These programs may differ in the characteristics of students they enroll, the length of time, or where courses are offered but they do not differ in terms of standards or institutional governance of the program. It is important that the Title II mandate not be used as cover for states to force institutions to supply additional, unrelated data. Education leaders should carefully review the Title II requirements and the Reference and Reporting Guide prior to negotiating administrative procedures with state agencies. States must report to the Federal government the extent to which K-12 curricular standards and the content requirements for new teachers are aligned. This may create pressure on institutions to revise the subject-matter curriculum it offers future teachers.
Some states already require an annual teacher education report card.
U.S. Department of Education officials note they have no authority to accept a state report card if it differs from Federal requirements. Thus, institutions may need to fulfill one set of reporting requirements to satisfy state law and another to comply with Federal statute. Most teacher education students spend a considerable amount of time in K-12 schools during their preparation period. The law is unclear if only the summative experience in a K-12 classroom is to be included in computing the faculty to student ratio or if the law means every time a future teacher is in a clinical setting. It is important that the appropriate campus individuals be convened very soon to consider both policy implications and technical reporting issues.