AASU's College of Education Receives Accreditation

Savannah, GA—Armstrong Atlantic State University’s College of Education has proven its commitment to producing quality teachers by achieving accreditation 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 accreditation ensures the public that schools of education have met rigorous standards set by the profession. Schools with this accreditation are graduating well-qualified teachers who are ready for today's classrooms, which studies show is the most important factor in P-12 student achievement. Meeting NCATE accreditation standards also helps institutions prepare teachers for new, more rigorous licensing standards in many states.

Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as well as skills necessary to convey it so that students learn. Candidates must be prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations. University faculty must model effective teaching practices and 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 data-driven 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.

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as the professional accrediting body for schools, departments, and colleges of education. On-site visits, document review, and accreditation decisions are all carried out by professionals from the education community, including teachers, school specialists, and teacher educators, as well as members of the public and education policymakers.

For more information about Armstrong Atlantic State University’s teacher education program, visit the web site at www.education.armstrong.edu. More information about NCATE is available at www.ncate.org.

 

 

December 3, 2002