Teacher education program accredited again
Chadron State College's teacher education program received high marks from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education after its examination of the programs this fall. The five-person visitation team gave especially high commendations for the program's use of technology.
Dr. Margaret Crouse, the dean who oversees the program, received the report from NCATE's board of examiners in late November. For three days in October, the team was on the CSC campus to follow up on its visit from two years ago. NCATE representatives in 2006 scheduled this year's focused visit to address issues of governance and the college's electronic assessment system. The NCATE report shows that the program has met all standards required for accreditation.
"It's an honor to receive assurance of our excellence," Crouse said. "We have a long record of accreditation and it means a lot to see that continue."
CSC has been continually accredited by NCATE or other accrediting agencies since 1929. NCATE accredits more than 600 colleges of education.
During this year's visit, CSC received high praise for using the Internet to train cooperating teachers - an effort led by education faculty member Lorie Hunn.
"The unit has creatively utilized the institution's course management system to train cooperating teachers in the use of its assessment tools," the NCATE team wrote. "This addresses the issues created by the large geographic service area. This solution takes into account the difficulty teachers face in traveling long distances for training on the unit's assessment tools. This method allows for just-in-time training of teachers."
The program also earned special commendation for an assessment system that was designed by Mark Howard, CSC database administrator.
"The institution has recognized the value and sophistication of the electronic assessment system developed by the unit as a model for other academic units across campus," the report says. "The process of developing the system has served as a model of collaboration among academic and support entities."
CSC has 43 programs in teacher education. About 664 students are enrolled in the undergraduate teacher education programs with another 113 in advanced programs.
A campus committee was charged with preparing for the visit, and employees across the campus who are involved with teacher education took part in the planning.
NCATE's accreditation visits occur each seven years with follow-up visits as necessary. The next scheduled visit is in 2013.
Category: Campus News, Education