MTSU’s College of Education has earned national accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) through June 30, 2029. This accreditation demonstrates our commitment to excellence in the areas of content and pedagogy, clinical experiences, selectivity, program impact, and capacity for continuous improvement. A list of programs that are state-approved and included in this accreditation can be found here. As a College, we regularly review and analyze our impact and outcome data to inform our work with candidates and make revisions to curriculum, processes, and partnerships. CAEP has four accountability measures guiding the information we share about our programs’ impact and outcomes. Furthermore, we are responsible for developing and sharing information about our primary and state-recognized partnerships with school districts.
Impact Measures
Each year, the Tennessee State Board of Education releases the Tennessee’s Educator Preparation Report Card designed to provide to the public at large information about teacher and school leader preparation in our State. The metrics from MTSU’s Report Card include each of the impact measures below used by MTSU’s College of Education to identify strengths and areas for improvement for our preparation programs.
Teachers in Tennessee are evaluated through TEAM classroom observations and student scores using the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS). Teachers also receive level of effectiveness scores (LOE). The LOE score includes all components of the Tennessee teacher’s annual evaluation, which includes TEAM observation scores and TVAAS scores. A level 3 on a scale of 1-5 is considered “at expectations” on all three of these measures. Based on these measures, teachers who are completers of MTSU’s preparation programs consistently exceed expectations.
Information about MTSU’s teacher candidates and their resulting employment in Tennessee public schools in their first year after graduation and for the following two consecutive years is collected and reported through the Report Card.
Outcomes measures are those measures used to help us know more about how our program completers fair as they complete their programs and enter the workforce. These data come from a variety of sources and provide important details about our graduates.
In order for an individual to acquire a teaching license in Tennessee, many requirements must be met. Most candidates must pass a series of assessments. The specific assessments measured through the Report Card are the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) exam and the Praxis Subject Assessments, specific for each endorsement area. The edTPA, a performance assessment completed during the final residency semester, also is required for licensure. In 2023, the TN State Board of Education eliminated the requirement of the 1) Praxis Subject Assessments for some licensure areas if individuals have a major in the content area and 2) edTPA for job-embedded (alternative) candidates.
Summary of All Alternative Preparation Programs (Job-Embedded; i.e., serving as the teacher of record while completing teacher preparation requirements)
MTSU’s average score on the edTPA, a performance assessment required for licensure, for the past three academic years has well surpassed the state required score of 40.
Academic year 22-23 average score 46.54
Academic year 21-22 average score 45.83
Academic year 20-21 average score 45.00
Academic year 19-20 average score 45.65
Academic year 18-19 average score 45.82
Academic year 17-18 average score 46.19
Instructional Leaders, School Counselors, and Reading Specialists also are required to pass licensure exams in order to be licensed in Tennessee.
Completers of MTSU’s educator preparation programs are hired for teaching positions in the endorsement areas for which they have been prepared. MTSU’s EPP Report Card provides data about employment in Tennessee’s public schools.
The EPP Report Card shares data about how many completers of Instructional Leader Programs are hired as principals, assistant principals, or supervisors. While MTSU prepares individuals to be leaders in their schools, some choose to be leaders in their schools or districts and others opt to continue in their roles as teachers or teacher leaders.
In accordance with Tennessee Educator Preparation Policy 5.504 EPPs are required to develop formalized partnership agreements with their district partners. These partnership agreements detail how they will collaborate to ensure that candidates meet the district needs (demographic and skill-specific) and how educator and instructional leader candidates will participate in high-quality clinical experiences.
Establishes how an EPP and primary partner district will collaboratively engage to meet key partnership expectations.
