DSU College of Education
meets Profession’s Standards
Dakota State receives Professional Accreditation
The faculty and staff of the College of Education at Dakota
State University have been preparing for the on-site National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) visit
for the past two years by writing reports and synthesizing data to
describe how DSU’s teacher education program meets the state and
NCATE standards.
According
to Dr. Tom Hawley, Dean of the College of Education, throughout
the accreditation process the faculty and staff have thoroughly
reviewed its programs to ensure that they are aligned to national
standards. These same faculty members have also used assessment
data to identify strengths
and to address areas for improvement in the programs.
Hawley says the vision of the College of Education, “is to
prepare high quality educators and be recognized in the state and
nation for outstanding teacher education programs.”
“We are honored to have received external validation of the quality of
our teacher education program, and we are appreciative of the
feedback the reviewers provided us at the April on-site review,”
added Hawley. “The accreditation process truly strengthens the
quality of our program and we are dedicated to preparing high-quality
K-12 teachers for our state and nation’s schools.”
Hawley
quickly added that partnerships between the local K-12 public
schools and Dakota State University are a critical part of teacher
preparation.
“We
are truly grateful to the many local schools we work so closely
with in the preparation of future educators,” he said. “We are
very fortunate to have such high-quality teachers and
administrators willing to support us and our students.”
The U.S. Department of
Education recognizes NCATE as the professional accrediting body
for schools, departments, and colleges of education. On-site
visits, document review, and accreditation decisions are all
carried out by professionals from the education community,
including teachers, school specialists, and teacher educators, as
well as members of the public and education policymakers.
NCATE-accredited schools must
meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the
public. Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the
subject matter that they plan to teach as well as the skills
necessary to convey it so that students learn. The university must
carefully assess this knowledge and skill to determine that
candidates may graduate. The institution must have partnerships
with K-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills
necessary to help students learn. Candidates must be prepared to
understand and work with diverse student populations. College and
university faculty must model effective teaching practices. And
the college of education must have the resources, including
information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates
to meet new standards.
For more information about
Dakota State University’s teacher education program, visit the
Web site at http://www.departments.dsu.edu/educate/. More information about NCATE is
available at www.ncate.org.
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