KEY POINTSin Preparing for the Accreditation Visit
March 4-6, 2012
Continuous Improvement (CI): Since the last accreditation visit in 2004, Teacher Education at Purdue engages incontinuous improvement.
- Ongoing collection and analysis of data
- Use of data for program improvement
- Documentation of program changes
- Validation of effectiveness of changes
The Board of Examiners (BOE):
- Jerry BaileyPaul Bitting
- Darlene CastelliJoan Schmidt
- Christine OrmsbeeMichelle Young
- Emily Johnson (state consultant)Flo Barnes (state observer)
Contacting the BOE during the onsite accreditation visit: nd open session scheduled for Monday, March 5th 3:45-4:30 p.m. in BRNG 1284.
The onsite schedule: Saturday, March 3rd – Tuesday, March 6th
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards
Standard 1: Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Professional Dispositions
Candidates preparing to work in schools as teachers or other school professionals know and demonstrate the content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and skills, pedagogical and professional knowledge and skills, and professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards.
Standards 2: Assessment System and Unit Evaluation
The unit has an assessment system that collects and analyzes data on applicant qualifications, candidate and graduate performance, and unit operations to evaluate and improve the performance of candidates, the unit, and its programs.
Standard 3: Field Experience and Clinical Practice
The unit and its school partners design, implement, and evaluate field experiences and clinical practice so that teacher candidates and other school professionals develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn.
Standard 4: Diversity
The unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and provides experiences for candidates to acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates can demonstrate and apply proficiencies related to diversity. Experiences provided for candidates include working with diverse populations, including higher education and P–12 school faculty, candidates, and students in P–12 schools.
Standard 5: Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development
Faculty are qualified and model best professional practices in scholarship, service, and teaching, including the assessment of their own effectiveness as related to candidate performance; they also collaborate with colleagues in the disciplines and schools. The unit systematically evaluates faculty performance and facilitates professional development.
Standard 6: Unit Governance and Resources
The unit has the leadership, authority, budget, personnel, facilities, and resources, including information technology resources, for the preparation of candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards.
Teacher Education at Purdue
For CI, we chose NCATE Standards 5 (Faculty) and 6 (Governance and Resources) to assess ourselves against the target level(the highest rating possible). For details, refer to the NCATE standards.
The Institutional Report (IR)serves as primary documentation for BOE conducting onsite visits; provides institutional and unit contexts and evidence that the unit continues to meet NCATE standards and engages in continuous improvement as well as describes changes since the last visit. For a copy of the IR details, click on IR in the previous sentence.
At Purdue, the professional education unit is the College of Education although teacher education encompasses six colleges that offer teacher education programs. It is a distributed, interdisciplinary enterprise.
The Offsite BOE Report is BOE feedback after reviewing the IR, evidence in online exhibit room, annual reports, Title II data, and program review (SPA and state) reports; sent after BOE meets electronically for the offsite review; provides statement about evidence, comments on unit’s progress toward meeting target level, list of areas of concern by standard including feedback on correcting previous AFIs (see below), and list of evidence for validation by onsite BOE team.
Institutional Report Addendum is our response to the Offsite BOE Report.
Conceptual Framework: the Model for Professional Preparation (click for the graphic ornarrative) is the vision for teacher education at Purdue, the foundation of our preparation programs; it’s what makes a Purdue prepared educator different than one prepared elsewhere.
There are four thematic strands in performance-based courses: technology, diversity, theory into practice (field experiences), and performance assessments. P-12 learning also is woven throughout the program and continues to be a focus for continuous improvement.
The Teacher Education Council (TEC) governs the curriculum and assessment systems for all teacher education programs; includes representatives from six colleges – Agriculture, Education, Health & Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, Science, and Technology, P-12 colleagues, student representatives, and other Purdue campuses. The Program Convener Council (PCC) is advisory to the TEC; its members are the leaders of teacher education programs.
Candidate Disposition Assessment Process: Dispositions are threaded throughout the program, such as the expectation that all students can learn, or to engage in continuous professional development; candidates (university students) sign a professionalism agreement prior to field experiences, including student teaching. If deficiencies surface, faculty, P-12 colleagues, and/or staff complete a Form D-2 to document the specific nature of the deficiency and discuss it with the candidate. In general, the first D-2 form is seen as a “warning,” the second as a “ticket” or strong signal for change, and the third results in a judicial procedure, i.e., a TEC Special Cases Committee hearing to determine whether the candidate will be allowed to continue in the program.
Gates are transition points in the Teacher Education Program when candidates are audited to ensure they meet the standards and requirement of the program:Most teacher education programs; Early Childhood Education and Exceptional Needs; Alternate Route; Advanced level
The Unit Assessment System(UAS) is coordinated centrally and involves many components at various levels, including each program’s key assessments of their candidates, that foster continuous improvement. For details of the UAS, including the operational decision system, click on UAS in the previous sentence.
Areas for Improvement (AFIs): SixAFIswere cited at the last accreditation visit - Standard 1: Dispositions, Standard 2: Assessment System, Standard 4: Diversity. For AFI details, click here. For details on how we have addressed these previous concerns, refer to the AFIs in the IR Addendum.
After the onsite review, the BOE reportis completed within 30 days; unit responds with a rejoinder, then in fall 2012, the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board will render a decision; usually that decision is brought forward soon after to the state for its accreditation status decision.