State Commission Commends Pacific's Teacher Preparation Programs

Pacific University’s teacher preparation programs recently received three commendations from Oregon’s Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.

Pacific’s College of Education offers undergraduate and graduate pathways to teaching licenses at campuses in Forest Grove, Eugene and Woodburn, as well as through hybrid in-person and online programs serving future teachers in their home communities around the state.

The commission singled out Pacific for three key aspects of its teacher preparation programs:

• The university’s emphasis on “real-world focused and practice-based learning experiences” for education students in Forest Grove and Eugene.
• The work of Pacific’s education faculty data team in developing teaching instruments collaboratively.
• “Setting a high bar” for candidates in master of arts in teaching programs by requiring double the minimum student-teaching time mandated by the state.

Pacific's key education programs include a traditional undergraduate experience on the Forest Grove Campus and undergraduate degree-completion programs with an emphasis on English language learning in Eugene and Woodburn, as well as master of arts in teaching programs for general education and special education in Forest Grove and Eugene. A master of arts in teaching science, mathematics, engineering and technology — coupled with an emphasis in teaching English language learners — also is embedded in the Woodburn School District.

Pacific’s programs emphasize a hands-on approach to teacher preparation, getting future teachers into classrooms early in the studies to work directly with master teachers. Pacific also focuses on preparing diverse future teachers to work with students in their home communities, emphasized through hybrid programs in partnerships with school districts across the state and the Woodburn MAT-STEM program.

In addition to the commendation from the state commission, Pacific also has been recognized with a $1.4 million National Science Foundation grant to support developing STEM teachers, especially women and teachers of color, in high-needs schools across the state.