Purpose:

Requests from the board of teaching, legislators, and the broader community for information about the nature and quality of teacher preparation in Minnesota, provided the major impetus for MACTE to establish the Measures of Teacher Quality in Minnesota (MTQM) data tool. It became increasingly clear to MACTE that lack of information about the many layers of quality indicators uses to assure a high quality teaching force in Minnesota led to incomplete understandings, and sometimes misunderstandings, about what colleges do and how well they do it. Additionally, the growing trend toward using standardized test scores as the sole measure of teacher quality, convinced the colleges in the association it was time to make information about multiple quality measures available to those who wish to better understand current teacher preparation and teacher development programs.

Data Sources:

Each year, MACTE institutions are asked to provide data from the following areas:

• Undergraduate / Graduate Completers in Each Licensure Areas
• Student Field Experiences
• Undergraduate Admission Requirements
• Graduate Admission Requirements
• Undergraduate Assessment of Progress Toward Completion
• Graduate Assessment of Progress Toward Completion
• Undergraduate Completion Assessments
• Graduate Completion Assessments
• Partnerships with P-12 Community
• Diversity of Students
• University Faculty Experiences
• Practitioner Involvement
• Technology
• Diversity

MTQM Partners

MACTE thanks the original partners who supported the development of MTQM:

• Minnesota Board of Teaching (MnBoT)
• Bethany Lutheran College
• College of St. Catherine
• Crown College
• Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU)
• University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
• Dr. William Frame, Augsburg College

The Minnesota State Legislature

In 2003, the Minnesota State Legislature passed the following language:

"The Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is requested to collect data from each of its member institutions that measure the involvement of teacher education programs and their faculty with Minnesota K-12 schools. The data shall include at least: current Minnesota licensure status of faculty, K-12 teaching experience of college faculty under that licensure within the last five years, descriptions of college and faculty collaborations with K-12 teachers and students, and information on other projects involving higher education in K-12 schools. The data shall be presented to the education policy and finance committees of the legislature by February 15, 2004."

About MACTE

The Minnesota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (MACTE) is a voluntary organization of colleges and universities, public and private, in Minnesota which have Minnesota Board of Teaching approved teacher education programs. MACTE provides a forum for these institutions to discuss and promote quality standards for teacher education. These institutions collectively place some 1700 teachers in Minnesota schools, about 70% of the new teachers employed in Minnesota.