Georgia Southern earns highest rating on new state teacher preparation program effectiveness measure
Georgia Southern University earned a Level 4 rating, the highest available score on the 2019 Teacher Preparation Program Effectiveness Measures (PPEMs) published by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).
New this year, the GaPSC created the public rating system to provide education preparation providers access to data to inform improvement, hold providers accountable for the quality of educators they produce and, finally, provide transparency to the public about the quality of educators and leaders produced by state institutions. To be reported annually, the PPEMs rating will utilize the last three years of data from teacher preparation providers.
The Level 4 rating indicates that Georgia Southern is above the expected level of performance for effectively preparing future teachers.
“As Superintendent of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (SCCPSS), I am delighted to see a high quality teacher preparation program advance to center stage,” Ann Levett, Ed.D., said. “The Georgia Southern University programs offer our school district access to a pipeline of diverse, talented, energized and innovative individuals who are meticulously prepared and committed to giving our students what they need and deserve to be well prepared for the future.”
PPEMs evaluate educator preparation programs using measures collected during the students’ time in the program, such as certification assessments required by the state, and additional measures collected once students have graduated and are in the classroom, including classroom observations by supervisors as well as surveys of employers and newly employed teachers.
“In Georgia, all educator preparation providers are engaged in a process of continuous improvement informed by data,” said Penney McRoy, Educator Preparation Division Director at GaPSC. “The PPEMs add to that ongoing process, providing one more tool to assist them in preparing great teachers for our schools.”
The system of PPEMs will also complement the GaPSC program approval cycle, with program providers required to maintain acceptable scores in order to stay approved to educate future Georgia-certified educators.
“A Level 4 is reserved for those program providers whose performance was exemplary, and we will ask these providers to share their best practices with other Georgia program providers,” said McRoy. The PPEM ratings of all Georgia educator preparation program providers are now available to the public on the GaPSC PPEM Dashboard at www.gapsc.com.
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