Graduates from the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas exceeded state average in classroom teaching performance assessment, according to 2010 Praxis III results released by the Arkansas Department of Education.
The Praxis III assessment is a classroom teaching performance assessment that is required to qualify for a standard teaching license in Arkansas. This assessment is done after an individual begins teaching with the three-year initial teaching license and is typically completed at the end of the first year of teaching.
This year’s assessment results indicate that individuals prepared through UCA’s Master of Arts in Teaching program have a somewhat higher average performance score — 52.7 — than that of other UCA student groups. The second highest average –52.2 — was made by those prepared in the traditional undergraduate teacher education program. Those UCA graduates completing the Non-Traditional Licensure Program had the lowest average score of 51.5, according to the results.
The 2010 Praxis III Assessment’s state average score is 51.4 with a standard deviation of 2.6. The highest score possible and also earned was 57. The minimum passing score is 45.
The 2010 UCA Praxis III results are identified by the route of preparation the person completed to qualify for the initial teaching license. UCA has two approved initial teacher preparation programs — the traditional undergraduate program and the Master of Arts in Teaching program. Other graduates from UCA that are identified in the Praxis III results have completed a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree, but have elected to enter the Non-Traditional Licensure Program administered by the Arkansas Department of Education.
The results from all three initial licensure routes indicate that UCA graduates meet required classroom performance standards to earn a standard Arkansas teaching license.
Dr. Diana Pounder, Dean of the College of Education, said the Praxis III assessment gives a good indication of the actual effectiveness of UCA’s teacher education graduates in their early years as classroom teachers.
“Further, with some of the improvements we are making in our teacher education programs, such as enhanced use of assessment data to improve teaching and learning, we will see even stronger evidence of our graduates’ classroom performance effectiveness,” she said. “UCA continues to prepare some of Arkansas’ best teachers, as has been the case for many years.”
UCA graduates typically score at or above the state average on any number of standardized assessments in content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and classroom performance skills. Almost 7,000 of the more than 35,000 Arkansas public school educators earned a degree or educator license from UCA. The university continues to be one of the top two producers of licensed pre-kindergarten – 12 educators in Arkansas, Pounder added. UCA graduates are employed across the entire state, with the highest concentration in the central and northern tiers of the state.
“I am proud of UCA’s educator preparation faculty and our educator candidates,” Pounder said. “They engage in a process of continual renewal to improve their teaching effectiveness and the learning outcomes of their students.”
