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Faculty and Students Receive
Quest for Quality Awards
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Lauren Couch Michelle Hamilton
Angelo State University teacher education graduates Lauren Couch and Michelle Hamilton have been named
“Exceptional Teacher Candidates” by the statewide Quest for Quality program.
A Weatherford native, Couch graduated in May with her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics with a Secondary Teacher
Certification. A Carrollton native, Hamilton graduated in May with her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies
with EC-6 Generalist and EC-12 Special Education Certifications. Couch and Hamilton were two of 36 teacher
candidates selected from 49 nominees submitted to the program from 19 Texas universities. The Exceptional Teacher
Candidate honor is based on narratives sent in by the nominees and their universities to a panel of six state and national
reviewers.
Nominees are judged on the demonstrated depth of their subject area content and knowledge of instructional strategies;
excellence in planning and instructional delivery in achievement of goals and objectives; use of strategies and resources,
including technology; setting goals, strategies and resources to meet diverse student needs; evidence of student learning
through assessment; and the ability to create and maintain a positive, equitable and engaging classroom environment.
Honorees will receive congratulatory letters and certificates, and will be featured on the Quest for Quality website. ASU
has had four teacher candidates honored since the Quest for Quality program’s inception in 2012.
The Quest for Quality initiative, based in The Woodlands, is designed to highlight exceptional quality in university-based
teacher preparation in Texas. The Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE)
and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board collaborate on the program that is funded through a grant from the
Sid W. Richardson Foundation to the College for All Texans Foundation.
More information is available by calling the ASU College of Education at 325-942-2212, or by going online to the
CREATE website at
Article Courtesy of ASU Communications and Marketing
