National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

1
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education
image files formats

• February 2006

2
Why Accreditation?

• Professional Community
• Commitment to Growing a Professional
  Consensus
• College of Education is a Professional School
  Commitment to Prepare Individuals for Licensure
  in Field

3
Measures of Success

• 615 accredited institutions
• Approximately 100 candidates/precandidates
• 50 State Partners
• 33 national professional organizations
• 1,200 volunteers

4
Measures of Success

• A majority of states have adopted or adapted
  NCATEs unit standards as their state standards
  for teacher preparation

5
Measures of Success

• NCATEs 50 state partners have adopted NCATEs
  national professional content standards (math,
  science, etc.) or have aligned state content
  standards with those standards.
• Licensing Assessments in a majority of states
  are now being aligned with NCATEs professional
  standards.

6
Measures of Success

• Teachers prepared at NCATE institutions are
  well-prepared. These teachers
• -know the subject matter
• -demonstrate knowledge of effective teaching
  strategies
• -can teach students from different backgrounds
• -have been supervised by master teachers
• -can integrate technology into instruction

7
NCATE 101

• February 2006

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education
8
The Standard of Excellence
In Teacher Preparation
An accrediting body for schools, colleges, and
departments of education recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education and the Commission on
Higher Education Accreditation
9
IMPROVEMENT of teacher performance through
quality teacher preparation
ACCOUNTABILITY to children, their parents, and
the public at-large for quality teacher
preparation
10
NCATEs Constituent Members
State Local Policymakers
Teacher Education
Specialized Professional Associations
Teachers
11
NCATE GOVERNANCE
Executive Board provides overall leadership
Unit Accreditation Board (UAB) makes
accreditation decisions, writes standards,
oversees Board of Examiners
Specialty Area Studies Board (SASB) approves
program standards
State Partnership Board (SPB) approves state
partnerships
12
NCATE Standards

• Developed by professional community
• Public process

13
NCATE Standards

• Candidate Performance
• Candidate Knowledge, Skills, Dispositions
• Assessment System and Unit Evaluation
• Unit Capacity
• Field Experiences and Clinical Practice
• Diversity
• Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and
  Development
• Unit Governance and Resources

14
Components of Standard

• The Standard
• Rubrics
• Supporting Explanation

15
Candidate Knowledge,Skills, and Dispositions
Standard 1
16
The Standard

• Candidates preparing to work in schools as
  teachers or other professional school personnel
  know and demonstrate the content, pedagogical,
  and professional knowledge, skills, and
  dispositions necessary to help all students
  learn.
• Assessments indicate that candidates meet
  professional, state, and institutional standards.

17
Content Knowledge for Teacher Candidates
(Initial and Continuing Preparation of Teachers)
Unacceptable Acceptable Target
Teacher candidates have inadequate knowledge of subject matter that they plan to teach as shown by their inability to give examples of important principles or concepts delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Fewer than 80 percent of the units program completers pass the academic content examinations in states that require such examinations for licensure. Teacher candidates know the subject matter that they plan to teach as shown by their ability to explain important principles and concepts delineated in professional, state, and institutional standards. Eighty percent or more of the units program completers pass the academic content examinations in states that require such examinations for licensure. Teacher candidates have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as described in professional, state, and institutional standards. They demonstrate their knowledge through inquiry, critical analysis, and synthesis of the subject. All program completers pass the academic content area examinations in states that require such examinations for licensure.
18
Supporting Explanation

• The public expects that teachers of their
  children have sufficient knowledge of content to
  help all students meet standards for P12
  education.
• The guiding principle of the teaching profession
  is that student learning is the goal of teaching.
  NCATEs Standard 1 reinforces the importance of
  this goal by requiring that teacher candidates
  know their content or subject matter, can teach
  effectively, and can help all students learn.
• All professional school personnel are expected
  to carry out their work in ways that are
  supportive of student learning.

19
Program Reviews as Evidence of Meeting Standard 1
National Reviews by SPAs (Specialized Professional
Associations)
State Reviews by the State Agency Responsible for
Program Approval
20
New NCATE Program Review Process
21
5 Sections

• 6-page Context Statement
• Course of Study
• Number of completers
• Brief information about faculty
• List of assessments, scoring guides, and data
  tables being submitted
• Table aligning assessments to SPA standards

22

• Discussion of assessments and data
• Content knowledge
• Pedagogical and professional knowledge, skills
  and dispositions
• Effects on student learning
• 3 pages delineating how faculty have used data to
  improve the program

23
Data available from national ( sometimes state)
program reviews

• State licensure exam for program area (if
  availableotherwise another content based
  assessment)
• Content Assessment
• Assessment of Planning (e.g., unit plan)
• Student teaching/internship assessment
• Assessment of candidate impact on student
  learning or providing a supporting learning
  environment
• Other assessment to show SPA standards are met

24
Alignment of Program Review with Standard 1

• Content
• Professional Pedagogical Knowledge, Skills,
  Dispositions
• P-12 Student Learning

• Rubric elements 1-2
• Rubric elements 3-5
• Rubric elements 6-7

25
The NCATE Process
26

• 2-3 years
• before visit
• 3 semesters
• before visit
• 1-2 semesters
• before visit

• Intent to Seek
• Accreditation
• Preconditions
• Program
• Reports Due

27

• Institutional
• Report Due
• Previsit with
• Team Chair
• The On-site Visit

• 60 days before visit
• 30-60 days before visit
• Visit Date

28
Board of Examiners Teams
Teacher Education
Specialty Policy
Teachers
29
Team Report

• NCATE format for the team report
• State addendum (optional)

30

• BOE Report
• Finished
• UAB Meeting
• Notification of
• Accreditation

• Within 52 days after visit
• March/April October
• Within 2 weeks after UAB

31
Organizing to Determine Accreditation
Audit Committees 4-5 Members with 6-9 cases
Joint Audit Committees 2 Audit Committees
Consent Agenda
Full UAB 32 Members
Recommendations for Denial, Probation, or
Revocation
32
Accreditation Decisions by NCATE

• Accreditation
• Accreditation with provisions or conditions
• Accreditation with probation
• Deny or revoke accreditation

33
First Accreditation Visit
Accreditation
Provisional
Denial
Within 6 months
Within 2 years
Written Documentation
Focused Visit
Within 12-18 months
Accreditation
Accreditation
Revocation
34
State Partnerships
35
State Partnerships

• Type of Visit
• Joint State NCATE Visit
• Concurrent State NCATE Visit
• NCATE Only Visit

• Standards
• State Unit Program Stds
• NCATE Unit Program Stds
• Combination
• State Program Stds
• NCATE Unit Stds

36
BOE Team Composition for Joint Visits

• Voting Members
• 3-8 NCATE Board of Examiners members
• 2-7 or fewer state representatives
• Non-voting Members
• State consultant from the State Agency
• Observers from state affiliates of AFT NEA

37

• How does your state use the NCATE program review
  and accreditation decisions in determining state
  approval?

38
And Remember Why We Are Doing All of this Work