UW College of Education Reaccredited

     May 8, 2008 -- The nation's primary evaluator of teacher education programs has granted continuing accreditation to the academic programs offered by the University of Wyoming to prepare teachers and other school personnel.
      The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredited UW's programs for the maximum seven-year period based on the national organization's on-site visit this spring. The UW College of Education's last review was in fall 2000.
       Several of the areas evaluated were given "outstanding" ratings by NCATE evaluators.
     "This review not only reaffirms the quality and rigor of the University of Wyoming's professional education programs, it provides graduates of our programs with important useful documentation and confidence as they pursue career opportunities," says Patricia McClurg, UW College of Education dean. "The dedication of our faculty and the quality performance of graduates of our programs are key factors contributing to this positive evaluation. I would like to recognize Dr. Kay Persichitte's outstanding leadership as UW's NCATE coordinator throughout this process."
      Persichitte is director of teacher education at UW.
     NCATE is the teaching profession's mechanism that helps establish high-quality teacher, school personnel, and administrator preparation. Through the process of professional accreditation of schools, colleges and departments of education, NCATE works to make a difference in the quality of the teaching profession.
      NCATE's Board of Examiners had high praise for the collaboration between the UW College of Education and its school partners in placing student teachers in Wyoming partner school districts, McClurg says.
    "Interviews with UW faculty, mentor teachers, principals, a superintendent, facilitators, students and recent graduates from UW and the partner school districts confirm the strength in collaboratively designing placements for initial candidates," NCATE evaluators noted. "UW faculty are an integral part of the collaboration by the very fact that they are supervisors of their student teachers, meeting regularly with school personnel for supervision and the other collaborative partnerships that have evolved from their being in the schools."
      The evaluators added that collaboration is critical to the success of College of Education students and the school district partnerships.
    UW's initial and advanced education programs met all six NCATE criteria: candidate knowledge, skills and dispositions; assessment system and unit evaluation; field experiences and clinical practice; diversity; faculty qualifications, performance and development; and unit governance and resources, McClurg says.
      According to Persichitte, the process began with a written self-study. The site visit required extensive documentation of candidate performance across professional knowledge, skills and dispositions.
      "There is a focus on using these reviews for continuous improvement," Persichitte says.
     The national team reviewing UW's programs consisted of nine individuals representing higher education, K-12 schools and state departments of education.
      NCATE's review team also praised the College of Education faculty's dedication to collaborative learning experiences and its professional development and leadership in individuals' discipline areas.
    Other areas that received "outstanding" ratings were:
     -- High-quality faculty in the UW College of Education. NCATE evaluators documented "exceptional expertise, contemporary professional experiences in school settings and scholarly productivity."
    -- Providing experiences for the UW College of Education students to work with diverse faculty, an area that was cited for improvement during the 2000 review.
      -- Active engagement in professional service across international, national, state and local levels. Evaluators commended the number of editorships held by UW faculty members and the number that hold elected offices in their field.
      -- Collaboration throughout the university and state. The College of Education was cited for its work with Wyoming community colleges, the Professional Teaching Standards Board and cross-college collaborations including concurrent majors.
    -- Effective use of fiscal resources, including an innovative funding model for student teaching in partner school districts.
    -- Renovations to college facilities. Classroom upgrades, videoconferencing capabilities and the latest in digital clinical technology used in the Counselor Education Training Clinic received high marks.
      -- Access to exemplary instructional technologies. Support for students and faculty and also for the college-funded digital data base for managing assessment was noted.
      Aside from the credibility gained from NCATE endorsement, McClurg says the process offered an opportunity to examine what the college does and how it fits into the national picture. Having NCATE's external perspective provided an important assessment of how the UW College of Education can continue to provide a quality education and classroom experiences for its students.
      For more information, contact McClurg at (307) 766-6861 or e-mail patmc@uwyo.edu. 

Posted on Thursday, May 08, 2008