College of Education received continued accreditation by NCATE

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) announced that Valdosta State University's College of Education (COE) is one of 36 schools of education that received either initial or continuing accreditation by their organization.

Examiners from NCATE and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (PSC) visited VSU, on Nov. 11??15, 2001, to evaluate the COE's educator preparation programs.

The 13-member NCATE/PSC team reviewed documents, attended classes and interviewed groups of faculty, students and administrators.

Accreditation from NCATE is based on 12 standards that evaluate an institution's capacity to effectively deliver its teacher preparation programs.

NCATE revises its standards every five years to ensure accredited schools meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public.

?These standards require that we document how our graduates positively impact P-12 students? learning,? said Dr. Tom Reed, acting dean of the College of Education. ?With the efforts of faculty throughout the campus and with our partners in the public schools, we were able to demonstrate this impact. Together we will continue to improve in these practices and look forward to the results of such efforts.?

In the past decade, NCATE has moved from an accreditation system that focused on curriculum to a data-driven performance-based system that is dedicated to determining what candidates know, and requiring evidence that each candidate possesses actual teaching skills.

NCATE is the nation's top accrediting organization for schools, colleges, and departments of education. The University System of Georgia requires accreditation from NCATE and the PSC for all 15 of its institutions that prepare teachers.