JUNIATA EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND STUDENTS RATED IN TOP 25 PERCENT OF TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS IN PA.
(Posted July 5, 2001)
Students in the teacher preparation program at Juniata College scored well above the Pennsylvania state average in all areas of the teacher education certification tests and the college's education department as a whole was rated in the top 25 percent of higher education programs across the state, according to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers and scores the test.
The Certification Test Pass Rates reflect the scores of Juniata education students who completed a certification program from Sept. 1, 1999 to Aug. 30, 2000. Michael Byron, associate professor of education and chair of Juniata's education department, announced the ETS results.
"All students who complete the requirements of our education program have to pass three categories of tests -- Basic Skills, Professional Knowledge and Academic Content Area -- to become certified teachers in Pennsylvania," Byron says. "Our students' test scores are among the highest among their peers across the state"
Juniata's education program placed in the top 25 percent of all teacher preparation programs in Pennsylvania as a summarization of how all Juniata students have done on the ETS exams. "This is a tremendous achievement for Juniata students and Juniata education faculty," says Sarah DeHaas, associate professor of education. Education students from 96 universities and colleges took the test.
The Basic Skills tests gauge the students' competence in reading, writing, listening and mathematics. Of the 46 Juniata students who took the basic skills tests, 44 or 96 percent, passed both tests, equaling the statewide rate of 96 percent.
The Professional Knowledge tests assess students' knowledge of teaching theory and application, with 100 percent of Juniata's students passing the test -- 8 percent higher than the statewide pass rate of 92 percent.
Pennsylvania also requires tests of students' knowledge of the content of their Academic Content Areas, such as biology, English, elementary education, special education and mathematics. The passing rate for Juniata students is 98 percent, 9 percent higher than the statewide average.
"The pass rates of Juniata's graduates in the education program are a testament to the quality of our students," Byron says. "We also are proud of our ability to prepare students to enter the ranks of Pennsylvania teachers at a high knowledge and skill level."
Contact John Wall at firstname.lastname@example.org or (814) 641-3132 for more information.