Teacher Preparation Program Accountability:
Florida

Analysis of Florida's policies

Recent legislation in Florida now requires that for approval, programs must collect data regarding placement rates of program completers, retention rates, performance of students who are assigned to in-field program completers on statewide assessments using results of student learning growth formula, and results of annual evaluations. Additional data may include program completers' and employers' satisfaction. Prior to program completion, teacher candidates must also demonstrate the ability to positively affect student learning growth in the area of program concentration during the field experience.

Also, preparation programs must guarantee high quality of its program completers during the two years following completion or initial certification, whichever comes first. Any program completer who is employed during this two-year period in a Florida public school and earns an evaluation result of developing or unsatisfactory on a district's evaluation system must be provided additional training by the program at no additional cost.

However, Florida does not apply any transparent, measurable criteria for conferring program approval. 

The state posts an annual report on its website that includes satisfaction data; completer, employer and mentor surveys; and demographic comparisons.

In Florida, there is some overlap of accreditation and state approval. Members of NCATE/CAEP and the state make up the review team and decisions are made jointly; state members must complete NCATE/CAEP training. Florida conducts its own program reviews. 

Citation

SB 1664 (2013) Florida State Board of Education Administration Rules 6A-5.066 Florida Statute Title XLVIII K-20 Education Code 1004.04 Report on State-Approved Teacher Preparation Programs http://www.fldoe.org/profdev/pdf/ProgramCompletersSurvey2011.pdf www.ncate.org

Recommendations for Florida

Establish the minimum standard of performance for accountability purposes. 

In order to make use of the data Florida collects and publishes for accountability purposes, it is critical that the state establish minimum standards for teacher preparation program performance for each category of data. Programs should then be held accountable for meeting these standards, and there should be consequences for failing to do so, including loss of program approval.

Distinguish between alternate route programs and traditional preparation programs in public reporting.   

It would be more useful to the public—especially hiring school districts—if Florida's reports on teacher preparation program performance included specific data at the program level.

Maintain full authority over teacher preparation program approval.

Florida should ensure that it is the state that considers the evidence of program performance and makes the decision about whether programs should continue to be authorized to prepare teachers. 

State response to our analysis

Florida recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state added that it is in the process of revising its state board of education rule governing the approval of all educator preparation programs—including alternate routes—with rule development workshops beginning in August 2013. Proposed revisions include setting performance levels/targets for the performance metrics that were recently passed in legislation for the continued approval of state-approved programs.