Education Preparation Accreditation

The Middle Tennessee State University College of Education is hosting an accreditation visit by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) on November 7th through November 9th, 2021. Interested parties are invited to submit third-party comments to the evaluation team. Please note that comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the party's relationship to the provider (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates).

We invite you to submit written testimony to:

CAEP
1140 19th Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
Or by email to: callforcomments@caepnet.org

Such comments must be within the specified period and based on the core tenets of CAEP accreditation standards of excellence, which recognize that:

  • In CAEP's performance-based system, accreditation is based on evidence that demonstrates that teacher candidates know the subject matter and can teach it effectively so that students learn. In the CAEP system, EPPs must prove that candidates can connect theory to practice and be effective in an actual P-12 classroom.
  • A professional education provider that is accredited by CAEP is expected to be involved in ongoing planning and evaluation; engaged in continuous assessment and development; ensure that faculty and programs reflect new knowledge, practice, and technologies; and be involved in continuous development in response to the evolving world of education and educational reform.
  • Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the respondent's relationship, if any, to the institution (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates). Copies of all correspondence received will be sent to the university for comment prior to the review. 
MTSU’s College of Education has State and NCATE-approved and CAEP eligible teacher licensure and instructional leadership programs. 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. We have primary partnerships with Rutherford County Schools and Lincoln County Schools, respectively, and affiliation agreements with 43 additional school districts, all of which support our work with our students.

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 included in each of the impact measures are used by MTSU’s College of Education to identify strengths and areas for improvement related to the impact of our preparation programs on our graduates as they entered the classroom.

Impact on P-12 Learning and Development

In Tennessee, teachers’ impact on student growth is measured using the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS).  A score of 3 on a scale of 1-5 is considered “at expectations”. In the Report Card, only teachers teaching a grade or subject that has a state assessment receive TVAAS scores.

2020 MTSU's EPP Report Card Impact Data

2019 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Impact Data

2018 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Impact Data  

2017 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Impact Data

Indicators of Teaching Effectiveness

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 teachers’ 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.

2020 MTSU's EPP Report Card Effectiveness Data

2019 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Effectiveness Data

2018 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Effectiveness Data  

2017 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Effectiveness Data

Satisfaction of Employers and Employment Milestones

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.

2020 MTSU's EPP Report Card Employment and Retention

2019 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Employment and Retention

2018 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Employment and Retention  

2017 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Employment and Retention

Employer feedback about our completers has been gathered through focus groups, interviews, and surveys.

2019 and 2020 Employer Feedback

Satisfaction of Completers

The Tennessee Educator Survey, which is conducted each spring by the Tennessee Department of Education in partnership with the Tennessee Education Research Alliance. Teachers in their first three years of teaching complete the Early Career branch of the survey. The results of this survey from teachers who graduated from MTSU are included in MTSU’s EPP Report Card.

2020 MTSU's EPP Report Card Completer Satisfaction

2019 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Completer Satisfaction

Outcome Measures

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.

Graduation Rates

Student success, retention, and completion is a University priority. Each year, MTSU publishes a fact book that includes data for the University, Colleges, and Departments. The data reported in the fact book by College of Education and its associated Departments would not reflect the secondary education minors as they major in other Colleges.

2020 MTSU Fact Book

2019 MTSU Fact Book

2018 MTSU Fact Book

2017 MTSU Fact Book

Furthermore, information by College, Department, and major can be obtained through the MTSU Power BI Dashboard (https://www.mtsu.edu/iepr/bi.php).

Ability of Completers to Meet Licensing and Additional State Requirements

In order for an individual to acquire a teaching license in Tennessee, many requirements must be met. All 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.

2020 MTSU's EPP Report Card Candidate Assessment

2019 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Candidate Assessment

Title II also provides evidence of performance on qualifying exams (i.e., Praxis). 

Summary of All Traditional Preparation Programs

2020 Title II 3-Year Pass Rate on Qualifying Exams of Completers in Traditional Preparation Programs

2019 Title II 3-Year Pass Rate on Qualifying Exams of Completers in Traditional Preparation Programs

Summary of All Alternative Preparation Programs (Job-Embedded)

2020 Title II 3-Year Pass Rate on Qualifying Exams of Completers in Alternative Preparation Programs

2019 Title II 3-Year Pass Rate on  Qualifying Exams of Completers in Alternative Preparation Programs 

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 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

State licensure requirements also include an admission to teacher education assessment. The Report Card includes data about candidates who scored at or above the required score on the admission to teacher education qualifying assessments.

2020 MTSU's EPP Report Card Qualifying Assessment Score

2019 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Qualifying Assessment Score

2018 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Qualifying Assessment Score  

2017 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Qualifying Assessment Score

Ability of Completers to be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Were Prepared

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.

2020 MTSU's EPP Report Card Employment

2019 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Employment

2018 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Employment  

2017 MTSU’s EPP Report Card Employment

Student Loan Default Rates and Other Consumer Information

According to the most recent Tennessee Educator Preparation Program Report Card, we provide the most educators with the highest observation scores and highest level of effectiveness, respectively, to our public schools in Tennessee.

We are #2 in preparing educators of color and #2 in preparing teachers to fill high demand areas such as math, science, special education, and English as a Second Language.

“MTSU was named among the nation’s best by Princeton Review” in 2019 and 2020.

Primary and State Recognized Partnerships

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.

Primary Partnership Agreements

Establishes how an EPP and primary partner district will collaboratively engage to meet key partnership expectations.

State-Recognized Partnership Agreements

Establishes the roles and responsibilities of EPP faculty and district staff regarding the delivery of candidate support and evaluation. 

  • Read the Current Issue of Aspire, the COE Magazine