HPU’s Future Educators Score 100% Pass Rate on Teacher Performance Assessment

HIGH POINT, N.C., June 1, 2023 – High Point University’s Stout School of Education is celebrating top scores on national exams. The Class of 2023 from the Bachelor of Arts teacher licensure programs and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) programs received a 100% pass rate on the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). Their success surpasses the national pass rate at 72%.

“The 100% pass rate signifies that our faculty are among the most effective in the country in preparing future teachers to be highly effective in the classroom,” said Dr. Amy A. Holcombe, dean of the Stout School of Education.

To become licensed in North Carolina, all teachers must pass the edTPA, which was developed by Stanford University and is the gold standard for measuring the performance of teacher candidates. This rigorous, performance-based portfolio assessment calls on candidates to showcase their planning, instruction and assessment of K-12 student learning during their final teaching practicum.

HPU’s Stout School of Education has long been recognized for its excellence. The teacher education programs meet the requirements for both the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) and the North Carolina State Board of Education. Students successfully completed the edTPA in licensure areas including elementary mathematics, elementary literacy, special education, secondary social studies and secondary mathematics.

The 100% pass rate will result in a boost for surrounding school districts. Stout School of Education students are offered many opportunities beginning in their freshman year to practice their skills in local schools, and many graduates become teachers in local schools.

“Many of our graduates accept jobs in the Piedmont Triad region and will begin their first year of teaching already prepared to positively impact student outcomes,” said Holcombe. “We are proud to produce such well-prepared teachers and to serve our K-12 partners as a resource.”

Last year, HPU’s Stout School of Education received more than $20 million in federal grants, including nearly $10.4 million through the Supporting Educator Development (SEED) grant. HPU is using its SEED grant to fund an Executive Education Program for senior level leaders in 18 partner school districts, said Holcombe. That award was in addition to a nearly $10 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant, which set the record for the largest competitive grant ever awarded to HPU.