Alverno College

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Comments on analysis

Courses reviewed: ED 325A, and LTM 621

The research-based content proven to be necessary for teaching all children to read should be clearly evident in materials such as lecture topics and assignments from at least one course and textbooks from all coursework.

The program fails to meet the standard because coursework addresses only two of the five components of effective reading instruction:

• Phonics
• Comprehension Strategies

Coursework does not address the following components of effective reading instruction:

• Phonemic Awareness
• Fluency
• Vocabulary

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Comments on analysis

Students cannot excel in mathematics without skillful instruction in the earliest years of school. Teacher candidates generally require three semesters of coursework, complemented by adequate field practice, to progress from a procedural to a conceptual understanding of the essential mathematics topics taught in the elementary grades.

Courses reviewed: MT 243, and MT 244

Through a review of the coursework noted above, the program was not found to provide teacher candidates with adequate coverage of numbers & operations, algebra, geometry, and data analysis & probability.

Next Steps
To improve under this standard, additional attention should be paid to the coverage of content and selection of textbooks used to support instruction.

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Comments on analysis

Because they cannot teach what they do not know, teacher candidates need to have content knowledge in English/language arts, social studies, and science. Graduate programs should make sure that their elementary candidates know the subjects they will teach, either by reviewing their transcripts, requiring that they pass rigorous standardized assessments, or requiring that they complete content courses by graduation. If candidates are admitted with deficiencies in content preparation, the program should clearly delineate necessary remediation.

The program meets only a small part of this standard because its review of applicants' content preparation addresses preparation in only one area, and even in that area the requirements fall well short of the content elementary teachers need to know in:

• Social Science

There are no requirements for preparation in:

• English/Language Arts
• Science

While the program may require that candidates have coursework in one or more specific topics, more guidance should be provided to prospective candidates about the content preparation that will best serve them in the classroom.