ACCREDITATION COUNCIL RECOMMENDS TOUGH STANDARDS FOR SCHOOLS OF EDUCATION - June 11, 1985

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Aldword

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) unanimously recommends tougher standards for accrediting schools of education, including standardized tests to verify teacher competence. The council’s 26-0 decision also assigns colleges and universities responsibility for guiding graduates through their first teaching year and requires at least 10 weeks of student teaching. Draft guidelines remain open for public comment for three months, with final approval expected in October and implementation in September 1988.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

ACCREDITATION COUNCIL RECOMMENDS TOUGH STANDARDS FOR SCHOOLS OF EDUCATION

ACCREDITATION COUNCIL RECOMMENDS TOUGH STANDARDS(Cont.)

Newsmakers

HIGHER EDUCATION DAILY Tuesday,June 11,1985 # ACCREDITATION COUNCIL RECOMMENDS TOUGH STANDARDS FOR SCHOOLS OF EDUCATION After three years of debate,the National Council for Accreditation of TeacherEducation(NCATE)last week unanimously recommended rigorous new standards foraccrediting schools of education,including the use of standardized tests toassure teacher competence. The council,by its 26-0 vote at a meeting in St.Louis,also agreed to make acollege or university responsible for following its teacher education graduatesinto their first year of teaching and to require a minimum of 10 weeks ofstudent teaching. The draft recommendations,which for the next three months are open to publiccomment,are expected to be given final approval by the council in October andare slated to take effect in September 1988. Confident Of Support"We feel confident in the national support,"saidNCATE Executive Director Richard Kunkel.Support for the recommendations byteachers and administrators,including the National Education Association(NEA)and National Association of School Psychologists,represents a"comingtogether of the profession,"Kunkel said yesterday. The council,which was formed 30 years ago by the American Association of Col-leges for Teacher Education(AACTE),the Council of Chief State School Officersand NEA,currently accredits 542 of the 1,276 national teacher education pro-gramg。It is the only authorized accrediting agency for school personnel prep-aration,NCATE officials say. Council members who endorsed the new standards include NEA President MaryHatwood Futrell and I1linois school superintendent Ted Sanders,Kunkel said,aswell as teaching group representatives and teachers from across the country. "This revolutionary teacher education accreditation program should put to restthe quick-fix and politically expedient proposals of some teacher educationcritics who have advanced shortsighted solutions to a very sensitive andcomplex problem,"said Futrell.The NEA also endorses a state or institution-administered teacher test as advocated by NCATE,said an NEA spokesman. Other recommendations adopted by the council would require institutions to: ■ monitor the level of basic communication skills of teacher educationstudents; ■document students'competency level and skills on completion of a teachereducation program; ■ let practicing teachers assist in developing the institution's teachereducation curriculum and serve as policy advisers;(more) June 11,1985 # ACCREDITATION COUNCIL RECOMMENDS TOUGH STANDARDS(Cont.) ■ be accountable for setting the tone and providing support for a high-qualityteacher education program; ■ incorporate current research on effective teaching into education courses; ■ educate teacher education students in the liberal arts and general studies; ■ demand rigorous academic studies in the subject the student will be cer-tified to teach;and ■ establish a ratio of faculty to students for clinical and field-basedteaching experiences. The recommended guidelines are more precise than the current standards,saidSharon Givens,association editor for AACTE。A 2.5 grade point average is nowrequired for students to enter a teacher education program,Givens said,andthere is now a specific 18-to-1 student to staff ratio for field experience. Teacher education programs must use more current materials and be more re-search oriented,she said."When these new standards become effective,therewill be less discrepancy between national accreditation and state approvals,"Givens added. Any baccalaureate or graduate degree-granting institution may establish eligi-bility for an accreditation evaluation by the council if it offers programs forthe preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel.Otherpreconditions for accreditation eligibility include codified policies,such aspolicy manuals or bylaws,and state agency accreditation,if required. Copies of the recommendations,NCATE

FAQs

What major change does NCATE recommend for accrediting schools of education?

NCATE recommends rigorous new standards, including the use of standardized tests to assure teacher competence.

What responsibilities and minimum student-teaching requirement does the council set?

Colleges or universities would be responsible for their graduates’ first teaching year and would need to require at least 10 weeks of student teaching.

When are the recommendations expected to take effect?

Final approval is expected in October, and the standards are slated to take effect in September 1988.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Aldword