WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Jan. 27, 2020 — Today the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released scores for its 2020 Teacher Prep Review and West Liberty University’s College of Education and Human Performance came out on top.

The score specifically looks at the preparation programs provided to elementary teacher candidates in how to teach young children to read.

“We are pleased to be recognized as one of the best teacher preparation programs in the nation by the National Council on Teacher Quality. It only adds to the confidence that our students can enjoy as they prepare for their careers in education,” said Dr. Catherine Monteroso, Dean of the College of Education and Human Performance.

“We are happy to recognize the strong preparation in reading instruction that your undergraduate program provides to your elementary teacher candidates,” said Kate Walsh, president of the NCTQ.

WLU’s program was part of a small group — only about a quarter of programs nationwide — to qualify for an ‘A’ by providing a combination of the following:

• Explicit instruction on each of the five components of reading instruction;
• Support for instruction with high-quality textbooks that accurately detail established principles of scientifically-based reading practices;
• Evidence that teacher candidates must demonstrate mastery through in-class assignments, tests, and fieldwork.

According to NCTQ information, “The latest findings are a positive sign for newly energized movement across the nation to bring down notoriously high rates of illiteracy in the United States. Each year, well over a million public school students arriving in the fourth grade are added to the nation’s ranks of nonreaders. Two-thirds are black and Hispanic children struggling in the face of an inequitable education system. Reading ability is a key predictor of future educational gains and life success, making successful reading instruction essential to achieving educational equity.”

WLU’s College of Education and Human Performance has educated countless teachers now working throughout the state and beyond. It is known for its degree programs in Teacher Education, Community Education, Exercise Physiology, Athletic Training, Health and Physical Education and more.

For more information, please call 1.866.937.8542 (WESTLIB) or visit westliberty.edu.