A teacher program is a state-approved course of study, the completion of which signifies that an enrollee has met all the state’s educational and/or training requirements for initial certification or licensure to teach in the state’s elementary, middle or secondary schools. A teacher preparation program may be either a traditional program or an alternative route to certification, as defined by the state. Also, it may be within or outside an institution of higher education. For the purposes of Title II reporting, all traditional teacher preparation programs at a single institution of higher education are considered to be a single program. Likewise, all alternative routes to initial teacher certification are considered to be a single program. The law requires institutions of higher education to submit timely and accurate reports or risk a fine of up to $27,500.

Teacher preparation programs, both traditional and alternative, report to New York State Education Department, who then report to the U.S. Department of Education. Since 2001, the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education has collected data from states on teacher preparation programs and their students, as well as states’ assessment and licensing of teacher candidates.

Section 205(a) of Title II requires each Institution of Higher Education report annually on: