Debunking NCATE Myths

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Debunking NCATE Myths
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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 1 NCATE expects everyone at an
  institution being reviewed to be able to recite
  phrases, themes, and slogans from the units
  conceptual framework.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 1
• NCATE expects that the conceptual framework be
  collaboratively developed/revised and shared
  among stakeholders.
• NCATE expects unit administrators and
  professional education faculty members to be able
  to discuss the conceptual framework in detail.
• All stakeholders should understand the units
  philosophy and the characteristics (knowledge,
  skills, and dispositions) of the educators the
  unit is trying to produce.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 2 Standard 1 requires an 80 percent
  pass rate on the content exams required for state
  licensing and none of the other data a unit might
  present for this standard are important.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 2
• The 80 percent pass rate is a necessary but not
  sufficient component of Standard 1.
• The standard cannot be met without the 80 percent
  pass rate.
• It can only be met, however, with the 80 percent
  pass rate and other candidate assessment data
  demonstrating that candidates have the necessary
  knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be
  effective educators.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 3 NCATE requires electronic
  portfolios and other expensive technological
  materials to meet Standard 2 Assessment Systems
  and Unit Evaluation.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 3
• Standard 2 calls for the use of information
  technology in the maintenance of unit assessment
  systems.
• NCATE is not prescriptive about how institutions
  store and manipulate assessment data using
  information technology, as long as the data can
  be manipulated and used to make program
  improvements
• NCATE does not require electronic portfolios.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 4 When it comes to providing
  opportunities for candidates to interact with
  diverse faculty, peers, and P-12 students,
  NCATEs diversity standard refers only to
  diversity of race and ethnicity.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 4 The rubrics for the latter
  three elements of the diversity standard at the
  acceptable level identify, at a minimum, the
  diverse groups of individuals with which
  candidates should have opportunities to interact.
  These groups are groups for which data can be
  legally collected.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 5 NCATE BOE members have unstated
  quotas in mind when they evaluate institutions
  on candidate opportunities to interact with
  diverse faculty, diverse candidates, and diverse
  field placements.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 5
• While NCATE affirms the need for candidates to
  have opportunities to work with diverse peers,
  faculty members, and P-12 students, NCATE does
  not endorse quotas.
• There is no magic number, nor percentage, nor
  percentage comparison when NCATE teams evaluate
  these elements.
• The UAB asks teams to report the types of
  diversity within units for contextual
  understanding.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 6 There is a magic ratio of faculty
  members without terminal degrees to faculty
  members with terminal degrees in the professional
  education unit that must be met in order to meet
  the faculty qualification element of Standard 5
  at the acceptable level.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 6
• There is no magic ratio.
• Various combinations of faculty members with and
  without terminal degrees work well, provided that
  faculty members without terminal degrees have
  expertise that qualifies them for their
  assignments.
• The quality of the programs offered as measured
  by candidate learning is most important.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 7 There is a magic ratio of
  part-time to full-time faculty members in the
  professional education unit that must be met in
  order to meet personnel element at the acceptable
  level.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 7
• There is no magic ratio.
• Various combinations of full and part-time
  faculty members work well and are possible in
  different institutional contexts.
• Standard 6 requires that part-time personnel are
  fully integrated into the work of the unit to
  ensure program coherence and integrity.
• The quality of the programs offered as measured
  by candidate learning is most important.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 8 There is an NCATE curriculum vitae
  format.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 8
• There is no NCATE curriculum vitae format.
• In the past, NCATE had such a requirement but no
  longer does.
• Institutions can use whatever format they choose.
  
• BOE teams actually prefer faculty information in
  charts and tables. The faculty table used for
  program reports may be a helpful way to highlight
  the qualifications and accomplishments of
  faculty.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 9 Units are expected to demonstrate
  their candidates impact on student learning
  using P-12 student work or P-12 student
  standardized test scores.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 9
• NCATE does not expect units to collect P-12
  student work or P-12 standardized test scores.
• The element in Standard 1 on student learning
  requires units to summarize data demonstrating
  that candidates to know about, create and use
  appropriate and effective assessments when
  working with students.
• The element requires units to develop candidate
  assessments in which candidates, working with
  P-12 students, judge prior learning, plan and
  teach, assess, analyze, and reflect on student
  learning.

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Myth 10 Units must hire a consultant to
  get through NCATE

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Debunking NCATE Myths

• NCATE Reality 10
• Hiring a consultant is not a condition of NCATE
  accreditation.
• NCATEs website includes all of the information
  any unit needs to know in order to become
  accredited. The information on the website
  includes an accreditation handbook, timelines,
  training modules which reveal what examiners know
  and are expected to do, templates, and
  presentations given by NCATE staff.
• The website address is www.ncate.org