By Jordan Cochran
For the third consecutive year, Reinhardt University’s Price School of Education earned a Level 4 rating on the Teacher Preparation Program Effectiveness Measures (TPPEMs) published by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).
According to the GaPSC, Level 4 is above the expected level of performance for effectively preparing future teachers and is the highest rating available. The TPPEM ratings of all Georgia educator preparation program providers are now available to the public on the GaPSC PPEM Dashboard at www.gapsc.com.
“I am proud and excited that our students, professors and partners are being recognized for their hard work preparing future educators,” said Dr. Nancy Marsh, dean of the Price School of Education. “Consequently, we must continue to stay vigilant and remain on the forefront with our instructional practices to continuously improve.”
As a testament to these results, all of Reinhardt’s Price School of Education student teachers in the fall were offered positions in Marietta City Schools, beginning the week after Thanksgiving.
The primary purpose of the PPEMs is giving educator preparation programs detailed information that they can use for improvement. The PPEMs evaluations use measures collected during candidates’ time in the program, such as certification assessments required by the state, and measures collected following program completion once candidates are in the classroom. These may include classroom observations by supervisors and surveys of employers and newly employed teachers.
Additionally, the PPEMs provide the public with valuable information on educator preparation programs, particularly those considering entering a program themselves. PPEMs will also complement the GaPSC program approval cycle, as program providers are required to uphold acceptable scores in order to maintain approval to educate future Georgia-certified educators.
