A Distinction with a Difference

The National Council on Teacher Quality rating system is designed almost exclusively to evaluate undergraduate, four-year, teacher education programs; it is inaccurate in measuring master's degree programs, like UCSB's.

By Indy Staff November 28, 2023

2 min read

I’m writing in response to the article written by Callie Fausey and published on November 15, 2023, titled “ Not as Easy as ABC: Santa Barbara Schools Tackle Literacy .”

I would like to comment on the reference to the National Council on Teacher Quality rating of UCSB’s early literacy instruction and the subsequent quote by Ruth Green about teacher education programs’ preparation of candidates to teach reading.

There is a long history between teacher education programs and the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). The UC Education deans and directors wrote a letter , dated June 1, 2023, to UC chancellors and executive vice chancellors to provide context to the then recent NCTQ ratings of reading instruction in teacher education programs (TEPs).