MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org
Dorie Turner Nolt, GaDOE Communications Office, (404)656-5594, dnolt@gadoe.org
Oct. 23, 2013 – Georgia is one of seven states selected to participate in a two-year pilot focused on transforming educator preparation and entry systems to the profession, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) announced today.
CCSSO created the Network for Transforming Educator Preparation (NTEP) to support Georgia and other states ready to take action in three key policy areas to ensure all educators are ready on the first day of their career to prepare our students for college, work and life. The other states selected are: Connecticut, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Washington.
“We are honored to be among the first states selected for this program,” State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge said. “Improving student performance starts with ensuring every classroom has an effective and innovative teacher at the helm. This program will help us continue to improve our teacher preparation programs in Georgia.”
This work is a collaboration between several Georgia state agencies, including the Department of Education (K-12 schools), the University System of Georgia (teacher preparation programs) and the Professional Standards Commission (teaching licensing agency). The participating states are joined by seventeen national organizations committed to support the states’ efforts to accelerate change in educator preparation and entry into the profession by helping to communicate with their members and serve as thought partners.
"It is our responsibility and our promise to ensure teachers prepared in the University System will be ready from day one to be highly effective in the classroom,” University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby said. “We are very pleased to be partners with the Professional Standards Commission and the Department of Education on this important work, for we know it takes both our universities and K-12 schools working together to prepare effective teachers."
“We are pleased to partner with our colleagues at the Department of Education and the University System of Georgia to advance this important work aimed at improving teaching and learning and raising the achievement of all Georgia students,” said Kelly Henson, executive secretary of the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
CCSSO released Our Responsibility, Our Promise –Transforming Educator Preparation and Entry into the Profession in December 2012. The report was developed collaboratively by state education chiefs and representatives of the National Governor’s Association and the National Association of State Boards of Education to identify key areas they can change to ensure every teacher and principal is ready on day one to help all students meet raised expectations. The report contains ten recommendations that focus on three state policy levers: licensure, program approval, and data collection, analysis and reporting, to improve the way we prepare our educator workforce. The states participating in the pilot will use these recommendations as the foundation for their actions and more specifically will:
· Licensure: States will strengthen and change educator licensure standards and requirements to ensure teacher and principal candidates recommended for licensure demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the high expectations for all students, and help teachers and principals continuously improve their practice throughout their careers.
· Program Approval: States will raise the bar on the approval process for all educator preparation providers to ensure they deliver high-quality, rigorous training to potential educators, as demonstrated by performance assessments that show that candidates can apply what they’ve learned in actual school settings and with the range of learners they will likely encounter.
· Analyzing and Reporting Information to Improve Preparation Programs: States will formalize and refine the process for collecting, analyzing, and reporting educator pre-service and in-service performance data to ensure this information is used as tools to improve the way we prepare our educator workforce.
