Teacher Preparation Program Accountability :
Nebraska

Analysis of Nebraska's policies

Nebraska's approval process for its traditional and alternate route teacher preparation programs does not hold programs accountable for the quality of the teachers they produce.

Most importantly, Nebraska does not collect value-added data that connect student achievement gains to teacher preparation programs.

The state also fails to collect other objective, meaningful data to measure the performance of teacher preparation programs, and it does not apply any transparent, measurable criteria for conferring program approval. 

Further, in the past three years, no programs in Nebraska have been identified as low performing—an additional indicator that programs lack accountability.

Finally, Nebraska's website does not include a report card that allows the public to review and compare program performance.

Citation

Nebraska Administrative Code Title 92, Chapter 20 Title II State Reports https://title2.ed.gov

Recommendations for Nebraska

Collect data that connect student achievement gains to teacher preparation programs.
To ensure that programs are producing effective classroom teachers, Nebraska should consider academic achievement gains of students taught by the programs' graduates, averaged over the first three years of teaching.

Gather other meaningful data that reflect program performance.
In addition to knowing whether programs are producing effective teachers, other objective, meaningful data can also indicate whether programs are appropriately screening applicants and if they are delivering essential academic and professional knowledge. Nebraska should gather data such as the following: average raw scores of graduates on licensing tests, including basic skills, subject matter and professional knowledge tests; satisfaction ratings by school principals and teacher supervisors of programs' student teachers, using a standardized form to permit program comparison; evaluation results from the first and/or second year of teaching; and five-year retention rates of graduates in the teaching profession.

Establish the minimum standard of performance for each category of data.
Programs should be held accountable for meeting these standards, with articulated consequences for failing to do so, including loss of program approval after appropriate due process. 

Publish an annual report card on the state's website.
To inform the public with meaningful, readily understandable indicators of how well programs are doing, Nebraska should present all the data it collects on individual teacher preparation programs.  

State response to our analysis

Nebraska asserted that data regarding candidate performance are collected at the institutional level, and are reviewed during state program-approval visits. These include graduate follow-up data and candidate performance related to endorsement standards. The state added that although there is no statewide standardized final/capstone evaluation, all institutions utilize INTASC standards as the basis for evaluation and include additional elements reflective of the mission/conceptual framework. Further, data regarding basic skills assessments are available via Title II reporting.