Southeastern teacher prep program receives an ‘A’ from national organization
Friday, November 17, 2023
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s undergraduate teacher preparation
program has been recognized by the National Council on Teacher Quality. The program
received a grade of ‘A’ in NCTQ’s new report “Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening Elementary
Reading Instruction” for its rigorous preparation of future teachers in how to teach
reading.
Southeastern’s program is among just 23 percent nationwide to earn an ‘A’ for
meeting standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods
of reading instruction – often called the “science of reading.”
In order to earn an ‘A,” programs needed to meet a standard of adequate coverage,
determined in consultation with literacy experts, for all five core components of
scientifically based reading instruction – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,
and comprehension, and teach fewer than four practices that have been found to inhibit
students’ reading progress.
“National data shows that more than one-third of fourth grade students – over
1.3 million children – cannot read at a basic level. By preparing teachers in the
methods that research has shown to work best, we can change these results,” said Dean
of the College of Education Paula Summers Calderon.
To evaluate the quality of preparation being provided, a team of experts at NCTQ
analyzed syllabi, including lecture schedules and topics, background reading materials
Last fall, the NAEP or “Nation’s Report Card” data indicated that student literacy
rates have fallen since the pandemic, with 37 percent of fourth grade students nationwide
scoring “below basic” in reading, and even higher, unacceptable rates of reading failure
for the most historically marginalized students, said National Council on Teacher
Quality President Heather Peske.
“While some small number of children will learn how to read naturally, research
has found that most children require explicit, systematic instruction grounded in
the science of reading to become successful readers,” Peske explained. “Ultimately,
studies suggest that if all students had access to teachers who use scientifically
based reading instruction, we could drastically reduce rates of reading failure, achieving
literacy rates of 90 percent or higher for our children.”
