Education program passes
test
By Vanessa Renderman
and
Laura Pelner
The dean of the School of Education is pleased
with results that announced 97 percent of teacher education students
at Purdue passed the teaching proficiency exam last year.
"I'm pleased that we're attracting such serious
students to Purdue to become teachers," said Marilyn Haring, dean of
the School of Education.
This is the first year Purdue and other universities
were required to report the passing rates of this test.
Haring said that 430 of 444 students passed the
exam. In comparison, Indiana University and Ball State had about a 93
percent passing rate. At many other schools, however, students take
the exam during their sophomore or junior year, which may affect the
passing percentage, Haring said.
The test covers math, literacy and professional
knowledge. Students who plan on specializing in an area — such
as early childhood education or Spanish — take a specialty exam,
Haring said.
The high test scores show a commitment to learning,
said Kelly Walters, a junior in the School of Education and president
of the Education Organizations Board.
"I think it really shows how hard the education
students have been working," she said. "I'm proud; I think it represents
our school really well."
Walters said the exam is challenging, but she thinks
test scores will improve as the School of Education continues to make
changes and update its program.
Walters said that because Ball State is known for
its education program and because Indiana is Purdue's rival, to excel
beyond their scores shows the dedication Purdue students have for their
future careers as teachers.
"And it gives us bragging rights," she said.
There are 38 institutions in the state where a
student can go to become a teacher, and Haring said that Purdue is becoming
known for having a good School of Education.
In 1998, amendments to the Higher Education Act
required that colleges and universities report the test results of teacher
preparation and licensure.
Haring said that if students at an institution
score poorly, that school's program could lose federal money.
"Purdue is in no danger of that," she said.
Purdue is among the top 20 universities in the
country in terms of producing teachers, Haring said.
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