Youngstown State University's Beeghly College of Education received a grade of "A" by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

The grade was given to the early reading instruction in the Early Childhood Intervention Specialist program.

This placed the program among the top quarter of schools across the country.

Charles Howell, Dean of the Beeghley College, said earning an "A" is yet another indication of the quality of the Beeghly College's teacher preparation programs.

"We are committed to ensuring that students who go through our program here in the Beeghly College have appropriate expertise in reading instruction before they are entrusted as teachers with a classroom of children," Howell said.

"The national recognition is nice and appreciated, but ultimately the real winners here are the children, who are getting research-based reading instruction at an early age that sets them up for success for the rest of their lives."

NCTQ evaluated reading courses, textbooks, and other materials at more than 1,000 elementary teacher preparation programs nationwide and determined grades based on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Nationally, 26 percent of the programs earned a grade of "A."