The National Council on Teacher Quality rated Texas Tech on its content offerings, degree plans and admissions selectivity.
The College of Education at Texas Tech University was one of 35 teacher preparation programs that earned top scores in the high school content standard of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).
The NCTQ's biennial teacher prep review considers specific state regulations on teacher certification standards and institutions' course content offerings, degree plans and admissions selectivity. Texas Tech was one of two universities in the state to earn this distinction and one of two Big 12 Conference schools.
“The recognition highlights the important commitment of the College of Education and multiple departments across the university in preparing teachers,” said Doug Hamman, chairman of the Department of Teacher Education. “We know our candidates are strong in their content preparation; otherwise they wouldn't be admitted to our program.”
Hamman submitted syllabi and degree plans to NCTQ for secondary-level teacher preparation in mathematics and history, which was part of a larger audit and evaluation of the program. The ranking underscores the strong collaboration between the College of Education and the College of Arts & Sciences because secondary-level teacher candidates must major in a core-content discipline and minor in education in order to qualify for state certification.
“The difficult work of creating a teacher education program that truly serves the needs of both our teacher candidates at Texas Tech and students throughout our state and nation is being recognized,” Education Dean Scott Ridley said. “We will continue to strive for the highest level of excellence and are pleased that NCTQ is recognizing these efforts.”