Program Evaluation: Billiken Teacher Corps

Conducted Summer 2025

By: Courtney Vahle, Ed.D. and Candi Johnson, MS/MAT

Executive Summary:

The Saint Louis University (SLU) Billiken Teacher Corps (BTC) offers two pathways for current and aspiring Catholic school educators to earn their Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and certification (if needed): Cura Community and MAT Magis.

• The impact has grown to two active cohorts (14 students) and nine classes of graduates (55 students), totalling 11 cohorts and 69 students. The following report provides a summary of the impact of the program.

• The program boasts an overall  graduation rate of 89% (55 students) from cohorts 1–9. Cohorts 10 and 11 are active (with 11 beginning Summer 2025) and have a current retention rate of 88% (14 students). This is far higher than the median completion rate of graduate education programs of 55% reported by Inside Higher Ed.

• Upon entry to the program, students choose a concentration area for their MAT degree. The most common certification area choice for BTC members is Elementary Education (20 students; 29%). The following three most common program options are Mathematics (11 students, 16%), Social Studies (10 students, 14%), and Science (10 students, 14%). 

• As of this writing, all candidates required to pass a content exam for certification have done so.

• At the end of their program, teacher candidates are evaluated using the Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES) rubric—teacher candidates must receive a total of 42 (out of 72 available) points to receive certification. All graduates of the program have passed this requirement. Candidate scores across cohorts range from 52.6–71, all well above the cut score. 

• Overall, 79% of graduates remain in the education field and 60% remain in Catholic education. Retention in the education field is especially high in the more recent cohorts, and remains at 100% for Cohorts 4, 5, 6, and 7. More than 97% of graduates from Cohorts 4–8 remain in the education field.