Education Department receives renewed NCATE accreditation
FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, November 15, 2000
Huntington, Ind. " Huntington College's Department of Education has proven its commitment to producing quality teachers for our nation's children by achieving renewed accreditation under the performance-oriented standards of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). We were delighted to receive official word of continuing accreditation from NCATE. Because education is our largest major on campus, the affirmation from an outside accrediting agency is particularly gratifying, said Dr. Ronald Webb, vice president and dean of Huntington College. We believe the excellent report from NCATE reflects the outstanding work our education faculty are doing in preparing our students to be exemplary teachers.
Huntington College was originally accredited by NCATE in 1994 on its first application. This fall, Huntington became one of 46 education programs to receive either initial or continuing accreditation in the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board's most recent round of decisions.
NCATE accredits 516 institutions. Those institutions produce two-thirds of the nation's new teacher graduates.
NCATE's accreditation standards emphasize teacher performance. They focus on what teacher candidates should know and be able to do, and require candidates to demonstrate specific skills. Accredited schools of education are expected to:
ensure that subject matter content "and how to teach it "is a priority;
emphasize school district collaboration;
ensure that candidates can use technology in instruction; and to
prepare teacher candidates to teach students from diverse backgrounds.
The standards also require schools of education design a conceptual framework for each program. Huntington College's conceptual framework is titled, The Teacher as Effective Steward, and is based on the biblical concept of stewardship as well as current research and established best practices.
NCATE accreditation means we're nationally recognized and endorsed by the largest accrediting body in teacher education, said Dr. Stephen Holtrop, assistant dean for curriculum development and associate professor of education. Further, the state of Indiana accreditation standards are identical to the NCATE standards, so meeting the NCATE standards means meeting state accreditation standards as well.
This recognition tells principals hiring our graduates that we have a quality program with sufficient emphases in content knowledge, pedagogy, field experiences, technology, special needs populations, and cultural diversity, Holtrop added. In addition, NCATE accreditation indicates to current and prospective students that the entire college stands behind teacher education with administrative and financial support, quality content area programs, and ample resources such as library materials, faculty and staff, and technology.
Continued NCATE accreditation will benefit all Huntington College education graduates, whether they plan to teach in Indiana or in other states.
The U.S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as the professional accrediting body for teacher preparation in the United States, said Dr. Terrell M. Peace, education department chair. Our continued accreditation means that any prospective student who is interested in a career in the education profession can be assured that the kind of preparation he or she will receive at Huntington College is comparable to that of high quality programs anywhere in the country, even those at large, high profile institutions.
NCATE standards have come as a response to the call for better teacher preparation and assure that teacher candidates will be involved in a rigorous program which adequately prepares them for the teaching field, Peace added.
Huntington College's Department of Education offers degree programs for students who desire to become teachers at the elementary or secondary level. Elementary education majors can obtain endorsements for teaching kindergarten or middle school. Secondary education majors can be certified to teach middle school and high school art, business, English, mathematics, science, or social studies. All-grade majors are available in art, music, and physical education.
For more information about the Huntington College Department of Education, call (260) 359-4231 or visit the web site at www.huntington.edu/education.
