THE STATE
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY
OF THE STATE OF | |||
TO: |
Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee |
| |
FROM: |
Johanna Duncan-Poitier |
| |
SUBJECT: |
Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education
Recommendation of Accreditation Action: |
| |
DATE: |
January 23, 2007 |
| |
STRATEGIC
GOAL: |
Goals 1, 2, and 3 |
| |
AUTHORIZATION(S): |
|
| |
Issue for
Decision
Required by State
regulation.
Proposed
Handling
The question will
come before the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee at its
February 2007 meeting, where it will be voted on and action taken. It will then come before the full Board
at its February 2007 meeting for final action.
Procedural
History
The Board of
Regents adopted a new teaching policy, "Teaching to Higher Standards:
Background
Information
The
University’s mission is “to bring wisdom to life.” As described in the institution's Self
Study, “the University’s guiding vision is the belief that the best of the
heritage of contemporary civilization—the liberal arts and sciences—is
compatible with the ancient traditions of Jewish law and life.” In bringing that mission and guiding
vision to life, the University emphasizes both scholarship and moral action.
The University's
Accreditation Review Process
The RATE review process at
The RATE team
visited the University from March 5-8, 2006 as part of the accreditation review
process. The team reviewed documents; visited classrooms; inspected facilities
and resources; and interviewed administrators, department chairs and faculty,
candidates and graduates, principals, and cooperating teachers. The team identified 21
discrete areas for improvement across 6 RATE standards relating to program
registration, teaching effectiveness of graduates, assessment of candidate
achievement, resources, advertising, and candidate complaints.
Through classroom observations, the team
found program graduates to be kind, caring, and nurturing; they knew each
child’s personality, strengths, and weaknesses very well. Field experiences are frequent and often
correlated with coursework, and syllabi and candidate work show reflection on
those experiences. Faculty members
are highly regarded by students and those with whom they work in the field for
their expertise, accessibility, and commitment to
teaching.
Candidates and faculty appear to thrive in a small program within a large university. The team found that relationships, agreements, and processes are often informal. As a result, one common thread in the cited areas for improvement can be traced to a relative lack of formal evidence or data. Another recurring theme was the availability of resources (e.g., in terms of space, administrative support for the program, and on-site materials for candidates).
The University's response is summarized in
the Summary of the Application for Accreditation. The PSPB reviewed all materials and, on
November 16, 2006, voted
unanimously (with one abstention) to recommend accreditation as follows:
Accredit
the programs offered at
Recommendation:
It is
recommended that the Regents accredit for three years the teacher education
programs offered by
Accreditation will be effective February 13,
2007, for a period beginning immediately and ending on February 12,
2010.