Georgia Southwestern State University’s (GSW) College of Education is effectively preparing new teachers for the classroom according to the 2019 Teacher Preparation Program Effectiveness Measures (PPEMs) published by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).

The PPEMs assess how well education programs across the state are preparing teachers for the classroom. The primary purposes of the PPEMs are to provide programs data to inform improvement, to provide accountability for the quality of teachers produced by each program, and for public transparency regarding quality of teachers produced by education programs.

“I am proud of the work of the faculty and staff in the College of Education,” said Dean Rachel Abbott, Ph.D. “We focus on continuous improvement and will use this data to make informed programmatic decisions to ensure we continue to produce quality teachers in the state of Georgia.”

GSW was rated a Level 3 out of the 4 possible PPEM levels. According to the GaPSC, Level 3 is the expected level of performance for program providers and includes those that are effectively preparing educators for the classroom.

“The elementary education program at GSW taught me how to manage diverse student needs in the academic setting,” said a recent GSW education graduate. “The courses I took through my program helped to equip me with the knowledge and skills to be able to meet student needs and academic rigor effectively.”

Measures such as certification assessments required by the state, classroom observations by supervisors, and surveys of new teachers and their employers determine the overall provider rating.

“We know that students who were prepared by the faculty and staff at GSW have been given a solid foundation on which to build skills and experiences, and the support they continue to receive from GSW professors and mentors is top-notch,” said Kevin Dowling, assistant superintendent for the Lee County School System. “We are proud of the large amount of students we have hired from GSW, and we expect that number to grow in the upcoming years.”