UM Earns A+ Ratings for Preparing Future Elementary Educators to Teach Reading

By UM News Service

MISSOULA – The University of Montana recently earned an A+ grade for its undergraduate and graduate elementary teacher preparation programs for excellence in preparing future classroom leaders to teach reading.

The recognition for UM’s Phyllis J. Washington College of Education comes from the National Council on Teacher Quality, a nonpartisan education policy organization.

The achievement comes at a critical time. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, four in 10 Montana fourth graders cannot read at a basic level. Research consistently shows that effective classroom instruction, delivered by well-prepared teachers, is one of the strongest predictors of early reading success.

NCTQ President Heather Peske said UM is leading a national shift toward stronger teacher preparation.

“Every child deserves a teacher who has been well prepared to teach reading, and every teacher deserves the opportunity to enter the classroom ready to help students succeed,” Peske said. “Across the country, many teacher preparation programs still do not fully align with the science of reading, but the University of Montana is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.”

The ratings were awarded to UM’s Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Master of Education in Curricular Studies with K-8 Certification programs as part of NCTQ’s “Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation, ”which was released last month.

The rankings come from NCTQ’s comprehensive review of teacher preparation coursework, including syllabi, lecture topics, class assessments, assignments and opportunities for teacher candidates to practice literacy instruction. Programs are evaluated on how well they prepare future educators to teach reading using instructional methods supported by decades of scientific research.

To earn an A+, programs must provide comprehensive instruction in the five essential components of reading – phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension – while avoiding instructional approaches that research has shown to be ineffective.

According to the NCTQ report, 63% of Montana’s teacher preparation programs earned an A or A+ by adequately covering the five core components of scientifically based reading instruction. Undergraduate and graduate programs at UM were the only ones in the state to score the maximum 12 points across the five essential components of reading.

UM elementary teacher preparation programs are intentionally designed to ensure future teachers build a strong foundation in evidence-based literacy instruction before leading their own classrooms. Through coursework and extensive clinical experiences, teacher candidates learn how children develop reading skills, how to assess literacy growth and how to provide effective instruction for students with diverse learning needs.

NCTQ methodology was developed with input from reading experts, teacher preparation faculty, literacy advocates and measurement specialists. The University is among a growing number of teacher preparation programs nationwide recognized for aligning elementary teacher preparation with the science of reading, helping ensure future educators are equipped to support student literacy from the very beginning of their careers.

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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM vice president of Marketing Communications, Experience and Engagement, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.