NCATE for Dummies

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NCATE for Dummies

• AKA Everything You Wanted to Know About NCATE,
  But Didnt Want to Ask

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What is NCATE?

• The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
  Education (NCATE) is a national accrediting body
  for schools, colleges, and departments of
  education authorized by the U.S. Department of
  Education.
• Approximately seventy percent of the 189 doctoral
  granting institutions are NCATE accredited or
  candidates for accreditation

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NCATE Focus A Shift

• Is
• Outcomes Based Concerned with Candidates
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Dispositions
• Necessary to promote student learning

• Is Not
• Course Based Concerned with Candidates course
  grades or GPA
• Which is inconsistent between universities,
  programs, and instructors

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What is NCATE Accreditation?

• Accreditation is a process for assessing and
  enhancing academic and educational quality
  through voluntary peer review.
• Individual Programs (majors) have an opportunity
  to gain National Recognition status
• The University educator preparation Unit is the
  body that is accredited

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NCATE Review Process

• Program Level Individual Programs evidence
  candidates attainment of professional standards
  in the discipline (Specialized Professional
  Association)
• Unit Level The overall functioning of preparing
  persons who work in P-12 education settings

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Program Level Review

• Evidence Candidates attainment of knowledge
  skills, and dispositions that meet
• State Standards
• Standards developed by Professional Bodies
• Consistent with NAU Office of Academic
  Assessment requirements

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Data

• Evidence collected in specific Artifacts
• Artifacts are actually Candidates work with
  detailed measures of assessing it
• 6 - 8 Artifacts or Assessments evidence that
  candidates have met all the standards

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Data

• Artifacts from more than one course might be used
  to evidence that one particular standard has been
  met (i.e knowledge of the subject matter)
• One Artifact might demonstrate Candidates
  proficiency in more than one standard (i.e.
  Lesson plan)

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5 Outcomes are Prescribed

• Content Knowledge (state licensure exam)
• Content Knowledge (additional evidence)
• Ability to Plan Instruction or Fulfill
  Professional Responsibilities
• Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions applied in
  Clinical Practice
• Candidate Impact on Student Learning or Ability
  to Create Supportive Learning Environments

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Assessment Process

• Faculty determine which Artifacts in each of
  these categories evidence each of the
  professional standards

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Assessment Rubrics

• Faculty develop detailed rubrics to evaluate the
  work of each Artifact
• This is Key to evidencing Candidates
  competencies
• Must measure outcomes prescribed by the standards
  
• Example Lesson plans include objectives that are
  observable and measurable
• Non Example Lesson plans are 2 pages long
• Criteria for evidence that meets the standard
  must be established - there has to be a cut
  point

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• Artifacts are assigned, collected, and evaluated
  (usually within specified courses)

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Data Collection

• Electronic Portfolio
• Provides students a mechanism by which they see
  learning as a whole in their major, rather than a
  compilation of courses
• Allows us to automatically download data into
  electronic spreadsheets
• Allows us to provide necessary reports by
  standard to the programs

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NCATE Timelines

• Spring 09
• NCATE Board of Examiners Visit
• Jan. 08
• Submit Specialized Professional Association (SPA)
  Report (includes one full year of data)
• Spring 07
• Launch full data collection processes

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Fall 2006

• Finish any signature assignments and rubrics
• Finalize Master Syllabi
• Communicate with Statewide faculty
• Training Use of assignments and rubrics,
  TaskStream
• Pilot finalized assessments

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Program Level Categories

• Initial Any program that prepares candidates for
  entry into a specialized position. This can
  include Undergraduate or Graduate degrees.
• Advanced Any program that furthers a certified
  and/or practicing professionals preparation.
  Cannot include undergraduate degrees.

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Unit Requirements of Programs Artifact Data

• Content Knowledge
• Pedagogical Content Knowledge
• Professional and Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills
• Dispositions
• Student Learning Effectiveness

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Unit Requirements of Programs Other Data

• Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Field
  and Clinical Experiences
• Candidates Development and Demonstration of
  Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions To Help All
  Students Learn
• Ability to Plan and Implement Instruction that
  Addresses Diverse Students

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Unit Requirements of Programs Functional

• Transition Points points in the program at which
  candidates are evaluated to determine whether
  they have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions
  to continue further
• Minimum of 4 Transition Points
• Must be stated generally enough to be used by all
  programs at the same level in the unit

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Proposed Transition Points

• Initial Programs
• Admission to Teacher Program
• Admission to Capstone Course
• Completion of Capstone Course
• Completion of Program

• Advanced Programs
• Admission to Program?
• Completion of Foundation Coursework?
• Admission to Capstone Course?
• Completion of Capstone Course?
• Completion of Program?

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Conceptual Framework

• Candidate Competencies
• Initial
• Advanced

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Entering Fall 2006 Process

• Practice Effective Communication
• Reduce Work Redundancy
• Assist with Technical Support/Training
• Help with Challenges departmental, college,
  university
• Help Accomplish Goals of Effective Programs