Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers: Albion Scores Well in Ratings

June 10, 2016

Albion College once again scored well in the 2016 Educator Preparation Institutions Performance Score Reports that included 33 Michigan colleges and universities.

The report is required by both the U.S. and Michigan departments of education for institutions of higher education to remain eligible to receive federal funding and approved to prepare teachers.

Scoring includes both evaluation on how student teachers from an institution assimilate to the classroom setting but also, through reports from school principals, how their peer alumni in-service teachers continue to perform up to five years into their careers.

Three scores—Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification three-year average pass rates; two surveys that call for student teacher self-evaluation and field supervisor evaluation; and an Educator Effectiveness Rating of alumni annual performance as in-service teachers—are combined to provide a weighted score for how each school prepares prospective teachers.

Out of 33 schools in the state, Albion ranked fourth with a score of 91.4. Additionally, Albion’s educator effectiveness rating of 86 was third highest among all state schools.

The results speak to how well Albion prepares students to become teachers, said Kyle Shanton, professor and chair of Albion College’s Education Department that also includes the Fritz Shurmur Center for Teacher Development and the Ferguson Center for Technology-Aided Teaching and Learning.

“That’s pretty impressive,” he said. “Albion maintains very solid, steady footing and it’s very rewarding to see this. Our alumni write back to us and thank us and are excited about what they’re doing.”

Visit the Albion College Education Department website

Download the department’s Teacher Education Program handbook (PDF)