PULLMAN – National and state agencies have renewed accreditation for WSU’s College of Education, which earned praise as “a standout institution.”
The ratings came after voluntary reviews by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Washington State’s Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB). Both accreditation teams, which work cooperatively, visited WSU last spring.
“I have had the opportunity to review many large tier-one research institutions, but relatively few have had the mission complexity of WSU’s College of Education, and even fewer have achieved such a clean bill of health following such a rigorous review,” said PESB team member James DePaepe, director of the Office of Research, Evaluation and Assessment at Central Washington University.
“After reading the evidence, sifting through data, and interviewing faculty, current candidates and past graduates, it is clear to me that WSU is a standout institution and a credit to our state,” he said.
Accreditation confirms the College of Education’s commitment to producing quality teachers, administrators and counselors, said Interim Dean Phyllis Erdman.
“We’re especially pleased about the ‘exemplary’ rating that state evaluators gave us for the quality of the student field experiences and clinical practices,” she said. “Our students work beside mentors in public schools throughout their programs, and they all work with diverse and high-needs youngsters.”
NCATE accreditation requires that teacher candidates have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey that knowledge. In addition, accredited institutions must:
* Carefully assess this knowledge and skill to determine that candidates may graduate.
* Have partnerships with schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn.
* Prepare candidates to understand and work with diverse student populations.
* Have faculty who model effective teaching practices.
* Have the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards.
The accreditation process will begin again in 2015.
