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Elementary Teacher Preparation

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

Undergraduate
Traditional
Enrollment

Admissions

To ensure that every child - regardless of race or background - receives a quality education, their teachers need to be effective. To support that aim, programs should screen for academic caliber during admissions to ensure that teacher candidates come from the top half of the college-going population. For consideration under this standard, tests used as an academic screen must be normed to the college-going population.

Institution-level selectivity for West Texas A&M University

  • Median SAT score: 966
  • Median ACT score: 21
Program admissions requirement(s):
  • Program GPA admissions requirement: 2.75
Admissions characteristics of enrolled candidates:
  • Recently admitted teacher candidates' average GPA: 3.33

University and program admissions criteria are not set high enough to ensure all teacher candidates are among the top half of the college-going population.

Next Steps
To improve under this standard, set the GPA requirement for admission into the teacher prep program at 3.3 or require SAT/ACT scores above the national median.

C

Program Diversity

A diverse teacher workforce benefits all students, particularly students of color. While there has been real progress over the last twenty years in diversifying the teacher workforce,1 these gains have not kept pace with a rapidly diversifying student population. To accelerate progress, strategic recruitment efforts by teacher preparation programs are essential.

  • Teacher prep enrollment: 41 percent candidates of color2
  • Texas teacher workforce: 40 percent teachers of color3
  • Local demographics: 39 percent persons of color4
Programs earning an A contribute to the diversification of the teacher workforce. Programs earn this grade when the percentage of enrolled candidates of color meets or exceeds (by up to 9 percentage points) the diversity of the state teacher workforce and also meets or exceeds the diversity of the local population.

West Texas A&M University is found to be 1.7 percentage points more diverse than the Texas teacher workforce and 2.2 percentage points more diverse than the local population.
1 Ingersoll, Richard M.; Merrill, Elizabeth; Stuckey, Daniel; and Collins, Gregory. (2018). Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force – Updated October 2018. CPRE Research Reports.
2 Three-year average sourced from Title II National Teacher Preparation Data
3 National Teacher and Principal Survey data (state supplied data substituted for missing values)
4 U.S. Census core-based statistical area (CBSA) data

A

Knowledge

Reading Foundations

Detailed course-level findings

All elementary teacher candidates should learn scientifically based reading instruction, the research-based content and methods to effectively teach all children to read. This content should be clearly evident in a teacher preparation program’s course materials, including class session topics, assignments, practice opportunities, and background materials. The five core components of scientifically based reading instruction evaluated under this standard are: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

A review of EDEL 4372, EDRD 3302, EDRD 3304, EDRD 4302, and EDRD 4305 finds the program earns an A for providing adequate coverage for all five components.

To meet coverage requirements for a component, a program must earn at least 8 out of 12 points based on addressing the component through four instructional approaches: instructional hours, background materials (e.g., textbooks, readings, and other resources), objective measures of knowledge (e.g., tests or written assignments), and practice/application. A program can earn up to three points for each instructional approach.

Analysis found there was adequate coverage of the following component(s):

  • Phonemic Awareness: 10.89 of 12 points
  • Phonics: 9 of 12 points
  • Fluency: 11 of 12 points
  • Vocabulary: 9 of 12 points
  • Comprehension: 11 of 12 points

Evidence of Content Contrary to Research-Based Practices

Analysis identified evidence of one practice that runs contrary to research. Specifically, the program was found to provide coverage of:
  • Specific assessments, such as DRA, IRI, and QRI

Evidence of Exemplary Practices

Courses analyzed were inclusive of content that provides an understanding of how and why scientifically based reading instruction is effective. That content included:
  • Linguistics relevant to reading
  • Assessment based in SoR but not specifying the component
  • Structured Literacy

For additional information on how programs are scored, please review the technical report. The link below provides a more detailed program summary, including course-level analysis based on the material provided.

Download the detailed course-level findings




Support for Range of Learners
(Ungraded: Findings did not contribute your grade)

All elementary teacher candidates should be prepared to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students. To elevate the importance of instruction on how to support a range of learners, including struggling readers, English language learners, and students who speak language varieties other than mainstream English (e.g. speakers of African American English or Appalachian English), this analysis looks for evidence in the teacher preparation program’s course materials including class session topics, assignments, practice opportunities, and background materials.

To provide feedback on how institutions address instruction, a program can earn up to a total of eight points for each population over four instructional approaches: instructional hours, background materials (e.g. textbooks, readings, and other resources), objective measures of knowledge (e.g. tests and written assignments), and practice/application. A program can earn up to two points for each instructional approach.

Analysis found the following coverage for supporting a range of learners:
  • Struggling Readers: 8 of 8 points, placing this program at the 99th percentile among evaluated programs.
  • English Language Learners: 2 of 8 points, placing this program at the 36th percentile among evaluated programs.
  • Students who speak language varieties other than mainstream English: 0 of 8 points, placing this program at the 1st percentile among evaluated programs. Note that programs' attention to this group of students is nascent, and few programs had evidence of any attention in this area.


Download the detailed course-level findings

A

Elementary Mathematics

In order for elementary schools to deliver equitable and effective instruction in mathematics to all students, they need their teachers to have acquired the mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge specified in commonly accepted mathematics education standards. To evaluate that coverage, the Elementary Mathematics standard examines the instructional time allocated to each of the five essential topics in coursework required by teacher preparation programs.

To assess performance under this standard, the distribution of instructional time is estimated using syllabi and course descriptions. Only courses that provide content and pedagogical knowledge related to elementary mathematics are considered.

A review of EDEL 4371, MATH 1350, MATH 1351, and MATH 3301 found the following coverage:

Numbers & Operations: 45 instructional hours*
Recommended target: 45 hours

Algebraic Thinking: 19 instructional hours*
Recommended target: 20 hours

Geometry & Measurement: 27 instructional hours
Recommended target: 25 hours

Data Analysis & Probability: 31 instructional hours
Recommended target: 15 hours

Mathematics Pedagogy: 58 instructional hours
Recommended target: 45 hours

*Please note that for grading purposes, the hours for Numbers & Operations and Algebraic Thinking are summed and measured against a combined target of 65 hours. Under this measure, 64 instructional hours were found.

Programs earning an A provide the content and pedagogical knowledge elementary teachers need for effective mathematics instruction. Programs earn this grade by allocating at least 135 instructional hours that encompass the five essential topic areas and by meeting at least 90% of the recommended targets for each topic area.

Analysis of the required coursework for elementary teacher candidates at West Texas A&M University found the program to address 99.3% of the total target recommendation and dedicate adequate instructional time to each of the five topics.

A

Building Content Knowledge

To be successful, elementary teachers need content knowledge in science and social studies, both to build their students' understanding of the world and their critical thinking skills, and also to support students in becoming strong readers. Becoming a strong reader requires cumulative exposure to content knowledge, cutting across multiple domains and disciplines. The courses aspiring teachers take gives them strong background knowledge in these subjects, and in turn, they give this knowledge to students.

There is no letter grade associated with the 2023 Building Content Knowledge standard. Please view this program's detailed analysis and recommendations using the Content Coverage Tool.

See analysis

Practice

Clinical Practice

Student teaching serves a critical role in preparing teacher candidates to take the reins of their own classroom. This apprenticeship allows candidates to build on coursework by learning directly from an established teacher, and practice and refine essential instructional and management skills.

Student teaching should be at least 10 weeks long in order to offer opportunities for repeated cycles of practice and growth. It should be full- or nearly-full-time, and include several weeks during which the candidate has primary responsibility for teaching the whole class for full days, so that the candidate can experience the full demands of being a teacher.

  • Our review finds that the program includes at least 10 weeks of full- or nearly-full-time student teaching, and exposes candidates to the full responsibilities of a teacher.
In addition, there are two essential steps that programs should take to safeguard the value of the experience:

1. Supply student teachers with sufficient feedback by requiring supervisors to provide student teachers with at least four instances of written feedback based on observations.
  • A review of program policy finds that supervisors are required to provide a minimum of 3 instances of written feedback based on observations.
2. Establish a structured process for selecting strong cooperating teachers that includes the collection of sufficient information to confirm that cooperating teachers have relevant skills, including ability as a mentor and instructional effectiveness as measured by student learning.
  • Analysis finds that this program collects information on cooperating teachers' skills in both areas.
Based on the findings above, the program nearly meets this standard.

Next Steps
  • Require program supervisors to observe student teachers at least four times during the final semester of clinical experiences and provide written feedback after each observation. Research finds that when student teachers are observed at least five times by university supervisors over the course of the student teaching placement, they are more effective when they have classrooms of their own. While feedback from cooperating teachers is also valuable, no research of comparable strength defines the ideal quantity of feedback from cooperating teachers.

B

Classroom Management

New teachers and their principals consistently report that classroom management is one of their greatest challenges. Teachers will be better prepared to establish a positive classroom environment if, during their preparation programs, they practice and receive feedback on the five classroom management strategies shown by conclusive research to be useful for all students. These strategies are:

  1. Rules and Routines – Establishing classroom rules and routines that set expectations for behavior;
  2. Learning Time – Maximizing the time that students are engaged in learning by pacing lessons appropriately, managing class materials and the physical setup of the classroom, and teaching interesting lessons;
  3. Praise – Using meaningful praise and other forms of positive reinforcement to encourage appropriate behavior;
  4. Low-profile Redirection – Using unobtrusive means that do not interrupt instruction to prevent and manage minimally disruptive behavior; and
  5. Consequences – Addressing more serious misbehavior with consistent, appropriate consequences.
Student teaching and residency are crucial times for the development and refinement of classroom management skills. The first few months of school are just as critical for candidates in alternative programs who have full responsibility for a classroom of children. Evaluation and observation forms used during these experiences can shape the feedback that participants receive on key classroom management strategies.

A review of program evaluation and/or observation instruments finds that they provide feedback on student teachers' use of the following classroom management strategies:
  • Rules and Routines
  • Learning Time
  • Praise
  • Low-profile Redirection
  • Consequences
The program meets the standard because the feedback provided to student teachers addresses all of the critical classroom management strategies.

Next Steps
Repeated feedback on the same or similar indicators can provide program participants invaluable guidance as they strengthen their classroom management skills. Consider examining all observation and evaluation forms used by program supervisors, cooperating teachers, and any other individuals who evaluate program participants to check that they provide repeated, consistent feedback on classroom management, and modifying them if necessary.

A

Rating Notes

Programs which meet the requirements for an A and also meet additional, related criteria earn an A+.

Scores of "CBD" could not be determined because NCTQ was unable to obtain sufficient data or the information that we obtained was inconclusive.

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