CERTIFICATION REPORT YSU education students make the grade on tests

The data must be released under a federal law aimed at making the nation's education schools more accountable.
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Students in Youngstown State University's college of education score above the state average on teacher certification tests, according to a federally mandated report released today.
During the 1999-2000 academic year, 303 of 330 YSU students, or 92 percent, passed the tests, compared to 91 percent statewide.
Students graduating with college degrees in education must pass the exams to be certified and eligible to teach in Ohio primary and secondary schools.
"We're very pleased," said Dr. Philip Ginnetti, assistant dean of YSU's Beeghly College of Education. "I think we're looking pretty good."
Report card: The test scores are part of a report card that YSU and hundreds of other colleges and universities nationwide with teacher-preparation programs were to release today under the Higher Education Act of 1998, known as Title II.
The act, aimed at making the nation's education schools more accountable, requires any institution that prepares teachers and receives federal funding to report the percentage of students who pass their initial certification or licensure exams.
In Ohio, 50 colleges and universities have teacher-preparation programs and will report test results to the Ohio Department of Education.
In addition to test results, the reports are to include a broad range of data including curriculum and field experience requirements and student/faculty ratios.
Performance: Based on the reports, the state education department will rank colleges and universities in four categories: high performing, performing, at-risk or low performing.
Low performing schools could lose federal funding, such as financial aid to students.
Ginnetti said he thinks YSU's overall scores should put the university among the top-performing schools in the state.
The state will analyze the data and issue a report to the U.S. Department of Education in October. The national data will be compiled and sent to Congress by April 2002.
In addition to the required federal report data, the state education department is gathering additional information for a state report on the quality of teacher preparation in Ohio.
Dr. Susan Tave Zelman, superintendent of public instruction, said the Ohio report will be issued to the public in September.
YSU's report breaks test scores into five categories -- basic skills, professional knowledge, academic content areas, other content areas and special populations.
YSU's passage rate surpassed the state average in three of the five categories. The university met the state average in one area and was below the state rate in one area.
Ginnetti said he thinks YSU is well-positioned to do an even better job preparing graduates to excel on the certification tests.
YSU recently received a $2.5 million federal grant that is helping the education school examine its curriculum and is allowing faculty to get into classrooms at area schools.
"So we're learning a lot of what's going on in the field that we're bringing back into our program, and making improvements and changing the types of things that we're doing," he said.
Ginnetti was to join YSU President David Sweet and other YSU officials at a news conference this afternoon to talk about YSU's results.
Ohio's 50 teacher preparation programs produce about 7,000 new teachers annually.