UAB School of Education Earns Straight A’s for Teacher Preparation

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Education earned straight A’s on the Alabama State Department of Education’s latest report card on teacher preparation programs.

July 12, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Education earned straight A's on the Alabama State Department of Education's latest report card on teacher preparation programs.

Lou Anne Worthington, Ph.D., associate dean for programs in the UAB School of Education, said she is pleased with the grade the university received in the report, titled Teacher Preparation Program Performance Profile for 2008-2009.

"This is the best report card we have ever received," said Worthington. "For the 2007-2008 year, we received A's on all major indicators, but we received a B on one subcategory. We have historically done well on the state report cards, but we have made steady improvements over the years."

"To have a perfect report card is extremely exciting for UAB," said Thomas M. DiLorenzo, Ph.D., dean of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, in which the UAB School of Education is housed. "The report card illustrates the caliber of faculty that we have in the School of Education and the work that they have done to develop a high-quality teacher preparation program."

The Alabama Department of Education grades the state's 27 teacher preparation programs based on four major indicators, which are:

  • The number of hours prospective teachers are required to spend in elementary or high school classrooms prior to their internships or student teaching
  • Partnerships with elementary schools and high schools
  • The percentage of graduates who pass the Alabama Prospective Teacher Testing Program
  • The results of on-the-job performance evaluations of graduates

Many of the grades on the report are based on results from the Basic Skills Test and the Praxis II test for subject matter knowledge, surveys of administrators of local school districts and evaluations of first-year teachers by principals.

"We have a dedicated faculty that has worked hard to form innovative partnerships with local school systems to improve student achievement in the public schools," said Worthington. "There also has been a tremendous effort made to ensure that our students are actively engaged in quality field experiences in area schools."

The state of Alabama requires that candidates complete a minimum of 150 hours of field experiences prior to beginning their student teaching assignments. Many of the School of Education's programs require students to complete more than 200 hours of field experiences prior to student teaching, Worthington said.

To learn more about the Teacher Preparation Program Performance Profile for 2008-2009, visit the Alabama Department of Education's website at www.alsde.edu. Click "Reports" and then "Teacher Prep Report Cards."

About the UAB School of Education

The UAB School of Education offers undergraduate and/or graduate teaching degrees in early childhood, elementary and secondary education, physical education, health education, special education, English as a Second Language, and educational leadership. The school also offers degree programs in counseling, fitness leadership, health promotion, exercise science and exercise physiology. In addition to the School of Education, the UAB College of Arts and Sciences is home to academic disciplines that include the arts, humanities and sciences.