Courtesy of Freed-Hardeman University
Henderson, Tennessee (Feb. 19, 2021) — The Tennessee Department of Education has given Freed-Hardeman University’s teacher preparation program strong ratings for its instructional leadership programs as well as its undergraduate Educator Preparation Program (EPP). In addition to baccalaureate degrees in education, the university offers a Master of Education degree, an Education Specialist degree and a Doctor of Education degree in instructional leadership. The Ed.D. program was not evaluated in this report.
The M.Ed. and Ed.S. programs received marks of Exceeds Expectations for their completers’ employment and candidates’ assessment scores. Those who completed the program had a 94.2% pass rate within two attempts on the PRAXIS School Leaders Licensure Assessment. Prior to this year, educator preparation programs received an overall grade. That was impossible this year since teacher evaluation data was not available, due to COVID-19.
FHU’s undergraduate teacher preparation program also received high grades, although some areas were not scored because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two areas, assessment scores and employment rates, received Exceeds Expectations marks.
The candidate profile, which considers the program’s ability to recruit and retain a strong, diverse group of candidates and prepare them to teach in the content areas of greatest need, was graded as Meets Expectations. All of FHU’s candidates had qualifying assessment scores. Roughly 40% of the completers had high demand endorsements and 35% of completers were considered racially diverse.
Almost all completers (99.2%) passed the pedagogical assessment of the PRAXIS, Tennessee’s licensure exam, and 92.9% of them passed the content portion of the exam within two attempts. A majority of completers, 66.2%, were employed in the state’s public schools, and they had a second year retention rate of 93.6%. Two areas, provider impact and student growth, were unscored this year because of the pandemic.
Freed-Hardeman University’s educator preparation program has been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) since 1981 and was granted accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in May 2020. In addition to CAEP accreditation, the Tennessee State Board of Education has approved all of the EPP’s licensure programs at both the initial and advanced levels.
The EPP’s most recent endeavor is the establishment of the Bobbie Solley Center for Excellence in Teaching, which is committed to “Reaching Students, Empowering Teachers, and Transforming Learning.” The center will begin providing professional development for teachers, administrators, higher education faculty, and the like in Spring 2021.
The mission of Freed-Hardeman University is to help students develop their God-given talents for His glory by empowering them with an education that integrates Christian faith, scholarship and service. With locations in Henderson, Memphis and Dickson, FHU offers bachelor’s, master’s, specialist and doctoral degrees. More information is available at http://www.fhu.edu.