PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Requires colleges and universities that run traditional teacher training programs or alternative routes to teacher certification and that enroll students using federal aid to publish an annual, easy-to-understand report for the state and the public. The report must say whether the school met its yearly goals and what steps it took to meet them, and what it is doing to improve. It must give test pass rates and average scores for the most recent year (and for students who finished the program in the two years before that), compare the program’s pass rates and scores to state averages, and—for very small programs with fewer than 10 test scores in a year—report three-year average pass rates and scores instead. The report must also describe admission rules; the number of students (broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender); required supervised clinical hours; faculty and clinical staffing; how many people were certified or licensed by subject; whether the program is state-approved or accredited; whether the state has labeled the program low-performing; work to teach candidates to use technology well (including universal-design principles); and training for teaching students with disabilities and students who are limited English proficient. Any eligible partnership that gets a grant under this law must also give an annual report on its progress toward the law’s goals. The Education Secretary can fine a school up to $27,500 for late or inaccurate reports. Each state that gets funds must provide a statewide annual report with similar information, plus how reliable and valid the state’s certification tests are, the rules for getting initial certification and subject-specific licenses, how tests line up with state academic standards, details on alternative certification routes, the state’s criteria for judging teacher programs, how many teachers were prepared (by certification area, major, and subject), and how programs address teacher shortages. The Secretary must set rules to ensure data quality, must publish a national report each year with the same kinds of information and comparisons across states and partnerships, must report national mean and median scores and pass rates for tests used in more than one state, and should coordinate data across states for people who took certification tests in a state different from where they earned their most recent degree. The Secretary may not create a national ranked list of states, schools, or programs using the score data.

Title 20, §1022d

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Institutional and program report cards on the quality of teacher preparation

(1)Report card

Each institution of higher education that conducts a traditional teacher preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program and that enrolls students receiving Federal assistance under this chapter shall report annually to the State and the general public, in a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with the definitions and methods established by the Secretary, the following:

(A)Goals and assurances

(i)For the most recent year for which the information is available for the institution—

(I)whether the goals set under section 1022e of this title have been met; and

(II)a description of the activities the institution implemented to achieve such goals.

(ii)A description of the steps the institution is taking to improve its performance in meeting the annual goals set under section 1022e of this title.

(iii)A description of the activities the institution has implemented to meet the assurances provided under section 1022e of this title.

(B)Pass rates and scaled scores

For the most recent year for which the information is available for those students who took the assessments used for teacher certification or licensure by the State in which the program is located and are enrolled in the traditional teacher preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program, and for those who have taken such assessments and have completed the traditional teacher preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program during the two-year period preceding such year, for each of such assessments—

(i)the percentage of students who have completed 100 percent of the nonclinical coursework and taken the assessment who pass such assessment;

(ii)the percentage of all students who passed such assessment;

(iii)the percentage of students who have taken such assessment who enrolled in and completed the traditional teacher preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program, as applicable;

(iv)the average scaled score for all students who took such assessment;

(v)a comparison of the program’s pass rates with the average pass rates for programs in the State; and

(vi)a comparison of the program’s average scaled scores with the average scaled scores for programs in the State.

(C)Program information

A description of— (i)

(ii)the number of students in the program (disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender);

(iii)the average number of hours of supervised clinical experience required for those in the program;

(iv)the number of full-time equivalent faculty and students in the supervised clinical experience; and

(v)the total number of students who have been certified or licensed as teachers, disaggregated by subject and area of certification or licensure.

(D)Statement

In States that require approval or accreditation of teacher preparation programs, a statement of whether the institution’s program is so approved or accredited, and by whom.

(E)Designation as low-performing

Whether the program has been designated as low-performing by the State under section 1022f(a) of this title.

(F)Use of technology

A description of the activities, including activities consistent with the principles of universal design for learning, that prepare teachers to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction, and to use technology effectively to collect, manage, and analyze data in order to improve teaching and learning for the purpose of increasing student academic achievement.

(G)Teacher training

A description of the activities that prepare general education and special education teachers to teach students with disabilities effectively, including training related to participation as a member of individualized education program teams, as defined in section 1414(d)(1)(B) of this title, and to effectively teach students who are limited English proficient.

(2)Report

Each eligible partnership receiving a grant under section 1022a of this title shall report annually on the progress of the eligible partnership toward meeting the purposes of this part and the objectives and measures described in section 1022c(a) of this title.

(3)Fines

The Secretary may impose a fine not to exceed $27,500 on an institution of higher education for failure to provide the information described in this subsection in a timely or accurate manner.

(4)Special rule

In the case of an institution of higher education that conducts a traditional teacher preparation program or alternative routes to State certification or licensure program and has fewer than 10 scores reported on any single initial teacher certification or licensure assessment during an academic year, the institution shall collect and publish information, as required under paragraph (1)(B), with respect to an average pass rate and scaled score on each State certification or licensure assessment taken over a three-year period.

(b)State report card on the quality of teacher preparation

(1)In general

Each State that receives funds under this chapter shall provide to the Secretary, and make widely available to the general public, in a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with the definitions and methods established by the Secretary, an annual State report card on the quality of teacher preparation in the State, both for traditional teacher preparation programs and for alternative routes to State certification or licensure programs, which shall include not less than the following:

(A)A description of the reliability and validity of the teacher certification and licensure assessments, and any other certification and licensure requirements, used by the State.

(B)The standards and criteria that prospective teachers must meet to attain initial teacher certification or licensure and to be certified or licensed to teach particular academic subjects, areas, or grades within the State.

(C)A description of how the assessments and requirements described in subparagraph (A) are aligned with the challenging State academic standards required under section 6311(b)(1) of this title and, as applicable, State early learning standards for early childhood education programs.

(D)For each of the assessments used by the State for teacher certification or licensure—

(i)for each institution of higher education located in the State and each entity located in the State, including those that offer an alternative route for teacher certification or licensure, the percentage of students at such institution or entity who have completed 100 percent of the nonclinical coursework and taken the assessment who pass such assessment;

(ii)the percentage of all such students at all such institutions and entities who have taken the assessment who pass such assessment;

(iii)the percentage of students who have taken the assessment who enrolled in and completed a teacher preparation program; and

(iv)the average scaled score of individuals participating in such a program, or who have completed such a program during the two-year period preceding the first year for which the annual State report card is provided, who took each such assessment.

(E)A description of alternative routes to teacher certification or licensure in the State (including any such routes operated by entities that are not institutions of higher education), if any, including, for each of the assessments used by the State for teacher certification or licensure—

(i)the percentage of individuals participating in such routes, or who have completed such routes during the two-year period preceding the date for which the determination is made, who passed each such assessment; and

(ii)the average scaled score of individuals participating in such routes, or who have completed such routes during the two-year period preceding the first year for which the annual State report card is provided, who took each such assessment.

(F)A description of the State’s criteria for assessing the performance of teacher preparation programs within institutions of higher education in the State. Such criteria shall include indicators of the academic content knowledge and teaching skills of students enrolled in such programs.

(G)For each teacher preparation program in the State—

(i)the criteria for admission into the program;

(ii)the number of students in the program, disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender (except that such disaggregation shall not be required in a case in which the number of students in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student);

(iii)the average number of hours of supervised clinical experience required for those in the program; and

(iv)the number of full-time equivalent faculty, adjunct faculty, and students in supervised clinical experience.

(H)For the State as a whole, and for each teacher preparation program in the State, the number of teachers prepared, in the aggregate and reported separately by—

(i)area of certification or licensure;

(ii)academic major; and

(iii)subject area for which the teacher has been prepared to teach.

(I)A description of the extent to which teacher preparation programs are addressing shortages of teachers who meet the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the qualifications described in section 1412(a)(14)(C) of this title, by area of certification or licensure, subject, and specialty, in the State’s public schools.

(J)The extent to which teacher preparation programs prepare teachers, including general education and special education teachers, to teach students with disabilities effectively, including training related to participation as a member of individualized education program teams, as defined in section 1414(d)(1)(B) of this title.

(K)A description of the activities that prepare teachers to—

(i)integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction, including activities consistent with the principles of universal design for learning; and

(ii)use technology effectively to collect, manage, and analyze data to improve teaching and learning for the purpose of increasing student academic achievement.

(L)The extent to which teacher preparation programs prepare teachers, including general education and special education teachers, to effectively teach students who are limited English proficient.

(2)Prohibition against creating a national list

The Secretary shall not create a national list or ranking of States, institutions, or schools using the scaled scores provided under this subsection.

(c)Data quality

The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to ensure the reliability, validity, integrity, and accuracy of the data submitted pursuant to this section.

(d)Report of the Secretary on the quality of teacher preparation

(1)Report card

The Secretary shall annually provide to the authorizing committees, and publish and make widely available, a report card on teacher qualifications and preparation in the United States, including all the information reported in subparagraphs (A) through (L) of subsection (b)(1). Such report shall identify States for which eligible partnerships received a grant under this part.

(2)Report to Congress

The Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to the authorizing committees that contains the following:

(A)A comparison of States’ efforts to improve the quality of the current and future teaching force.

(B)A comparison of eligible partnerships’ efforts to improve the quality of the current and future teaching force.

(C)The national mean and median scaled scores and pass rate on any standardized test that is used in more than one State for teacher certification or licensure.

(3)Special rule

In the case of a teacher preparation program with fewer than ten scores reported on any single initial teacher certification or licensure assessment during an academic year, the Secretary shall collect and publish, and make publicly available, information with respect to an average pass rate and scaled score on each State certification or licensure assessment taken over a three-year period.

(e)Coordination

The Secretary, to the extent practicable, shall coordinate the information collected and published under this part among States for individuals who took State teacher certification or licensure assessments in a State other than the State in which the individual received the individual’s most recent degree.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 205 of Pub. L. 89–329 was classified to section 1025 of this title, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 110–315. Another prior section 205 of Pub. L. 89–329 was classified to section 1025 of this title, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 96–374.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (b)(1)(C). Pub. L. 114–95, § 9215(oo)(4), substituted “are aligned with the challenging State academic standards required under section 6311(b)(1) of this title” for “are aligned with the State’s challenging academic content standards required under section 6311(b)(1) of this title”. Subsec. (b)(1)(I). Pub. L. 114–95, § 9214(c)(5), substituted “teachers who meet the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the qualifications described in section 1412(a)(14)(C) of this title” for “highly qualified teachers”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

§1022d Accountability for Programs That Prepare Teachers