SU’s teachers proven strong in the classroom
The state’s latest report on new teacher assessments shows the teacher education program at Southern University and A&M College is placing first-rate teachers in Louisiana classroom, according to the head of the school’s College of Education.
“What we see from this report is that our young teachers are not only passing the certification examination, but more importantly, they are excelling in the classrooms where it counts,” said Dr. Luria Young, Interim Dean of SU’s College of Education.
“The results in this report is evidence that our program is effective and prepares our teacher candidates to perform at the highest level in important content areas such as language arts, math, reading, science, and social studies,” Young said.
Southern’s teacher education success was included in the Louisiana Board of Regents’ 2011-12 Annual Report for Teacher Preparation. The report looked into findings on the performance of new and redesigned teacher preparation programs at public and private universities in Louisiana.
The findings are a snapshot of the results of major changes in teacher preparation programs from 2001 to 2010. The study reviewed first- and second-year teachers and compared them to veteran teachers.
The Louisiana Department of Education assigns all teachers who provide instruction in tested grade levels in public schools, value-added scores that are based upon predicted student growth. Those scores were placed in one of four categories – ineffective, effective/emerging, effective/proficient; and highly effective.
The common assumption the education community was that most new teachers would be rated in the next category: effective/emerging. But the results showed that half or more of the beginning teachers tested scored in the top two categories in at least one subject.
A closer look at the categories show that 50 percent or more of Southern’s undergraduate teacher preparation students ranked in the top categories of “effective proficient” and “higher effective” in language arts, math and reading.
Nearly 40 percent were in the “effective proficient” and “highly effective” areas in science and social studies.
“These results show that our teachers are effective in reaching Louisiana’s students in key content areas that will shape their future in grade school and into college and their careers,” Young said.
She went on to say that new initiatives in teacher education at Southern that includes its pre-K through 12th grade laboratory school have been a great training ground for teaching prospects.
In the photo from left to right: Director of Student Teaching and Field Experiences Dr. Sheila Lewis, Constantin Apetrei, Ann Taha, Demetria Thomas, Tresa Augustine, Jasmine Moore, Eldrina Ellsworth, Interim Dean of College of Education Dr. Luria Young.