West Virginia University's undergraduate elementary education program has received an A+ from the National Council on Teacher Quality for its preparation of future teachers in evidence-based reading instruction — the highest grade available in NCTQ's 2026 Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation, released June 9.
The report places WVU among a select group of programs recognized nationwide for meeting the standards set by literacy experts for coverage of the most effective methods of reading instruction. Specifically, this means the program is preparing aspiring teachers in all five components of scientifically based reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary, and avoids many instructional practices that research has shown to be ineffective or counterproductive for teaching children to read.
"This recognition is a reflection of the intentional work done by faculty over the past several years, with feedback from our teacher candidates and school partners, to build our Elementary Education program around impactful practices in literacy instruction,” said Matthew Campbell, Director of the School of Education and Counseling. “Early literacy is a critical area where what teachers know and how they are prepared to support student learning has a direct and measurable impact. It is rewarding to see our focus and effort on this important issue recognized and celebrated.”
An emphasis on literacy education was included in a broader set of revisions to WVU’s Elementary Education program in recent years. The program, which has doubled in enrollment over the last four years, has added specialized courses across literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts. Additionally, students complete over 900 hours in multiple school placements to develop the professional skills to manage classrooms that is capped by a year-long residency in a school.
Reading proficiency in the early grades is a persistent challenge in West Virginia. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, nearly half of the state's fourth graders cannot read at a basic level. Teacher preparation is widely viewed as one of the most direct levers available to address that gap, but only when programs align with research-backed methods.
NCTQ’s methodology is informed by a panel of reading experts, teacher preparation faculty, reading advocates, and measurement experts. To evaluate the quality of preparation being provided, a team of experts at NCTQ analyzed syllabi, including lecture schedules and topics, background reading materials, class assessments, assignments, and opportunities to practice instruction in required literacy courses for elementary teacher candidates at West Virginia University.
To earn an “A,” programs needed to demonstrate that coursework for future elementary teachers includes all five core components of scientifically based reading instruction and avoid teaching more than three instructional methods that are unsupported by the research on effective reading instruction. To earn an A+, programs needed to exceed those targets and not teach any instructional practices that are unsupported by research.
“Every child deserves a teacher who has been well prepared to teach reading, and every teacher deserves the opportunity to enter the classroom ready to help students succeed,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “Across the country, many teacher preparation programs still do not fully align with the science of reading, but West Virginia University is demonstrating what strong preparation can look like.”
See NCTQ’s report, Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation for more information about West Virginia University’s coverage of the science of reading and to see how West Virginia University compares to other programs in West Virginia or across the country.