(a) Development of definitions and reporting methods Within 9 months of October 7, 1998, the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, in consultation with States and institutions of higher education, shall develop key definitions for terms, and uniform reporting methods (including the key definitions for the consistent reporting of pass rates), related to the performance of elementary
school and secondary
school teacher preparation programs.
(b) State report card on quality of teacher preparation Each State that receives funds under this chapter shall provide to the Secretary, within 2 years of October 7, 1998, and annually thereafter, in a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with the definitions and methods established in subsection (a) of this section, a State report card on the quality of teacher preparation in the State, which shall include at least the following:
(1) A description of the teacher certification and licensure assessments, and any other certification and licensure requirements, used by the State.
(2) The standards and criteria that prospective teachers must meet in order to attain initial teacher certification or licensure and to be certified or licensed to teach particular subjects or in particular grades within the State.
(3) A description of the extent to which the assessments and requirements described in paragraph (1) are aligned with the States standards and assessments for students.
(4) The percentage of teaching candidates who passed each of the assessments used by the State for teacher certification and licensure, and the passing score on each assessment that determines whether a candidate has passed that assessment.
(5) The percentage of teaching candidates who passed each of the assessments used by the State for teacher certification and licensure, disaggregated and ranked, by the teacher preparation program in that State from which the teacher candidate received the candidates most recent degree, which shall be made available widely and publicly.
(6) Information on the extent to which teachers in the State are given waivers of State certification or licensure requirements, including the proportion of such teachers distributed across high- and low-poverty
school districts and across subject areas.
(7) A description of each States alternative routes to teacher certification, if any, and the percentage of teachers certified through alternative certification routes who pass State teacher certification or licensure assessments.
(8) For each State, a description of proposed criteria for assessing the performance of teacher preparation programs within institutions of higher education in the State, including indicators of teacher candidate knowledge and skills.
(9) Information on the extent to which teachers or prospective teachers in each State are required to take examinations or other assessments of their subject matter knowledge in the area or areas in which the teachers provide instruction, the standards established for passing any such assessments, and the extent to which teachers or prospective teachers are required to receive a passing score on such assessments in order to teach in specific subject areas or grade levels.
(c) Initial report
(1) In general
Each State that receives funds under this chapter, not later than 6 months of October 7, 1998, and in a uniform and comprehensible manner, shall submit to the Secretary the information described in paragraphs (1), (5), and (6) of subsection (b) of this section. Such information shall be compiled by the Secretary and submitted to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives not later than 9 months after October 7, 1998.
(2) Construction
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to require a State to gather information that is not in the possession of the State or the teacher preparation programs in the State, or readily available to the State or teacher preparation programs.
(d) Report of Secretary on quality of teacher preparation
(1) Report card
The Secretary shall provide to Congress, and publish and make widely available, a report card on teacher qualifications and preparation in the United States, including all the information reported in paragraphs (1) through (9) of subsection (b) of this section. Such report shall identify States for which eligible States and eligible partnerships received a grant under this part. Such report shall be so provided, published and made available not later than 2 years 6 months after October 7, 1998, and annually thereafter.
(2) Report to Congress The Secretary shall report to Congress
(A) a comparison of States efforts to improve teaching quality; and
(B) regarding the national mean and median scores on any standardized test that is used in more than 1 State for teacher certification or licensure.
(3) Special rule
In the case of teacher preparation programs with fewer than 10 graduates taking any single initial teacher certification or licensure assessment during an academic year, the Secretary shall collect and publish information with respect to an average pass rate on State certification or licensure assessments taken over a 3-year period.
(f) Institutional report cards on quality of teacher preparation
(1) Report card Each institution of higher education that conducts a teacher preparation program that enrolls students receiving Federal assistance under this chapter, not later than 18 months after October 7, 1998, and annually thereafter, shall report to the State and the general public, in a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with the definitions and methods established under subsection (a) of this section, the following information:
(A) Pass rate
(i) For the most recent year for which the information is available, the pass rate of the institutions graduates on the teacher certification or licensure assessments of the State in which the institution is located, but only for those students who took those assessments within 3 years of completing the program.
(ii) A comparison of the programs pass rate with the average pass rate for programs in the State.
(iii) In the case of teacher preparation programs with fewer than 10 graduates taking any single initial teacher certification or licensure assessment during an academic year, the institution shall collect and publish information with respect to an average pass rate on State certification or licensure assessments taken over a 3-year period.
(B) Program information The number of students in the program, the average number of hours of supervised practice teaching required for those in the program, and the faculty-
student ratio in supervised practice teaching.
(C) Statement
In States that approve or accredit teacher education programs, a statement of whether the institutions program is so approved or accredited.
(D) Designation as low-performing Whether the program has been designated as low-performing by the State under section
1028 (a) of this title.
(2) Requirement The information described in paragraph (1) shall be reported through publications such as
school catalogs and promotional materials sent to potential applicants, secondary
school guidance counselors, and prospective employers of the institutions program graduates.
(3) Fines In addition to the actions authorized in section
1094 (c) of this title, the Secretary may impose a fine not to exceed $25,000 on an institution of higher education for failure to provide the information described in this subsection in a timely or accurate manner.
