What Makes a Successful Teacher Candidate? Predictors in a Teacher Prep Program

What makes a successful teacher? The state of Michigan defines passing the Michigan Test of Teacher Certification (MTTC) as the gateway to certification for teaching in our public, charter and private schools. To determine what factors affect teacher candidate success, we studied over 100 individuals who either successfully or unsuccessfully completed Hope College’s teacher education program to see if there are any possible predictor variables for success. These valuables included gender, major, overall GPA, Education GPA, and ACT scores. We looked at what effect these factors played in teacher candidates overall success, as well as the factors associated with certified secondary and elementary majors. Descriptive statistics along with Chi Square tests were completed. Our research will discuss the results and conclusions of this project