SED Receives Continuing NCATE Accreditation

In May 2012, the Andrews University College of Education & International Services received formal notification from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) of its continuing accreditation for initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation levels (School Counseling, School Psychology and K-12 Educational Leadership). Andrews University has held continuous accreditation with NCATE since 1973.

http://www.ncate.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=7UeOz4nmjvo%3d&tabid=327NCATE President Jim Cibulka stated in his letter, “Special congratulations are in order because the Unit Accreditation Board has cited no areas for improvement relative to any of the standards. This accreditation decision indicates that the unit and its programs meet rigorous standards set forth by the professional education community” (see letter).

In November 2011, a five-member Board of Examiners committee and one member representing the Michigan Department of Education conducted a four-day site visit. During their campus visit, they interviewed some 170 administrators, College of Education & International Services and College of Arts & Sciences faculty members, teacher education candidates and alumni, and K-12 school partners. In addition, they evaluated all written program materials. The team then created a preliminary report based on the team’s review of all the evidence provided.

“This has been a five-year process of preparing evidence to meet the rigorous NCATE standards. This highly positive outcome—without any areas for improvement cited—reflects the hard work of our faculty and staff, and the extraordinary commitment of our students, alumni and partner schools, especially the College of Arts & Sciences,” says Jim Jeffery, dean of the College of Education & International Services. “The accreditation process is so thorough that the entire community has to be engaged. We were extremely proud of the response from our Andrews community.”

NCATE is the major authorized accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for schools, colleges and departments of education that provide professional preparation for elementary and secondary teachers and other school professionals: school counselors, school psychologists, curriculum and instruction specialists, and school principals. The Andrews University College of Education & International Services offers BA and BS degrees in elementary education, master’s degrees in school counseling, special education and K-12 educational leadership, the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), and the EdS in school psychology. In addition, the College of Education & International Services collaborates with the College of Arts & Sciences to jointly offer 18 secondary education majors and minors in fields ranging from the sciences to social studies.