A recently released report has criticized the effectiveness of California’s teacher preparation programs, specifically when it comes to training new elementary school teachers in math education. Cal State Monterey Bay, alongside many California State Universities, was called out in the report for ineffectiveness.
The “State of the States” report published this month by the National Council on Teacher Quality criticizes state prep programs for ineffectively training new teachers to teach math as well as for not providing enough overall support and guidance once new teachers enter the classroom. The CSU, which trains the majority of the state’s teachers, has dismissed the report’s methodology and findings.
“The California State University rejects the recent grading from the National Council on Teacher Quality about our high-quality teacher training programs,” said CSU Spokeswoman Amy Bentley-Smith in a statement. “In their review and grading of teacher preparation programs, the (National Council) relies on a narrow and flawed methodology, heavily dependent on syllabi and document reviews, rather than on dialogue with program faculty, students and employers or a systematic review of meaningful program outcomes.”
The council is a national nonprofit organization founded in 2000 with a mission of improving policies that have a direct impact on teacher quality and preparation. The group is led by education researchers and focuses on a number of policy areas including elementary reading and math, teacher preparation and clinical practice.
“Cal State Monterey Bay is committed to providing high-quality teacher education to ensure the success of K-12 students across our region and state through our undergraduate teacher-preparation program in liberal studies and our teaching credential and graduate programs,” said a university spokesperson. “As the CSU Chancellor’s Office noted, the report relied on flawed methodologies that do not reflect the true outcomes of our California Commission on Teacher Credentialing-accredited programs or the success of our graduates,” said the spokesperson.
The council reviews course descriptions, course syllabi and calendars to determine whether or not programs are allowing enough time for teaching candidates to become fully versed in math material. The CSU believes focusing on course materials does not provide a well-rounded view of program effectiveness – the council doesn’t dispute this.
“(The council) is not claiming to provide a comprehensive evaluation of teacher prep programs,” said Council President Heather Peske in a prepared statement. “Our review focuses on one essential dimension: how much time programs dedicate to the critical math content and teaching methods aspiring teachers need to help their students succeed.
“Just like a restaurant menu can tell you whether it serves healthy options – or food that’s not good for you – syllabi and course materials can tell us if teacher candidates are getting the right serving of critical content in numbers and operations, algebraic thinking, geometry and measurement (and) data analysis and probability,” said Peske.
In California, 30% of fourth-grade students lack basic math skills, according to the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This gap is pointed to in the report as proof the state’s math education program needs to be addressed.
The council convened an expert advisory panel of 10 math education experts in 2021 who advised the group on the recommended targets for instructional hours in these programs. It was decided that 150 instructional hours should be the target to develop well-prepared elementary school teachers. The council also heard from teachers and policymakers on what they believe is an appropriate amount of instructional time.
The council used these benchmarks to grade each teacher preparation program in California. Institutions that had fewer than the target amount of instructional time across the five topics (pedagogy and the four math content areas) received an “F” grade.
The majority of the state’s programs (75%) received an F for providing less than 90 instructional hours. Cal State Monterey Bay’s undergraduate program could not be graded because the course descriptions for MATH 308 and MATH 309 were missing instructional hours. CSUMB’s graduate program received an F because while it fully meets the target for math pedagogy with 45 hours, it requires zero hours for the other four content areas.
Each of the 17 CSU graduate programs graded in the report received an F. Most of the CSU’s undergraduate programs, on the other hand, received an A or B.
The report also ranks each state on its overall approach to math instruction, evaluating both teacher preparation and ongoing support once educators are in the classroom. California, along with about two dozen other states including Washington and New York, received a “weak” rating.
“The (National Council) study reflects a methodology that differs from California’s approach to educator preparation and highlights different aspects of the preparation process,” said Anita Fitzhugh, communications manager for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. “While informative, it does not fully capture the structure of California’s clinically rich, performance-based system.”
The commission serves as a standards and accreditation board for teacher prep programs in the state.
Aspiring educators must meet detailed program standards, demonstrate math knowledge before entering classrooms and complete supervised practice along with performance assessments, according to Fitzhugh. The commission also recently launched a new PK-third grade Early Childhood Specialist Credential that targets early math instruction and is looking for ways to expand that model to the Multiple Subject and Special Education credentials.
Alongside their required courses, teacher candidates at CSUMB are able to participate in co-teaching in local districts to gain more experience in the classroom while they pursue their credential. Candidates are placed at one of 18 participating districts for a minimum of 600 hours of supervised clinical practice.
“Preparation of educators is central to the CSU mission,” said Bentley-Smith. “Our programs are subject to rigorous oversight and continuous improvement. We welcome evidence-based accountability measures and opportunities to strengthen our programs so that we can continue to meet the need for placing highly trained and effective teaching professionals in underserved communities and school districts throughout California.”