Studies show that teacher quality is the most important factor in K-12 student achievement. But how do we know that our children's teachers enter the classroom ready to help them learn? Professional accreditation is one way to ensure the public that schools of education are graduating well-qualified teachers ready for today's classrooms.
Fort Hays State University's College of Education and Technology has proved its commitment to producing quality teachers for our nation's children by achieving accreditation this month under the performance-oriented standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the organization responsible for professional accreditation of teacher education.
NCATE currently accredits 623 institutions, which produce two-thirds of the nation's new teacher graduates each year. Ninety-nine institutions are candidates or pre-candidates for accreditation.
NCATE-accredited schools must meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public. Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it so that students learn. The college or university must carefully assess this knowledge and skill to determine that candidates may graduate. The institution must have partnerships with K-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn.
Candidates must be prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations. College and university faculty must model effective teaching practices. And the school, college or department of education must have the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards.
NCATE revises its standards every five years to incorporate best practice and research in order to ensure the standards reflect a consensus about what is important in teacher preparation today. In the past decade, NCATE has moved from an accreditation system that focused on curriculum and what teacher candidates were offered, to a data- driven, performance-based system dedicated to determining what candidates know and are able to do.
The new system expects teacher-preparation institutions to provide compelling evidence of candidate knowledge and skill in the classroom. Multiple types of performance assessment are expected throughout the program of study. Candidate qualifications are assessed upon entry, and candidate competence is assessed throughout the program as well as prior to student teaching/internship work and before completion of the program.
Meeting NCATE accreditation standards also helps institutions prepare new teachers for new, more rigorous licensing standards in many states. NCATE accreditation standards incorporate the model state licensing principles developed by a task force of the Council of Chief State School Officers.
"The faculty and staff of the College of Education and Technology should be congratulated for the effort and dedication that they display every day that has produced this well-deserved result," said Dr. Rob Scott, interim dean of the College of Education and Technology. "A special thank you is due to Kathy Dale, our assistant dean and chair of the Leadership Steering Committee, and to Dr. Deb Mercer, former dean of the college, for her guidance through this process."
For more information about the FHSU teacher education program, call 800-628-3478 or visit the website at www.fhsu.edu/te/.
The U.S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges and departments of education. NCATE comprises more than 30 professional and policymaker organizations representing millions of Americans committed to quality teaching. It was founded in 1954 by the teaching profession and the states. NCATE continues its mission today: the profession and the states working together for excellence in teacher preparation and development. More information about NCATE is available at www.ncate.org.