom will leave that profession within the first five years.

And the board is to look at improving certification and continuing education policies for existing teachers.

Contact PEGGY WALSH-SARNECKI at 586-469-4681 or pwalsh@freepress.com.

How state’s teacher schools performed

The state now tracks the percentage of students who graduate from Michigan’s public and private education schools and pass the teacher certification test on the first try. It’s an indication of how well those colleges prepare future teachers for the classroom. The following is the percentage of graduates who passed on the first try in 2004-05:

Adrian College…87.2%

Albion College…88.9%

Alma College…88.5%

Andrews University…84.6%

Aquinas College…90.6%

Baker College…84.7%

Calvin College…94.7%

Central Michigan…89.5%

Concordia…88%

Cornerstone University…86.1%

Eastern Michigan…88.1%

Ferris State…82.3%

Finlandia University…64.3%

Grand Valley State…91.6%

Hillsdale College…92.5%

Hope College…90.9%

Kalamazoo College…90.5%

Lake Superior State…81.7%

Madonna University…90.1%

Marygrove College…40.8%

Michigan State…95.3%

Michigan Tech…92.1%

Northern Michigan…91.4%

Oakland University…84.1%

Olivet College…82.8%

Rochester College…100%

Saginaw Valley State…84.7%

Siena Heights…74.5%

Spring Arbor…84.7%

Detroit Mercy…67.3%

Michigan — Ann Arbor…95.2%

Michigan — Dearborn…76.9%

Michigan — Flint…82.3%

Wayne State University… 78.6%

Western Michigan…82.6%

Source: Michigan Department of Education

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Copyright (c) 2006, Detroit Free Press

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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