Union Educator Preparation Program celebrates high test scores

JACKSON, Tenn. — “I think we need to recognize you don’t always have to go a long distance from home to find a high quality education,” said Mandy Cates, Union University’s Director of Accreditation and Assessment.

Union University’s educator preparation program is proving that.

Over the past three years, they have scored four out of four on the educator preparation report card.

“This year, the individual metrics all scored at a level 4, so we saw quite a significant improvement this year. And that just means our graduates are making a difference for students across the state,” Cates said.

The Tennessee Board of Education scores the reports each year, and it looks at how the graduates are performing once they leave Union.

That report shows, of the students who graduated from Union’s Educator Preparation Program, a high percentage were able to get and keep jobs in following years.

In fact, in the employment category, Union received 100 percent of the points.

However, this report card only focuses on those teaching in public schools in Tennessee.

“It doesn’t represent our graduates who are teaching in a private school setting, outside of Tennessee or even internationally,” Cates said.

Cates says they see teaching as so much more than just a profession.

“We truly believe in being mission minded educators, and we see the teaching profession as a mission field, as a calling,” Cates said.

Now the Educator Preparation Program is getting ready for another big test, to get their national accreditation from CAEP, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.