A report released today by the National Council on Teacher Quality gave college teacher-training programs a failing grade for their preparation of teachers to teach elementary- and middle-school mathematics.

The advocacy group examined the curricula, textbooks, and assessment methods used at 77 undergraduate education programs and found that most programs had low standards of math knowledge required for entry and graduation, few devoted adequate time in the curriculum to courses on math content or math methods, and they rarely gave aspiring teachers an opportunity to practice teaching math.

The group noted that while there was wide variation in the content of the basic-math course among the programs studied, almost all did a poor job of covering algebra, with one-third ignoring the subject completely. The researchers also found that in some states, it was possible for teachers to pass a licensure exam without answering a single math question correctly.

In its report, the group calls upon states to exercise stricter regulation of teacher-education programs and licensure standards, and offers to higher-education institutions a sample assessment quiz, entitled “Can Your Elementary-Teacher Graduates Pass This Test?” The report also highlights a handful of education programs that do a better job of tailoring their math curricula to the needs of elementary- and secondary-school teachers, and praises states, like Massachusetts, that have taken steps to increase the rigor of state licensing exams. —Paula Wasley