MacMurray College Division of Education Jacksonville, Illinois Institution Comment Comments submitted by: John L. Bailey, Assistant Professor and Division Chair
1. Thank you for your work and concern for the quality of teacher education in Illinois. 2. MacMurray College appreciates the review of our programs. The Education faculty will use the information to consider and to recommend improvements in the education program. 3. While a review of course syllabi and textbook material helps to understand the quality of courses, it does not give the entire scope and breathe of the MacMurray College Teacher Education experience. The NCTQ “study” neither linked specific components of teacher preparation to any classroom outcomes nor did it identify teacher preparation practices that close the achievement gap. Furthermore, the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education reports, “[NCTQ’s] efforts have utilized methodologies that do not meet the standards of basic scientific research. For example, they have assessed course syllabi and handbooks against “standards”-that are neither research based nor representative of any established consensus-as a means of evaluating teacher preparation programs.” 4. MacMurray College meets or exceeds all Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and pre-service teaching candidate requirements as prescribe by the State of Illinois and Illinois State Board of Education. 5. MacMurray College graduates continue to be employed and highly valued by their employing school districts.
www.nctq.org/edschoolreports
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