Teacher Preparation Program Accountability:
Texas

Analysis of Texas's policies

Texas's approval process for its traditional and alternate route teacher preparation programs is on the right track but could do more to hold programs accountable for the quality of the teachers they produce.

To measure the performance of its teacher preparation programs, Texas requires that programs provide student achievement data regarding the academic achievement gains of students taught by the programs' graduates, averaged over the first three years of teaching.

The state also relies on other objective, meaningful data to measure the performance of teacher preparation programs. Texas collects data on certification examinations; to calculate pass rates, it divides the number of successful last attempts made by candidates who have finished the program requirements by the total number of last attempts made by those candidates. It also gathers information regarding beginning teacher performance, as measured by the results of beginning teacher appraisals by school administrators. Texas requires ongoing support by field supervisors to beginning teachers on probationary certificates during their first year in the classroom. 

Regrettably, however, Texas fails to apply any transparent, measurable criteria for conferring program approval. The state requires that 80 percent of program completers must pass their licensure exams. However, the 80 percent pass-rate standard, while common among many states, sets the bar quite low and is not a meaningful measure of program performance.

Texas also requires all programs to post an annual report on the state's website that includes satisfaction data, completer and employer surveys, average entrance exam scores for program participants, average GPA of participants, percentage of program participants obtaining teaching positions and three-year retention rates.

In Texas, the state maintains full authority over teacher preparation program approval. The state also conducts its own program reviews.

Citation

19 Texas Administrative Code 7.228.10; 229.4; 230.37 Reports http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=2147485421

Recommendations for Texas

Establish the minimum standard of performance for each category of data. 
In order to make use of the data Texas already collects and publishes for accountability purposes, it is critical that the state establish minimum standards for teacher preparation program performance for each category of data. The state should be mindful of setting rigorous standards for program performance, as its current requirement that 80 percent of program completers must pass their licensing exams is too low a bar. Programs should be held accountable for meeting rigorous standards, and there should be consequences for failing to do so, including loss of program approval.

State response to our analysis

Texas was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.

The state also indicated that educator preparation programs may choose to seek accreditation by another agency in addition to state accreditation. Further, changes to the state's Professional Educator Preparation and Certification rules are expected to be proposed in February 2016. The anticipated effective date of proposed changes is August 2016. Changes related to educator program requirements are expected to be proposed in December 2015, with an anticipated effective date of May 2016 for those proposed changes.