Back to All Program Scores

Elementary Teacher Preparation

Southwestern College

Winfield, Kansas

Undergraduate
Traditional
Enrollment

Program Diversity

A diverse teacher workforce benefits all students, particularly students of color. While there has been real progress over the last twenty years in diversifying the teacher workforce,1 these gains have not kept pace with a rapidly diversifying student population. To accelerate progress, strategic recruitment efforts by teacher preparation programs are essential.

  • Teacher prep enrollment: 21 percent candidates of color2
  • Kansas teacher workforce: 10 percent teachers of color3
  • Local demographics: 20 percent persons of color4
Programs earning an A+ contribute significantly to the diversification of the teacher workforce. Programs earn this grade when the percentage of enrolled candidates of color exceeds the diversity of the state teacher workforce by 10 or more percentage points and also meets or exceeds the diversity of the local population.5

Southwestern College is found to be 11.5 percentage points more diverse than the Kansas teacher workforce and 1.4 percentage points more diverse than the local population.
1 Ingersoll, Richard M.; Merrill, Elizabeth; Stuckey, Daniel; and Collins, Gregory. (2018). Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force – Updated October 2018. CPRE Research Reports.
2 Three-year average sourced from Title II National Teacher Preparation Data
3 National Teacher and Principal Survey data (state supplied data substituted for missing values)
4 U.S. Census core-based statistical area (CBSA) data
5 This program is located either in a state with a workforce that is over 90% white or draws from a community that is over 90% white. Programs in areas with an unusually large white population may not appear to be making as significant of a contribution as programs located in more diverse settings, but they have been able to make progress facing this challenge. (Read the full Methodology.)

A+

Knowledge

Reading Foundations

All elementary teacher candidates should learn scientifically based reading instruction, the research-based content and methods to effectively teach all children to read. This content should be clearly evident in a teacher preparation program’s course materials, including class session topics, assignments, practice opportunities, and background materials. The five core components of scientifically based reading instruction evaluated under this standard are: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

An attempt to review EDUC 280, EDUC 336, EDUC 344, EDUC 349, and EDUC 450 could not be completed because the necessary documentation was not provided. As a result, the quality of reading instruction at Southwestern College remains unclear and the program earns a "cannot be determined" designation.

For additional information on how cooperative programs are scored, please review the technical report.

CBD

Elementary Mathematics

In order for elementary schools to deliver equitable and effective instruction in mathematics to all students, they need their teachers to have acquired the mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge specified in commonly accepted mathematics education standards. To evaluate that coverage, the Elementary Mathematics standard examines the instructional time allocated to each of the five essential topics in coursework required by teacher preparation programs.

To assess performance under this standard, the distribution of instructional time is estimated using syllabi and course descriptions. Only courses that provide content and pedagogical knowledge related to elementary mathematics are considered.

A review of EDUC 318 and EDUC 338 found the following coverage:

Numbers & Operations: 27 instructional hours*
Recommended target: 45 hours

Algebraic Thinking: 0 instructional hours*
Recommended target: 20 hours

Geometry & Measurement: 0 instructional hours
Recommended target: 25 hours

Data Analysis & Probability: 0 instructional hours
Recommended target: 15 hours

Mathematics Pedagogy: 63 instructional hours
Recommended target: 45 hours

*Please note that for grading purposes, the hours for Numbers & Operations and Algebraic Thinking are summed and measured against a combined target of 65 hours. Under this measure, 27 instructional hours were found.

Programs earning an F do not provide enough of the content and pedagogical knowledge elementary teachers require for effective mathematics instruction. Programs earn this grade by allocating fewer than 90 hours (out of the 150 target hours) to the five essential topic areas combined, less than 60% of the total target recommendation.

Analysis of the required coursework for elementary teacher candidates at Southwestern College found the program to address 48.0% of the total target recommendation.

F

Building Content Knowledge

To be successful, elementary teachers need content knowledge in science and social studies, both to build their students' understanding of the world and their critical thinking skills, and also to support students in becoming strong readers. Becoming a strong reader requires cumulative exposure to content knowledge, cutting across multiple domains and disciplines. The courses aspiring teachers take gives them strong background knowledge in these subjects, and in turn, they give this knowledge to students.

There is no letter grade associated with the 2023 Building Content Knowledge standard. Please view this program's detailed analysis and recommendations using the Content Coverage Tool.

See analysis

Practice

Clinical Practice

Analysis under the Clinical Practice standard was last completed in 2020. The methodology and summary results for that review can be found here. Individual program grades also remain available.

The next iteration of the standard is currently being designed following the Clinical Practice Framework that was developed using the most up-to-date research and the input of experts.

Analysis coming 2026

Classroom Management

Analysis under the Classroom Management standard was last completed in 2020. The methodology and summary results for that review can be found here. Individual program grades also remain available.

The next iteration of the standard will be designed following the release of the Classroom Management Framework that is being developed using the most up-to-date research and the input of experts.

Analysis coming 2027

Rating Notes

Programs which meet the requirements for an A and also meet additional, related criteria earn an A+.

Scores of "CBD" could not be determined because NCTQ was unable to obtain sufficient data or the information that we obtained was inconclusive.

Symbol

Get More Updates On Our Research