What is NCATE?

• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
• Coalition of more than national 30 organizations of education professionals           
• Recognized by U.S. Department of Education to accredit programs preparing teachers and other professional personnel for P-12 schools
• Organization that works toward coherent system of quality assurance for effective teachers through voluntary, peer-review process

Why Accreditation?

• Assurance that SHU’s education programs have met national standards
• In keeping with SHU’s vision to remain a state leader in teacher education
• SHU supports NCATE Standards and the belief that all children can learn

What are NCATE Standards?

     NCATE accredits a professional education Unit (i.e. The Education Department) based on:

• Conceptual Framework (CF) - establishes shared, coherent vision for preparing education professionals; aligned with professional, state, and institutional standards; evident in all standards
• Six Unit Standards:
  • Standard 1. Candidate Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions
  • Standard 2. Assessment System and Unit Evaluation
  • Standard 3. Field Experiences and Clinical Practice
  • Standard 4. Diversity
  • Standard 5. Faculty Qualifications, Performance and Development
  • Standard 6. Unit Governance and Resources

What are SHU’s Education Programs?

The Education Department within the Isabele Farrington School of Education has three programs that are seeking NCATE accreditation:

• Teacher Preparation and Initial Certification
• Intermediate Administration or Supervision (Educational Leadership)
• Remedial Reading/Remedial Language Arts (Literacy Specialist)

What is the Mission of the Education Department?

The primary mission of the Education Department is to develop the capacities, talents and abilities of our candidates through an integration of theory and practice in a performance-based program, upon completion of which our candidates possess the knowledge, skills and dispositions to facilitate the learning of all children.

What is Our Conceptual Framework?

As articulated in the NCATE Standards, “the conceptual framework establishes the shared vision for a unit’s efforts in preparing educators to work in P-12 schools.” Our Conceptual Framework includes our Philosophy of Education, the four Principles on which our Philosophy is grounded, and five Domains of Excellence in which our candidates are expected to demonstrate proficiency after completion of our programs.

Overarching Theme

The overarching theme of our Conceptual Framework is:

“Promoting a Culture of Excellence in a Changing World”

Guiding Principles

Four principles guide the planning and implementation of the Unit’s programs:

• Professional knowledge base
• Natural and acquired personal and professional skills
• Professional dispositions and commitments  
• Change in the educational environment, including diversity and technology

Domains of Excellence

The components of educator excellence identified by School of Education faculty in consultation with P-12 school teachers, administrators and literacy specialists. They are the central tenets of our Conceptual Framework. The Domains are aligned with State, NCATE and professional association standards, and are the areas in which the proficiencies and competencies of candidates in each of the Unit’s three programs are assessed

• The Domains are:
  • Domain I:   Context
  • Domain II:  Content
  • Domain III: Learner
  • Domain IV: Pedagogy
  • Domain V:  Educator

What is Our Assessment System?

Our System provides for assessment of competencies related to all five Domains for each of the Department’s three programs. The Assessment System details the procedures whereby data collected is utilized to make decisions about the Unit’s programs. Both initial and advanced programs have four transition points, called gateways, to assess candidate competencies, growth and development.

• These transition points are:
  • Gateway I:   Admission to program
  • Gateway II:  Prior to student teaching or clinical experience
  • Gateway III: Post student teaching or clinical/upon completion of program
  • Gateway IV: During employment

NCATE Unit Standards

I. Candidate Performance 

Standard 1: Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions
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 the candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards.

Standard 2: Assessment System and Unit Evaluation
The unit has an assessment system that collects and analyzes data on applicant qualifications, candidate and graduate performance, and unit operations to evaluate and improve the unit and its programs.

II. Unit Capacity

Standard 3: Field Experiences and Clinical Practice
The unit and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates and other school personnel develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn.

Standard 4: Diversity
The unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. These experiences include working with diverse higher education and school faculty, diverse candidates, and diverse students in P-12 schools.

Standard 5: Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development
Faculty are qualified and model the best professional practices in scholarship, service, and teaching, including the assessment of their own effectiveness as related to candidate performance. They also collaborate with colleagues in the disciplines and schools. The unit systematically evaluates faculty performance and facilitates professional development.

Standard 6: Unit Governance and Resources
The Unit has the leadership, authority, budget, personnel, facilities, and resources, including information technology resources, for the preparation of candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards.