University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Comments on analysis

Courses reviewed: CI 475, and CI 476

The research-based content proven to be necessary for teaching all children to read should be clearly evident in course materials such as lecture topics, assignments and textbooks. All of a program's required reading courses — not just some courses — should impart what is necessary to teach reading.

The program meets only a small part of the standard because its coursework covers two of the five of the components of effective reading instruction:

• Fluency
• Comprehension Strategies

but does not address:

• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• 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: CI 430, MATH 103, and CI 432

Through a review of the coursework above, the program was found to provide teacher candidates with at least four SCHs of coursework focused on developing a conceptual understanding of mathematical topics; however, the coverage of numbers & operations, algebra, geometry, and data analysis & probability was determined to be inadequate.

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 adequately addresses preparation in only one areas elementary teachers need to know:

• Social Science

Requirements for preparation are somewhat deficient in:

• Science

There are no requirements for preparation in:

• English/Language Arts

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.