SILVER CITY, NM — The Western New Mexico University undergraduate and graduate elementary teacher preparation programs have earned top honors for rigorous preparation in the Science of Reading. The National Council on Teacher Quality, a nonpartisan research and policy organization, released its 2026 Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation report today, highlighting the top-performing institutions nationwide.
WNMU emerged as a national leader in educator development, with two distinct tracks earning the coveted "A+" grade in Reading. Those tracks are the university's Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and the Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education with Certification. The evaluations place WNMU among an elite group of higher education institutions nationwide recognized for incorporating evidence-based reading methodologies comprehensively into their curricula.
NCTQ's Teacher Prep Review: Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation evaluates how more than 700 national teacher prep programs train future elementary teachers in reading instruction.
Key findings reveal that programs earning an "A" grade increased from 26% in 2023 to 53% in 2026. However, 47% still fail to prepare teachers in all five core components of the science of reading (comprehension, fluency, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary), and 20% still teach debunked, ineffective, or harmful methods. Furthermore, most programs offer insufficient preparation for supporting struggling readers (such as students with dyslexia), English learners, and other vulnerable groups. Implementing effective reading instruction could enable over 1 million additional students to read proficiently by fourth grade each year.
The National Council on Teacher Quality evaluates programs based on their coverage of the five core components of effective reading instruction established by decades of cognitive science research. To achieve an A+ distinction. While the program covers all five core components of scientifically based reading instruction with minimal contrary practices, work remains. Programs should review course-level findings to identify gaps and strengthen preparation. Notably, even most A-rated programs still fail to fully prepare candidates to meet the needs of diverse learners, including English learners, struggling readers, and speakers of English language varieties other than General American English.
"Our Reading Program has worked hard to align coursework with new mandates and requirements under Science of Reading and Structured Literacy. We were recognized by NMPED last fall as having exemplary programs," Associate Professor of Reading and Literacy Catherine Gregorius, Ph.D., said. "We are committed to preparing teachers who know how to teach reading well and support reading development for all New Mexico students K-12. Our reading coursework currently exceeds the scope of what the NCTQ requires hoping to instill a joy for reading and lifelong literacy. We know that we can improve reading achievement and literacy development with knowledgeable, caring teachers, and attention to language development that is the foundation for literacy."
The National Council on Teacher Quality review process involves a detailed analysis of course syllabi, lecture schedules, textbooks, mandatory reading lists, assignments, and examination frameworks. Among hundreds of postsecondary teacher preparation programs reviewed across the United States, only a select few earned top-tier marks, underscoring the Western New Mexico University Double A+ designation.
Prospective students, public school administrators, and community stakeholders can access detailed performance data, criterion breakdowns, and individual institutional scorecards via the official National Council on Teacher Quality portal, available on live program score pages.
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