Studies show that teacher quality is the most important factor in P–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.
Bellarmine University’s Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education has proven its commitment to producing quality teachers for our nation’s children by achieving accreditation this past April under the performance-oriented standards of the National Council for
Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 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 precandidates 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 that 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 P-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 that 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 datadriven
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 U. S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a specialized accrediting body
for schools, colleges, and departments of education. NCATE is composed of 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.
For more information about Bellarmine University’s teacher education program, visit the
School of Education Web site.
More information about NCATE is available at
www.ncate.org.