School of Education Praised in Accreditation Renewal

The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education has granted continued accreditation to Oswego’s School of Education for the next seven years. The accreditation board did not cite any areas of concern or areas for improvement.

During the NCATE visit, the review team members had the opportunity to meet and talk with the School of Education’s many community partners and collaborators at the School Partnership Showcase. Here, Linda Griffin (left), chair of the NCATE review team, hears from two partners from area schools, Phoenix School District Superintendent Judy Belfield M’88 CAS’00 (center) and Robyn Proud ’87 M’98 CAS’11 (speaking), vice principal of Oswego Middle School.

The school met all six standards for both initial and advanced teacher preparation at undergraduate and graduate levels. Moreover, the team of reviewers indicated that Oswego excelled in and performed beyond expectations in all of the standards, including the self-identified area of excellence on field experience and clinical practice.

James G. Cibulka, president of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, which is succeeding NCATE, wrote college President Deborah F. Stanley to confirm the accreditation formally.

“This accreditation decision indicates that the unit and its programs meet rigorous standards set forth by the professional education community,” he wrote. “Special congratulations are in order because the commission cited no areas for improvement relative to any of the standards.”

NCATE’s performance-based accreditation system for teacher preparation ensures that teacher candidates are prepared to make a difference in primary and secondary student learning.

President Stanley congratulated Pam Michel, interim dean, and the School of Education on this “incredible validation from NCATE.” She added, “It acknowledges the tremendous effort and success achieved not only by the faculty, staff and students within the school but by collaborators in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences on campus and in schools in Oswego and Onondaga counties and beyond as well. Oswego’s exceptional professional standing in teacher preparation honors our college’s legacy in this field.”

Before the NCATE review of the entire school, all of Oswego’s subject area programs had been nationally recognized by their respective specialized professional associations, which evaluated the individual programs.

“Institutions aspire to have all their programs nationally recognized,” explained Joggeshwar “Jogy” Das, associate dean for assessment and accreditation. “We achieved 100 percent success. Education preparation programs across the country know that it is not an easy accomplishment.”

The school’s next accreditation is scheduled for 2021 and will be under the new Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation standards.

—Public Affairs

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