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Committee advances bill to publish report cards for teacher-preparation programs
Summary
The Education Policy committee voted to give House Bill 603 a favorable report after debate on data collection, program transparency and participation by public universities; the bill would require a digital report card on teacher-preparation metrics, including admission standards, exam pass rates and one- and three-year retention.
Representative Dubose presented House Bill 603 on behalf of the bill’s sponsors, saying, “This is a report card bill. It expands on a report card that our state department of education is putting out, but it's to evaluate the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs in our state.” The measure would require education-preparation programs at state universities to provide data for a digital report card that the State Department of Education would publish and make downloadable.
Dubose told the committee the report card would include counts of applicants and the certificate types candidates seek; admissions criteria (GPA, SAT or ACT scores); pass rates on program exit exams and licensure assessments; employment outcomes (the percentage of graduates teaching in the classroom versus employed out of field); the share entering shortage fields; and retention after one and three years. “If we see very few teachers are passing, we're going to be concerned because why have they not been taught the necessary components necessary to pass those tests,” he said.
Members asked whether the requirement would cover private institutions and whether universities had been consulted. Dubose said the bill applies to public universities. Director Dr. Brazil told the committee that department staff (Robin McIll) had met with university deans and recorded their feedback and support. Dubose and several members said the report is intended to give colleges, policymakers and the public clearer data on program quality and alignment with state standards, including whether programs teach the “science of reading” and other required coursework.
Representative Baker said the report card could provide useful feedback to teacher-preparation programs and help illuminate areas where graduates need additional support. After discussion about consultation and implementation, Representative Baker moved a favorable report and Representative Ross seconded. The committee approved HB603 by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.
The bill advances to the next House stage; the committee chair said the panel expects to reconvene the following day to consider remaining business.
