Abstract:

This paper and presentation will describe the process of how one School of Education is preparing for their NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) reaccreditation visit. Of the two formally recognized processes, NCATE and TEAC (Teacher Education Accreditation Council) for Accreditation in the United States of schools and colleges of Education, Western New Mexico University, a Hispanic Serving Institution, has chosen to pilot the NCATE Continuous Improvement Track. In order to provide a context for accreditation of schools and colleges of Education, this presentation will review the traditional route previously used by this institution and will describe the differences between the traditional route and the Continuous Improvement route this Unit has chosen to pilot for reaccreditation purposes. Basic philosophical questions concerning accountability and the accreditation process will be discussed during this presentation.
Furthermore, the Institutional Report for Pilot Visits following the Continuous Improvement option will be reviewed in detail and depth. The following components of the Institutional Report will be reviewed with examples of each of these components and exhibits: Overview and Conceptual Framework and Exhibit links for the electronic documents room; Standard 1: Candidate Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions and Exhibit links for the electronic documents room; Standard 2: Assessment System and Unit Evaluation and Exhibit links for the electronic documents room; Standard 3: Field Experiences and Clinical Practice and Exhibit links for the electronic documents room; Standard 4: Diversity and Exhibit links for the electronic documents room ; Standard 5: Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development and Exhibit links for the electronic documents room; Standard 6: Unit Governance and Resources and Exhibit links for the electronic documents room. The process of faculty involvement, buy-in, and standards teams’ development and productivity will be described. The database created for the input, tracking, and analysis of student data at entry, midpoint, and exit will be described with examples. By fall 2012, all institutions that are seeking NCATE accreditation or reaccreditation will be mandated to select either the Continuous Improvement option or the Transformation Initiative or possibly the TEAC Inquiry track. You are invited to learn about one institution’s four-year reaccreditation journey.

Keywords:

Accountability, accreditation, Higher Education Institutions, Schools and or Colleges of Education.