Last summer, the UH Mānoa College of Education submitted fourteen program reports to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Specialty Professional Associations (SPAs). As of February 1, 2013, all fourteen programs achieved a new seven-year period of national recognition.
“These national recognitions are essential to our ongoing accreditation review,” said College of Education Associate Dean Beth Pateman. “I want to recognize our faculty’s commitment to the continuous assessment and improvement of our teacher education programs. I also want to thank Jessica Miranda, our assessment coordinator; Wenwei Han, our data analyst; and Genta Togashi, who created the online Student Information System we use to manage our assessment data. Our college has a great team!”
The Early Childhood Education (BEd) program received national recognition from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This is the second SPA report, written by Robyn Chun and Jane Dickson who helped develop the early childhood BEd program, which has earned full national recognition.
The Elementary and Early Childhood Education (BEd) program earned national recognition from the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). Faculty members, under the leadership of their chair and report writer, Donna Grace, continually review and improve their program assessments.
The Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT) program is nationally recognized by NCATE for its four secondary programs in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. For the first time, MEdT faculty submitted a new combined report called the Initial Licensure/Post-Baccalaureate (IL/PB) report, which passed. Scott Robinson wrote the final report that met the requirements of five national review associations.
Additionally, the Elementary program in the MEdT was granted national recognition from the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). With the successful report, written by Joe Zilliox, all five content areas in MEdT are nationally recognized.
The Secondary Education (BEd) and World Languages (PBCSE) programs received national recognition by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Doris Christopher prepared these reports as well as the program report for the Secondary PBCSE in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
The Secondary Education (BEd and PBCSE) programs were awarded national recognition by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). Retired professor, Irv King, stayed on after his retirement last May to complete the report.
The Department of Special Education (SPED) is nationally recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) for two SPED reports, the PBSPED in Mild/Moderate Disabilities and the PBSPED in Severe/Autism. Tricia Sheehey authored these reports and is working on the report for the BEd dual preparation program in elementary and special education to be submitted in March. Department chair, Amelia Jenkins, wrote the original special education reports for NCATE in 2007 and is still involved in the process. SPED will submit a report for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing program in September.
The BEd and PBCSE programs in Physical Education earned national recognition from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). Nathan Murata and Julie Maeda co-authored these reports.
The College will submit four reports to the Hawaiʻi Teachers Standards Board and four additional reports to NCATE for ongoing approval this spring and one in the fall. Five advanced program reports will be submitted in the summer. In Spring 2014, NCATE will conduct an onsite visit following a review of the college’s comprehensive online Institutional Report, which will include all of the individual program achievements.
Great! How will this translate into improved performance of our learners and teaching corps?
National accreditation means that College of Education teacher preparation programs meet the highest standards in the nation for preparing knowledgeable, effective, and caring teachers. Graduates are prepared to teach effectively so that all students achieve at high levels. They understand how learning occurs, how teaching affects learning, and how to modify their teaching to meet learner needs. In order to achieve national accreditation, the teacher preparation programs must demonstrate that teacher candidates can demonstrate their command of content and their ability to teach it effectively. They must pass rigorous assessments at key transition points throughout their preparation culminating 16 weeks of student teaching. and they are evaluated by college faculty and cooperating mentor teachers with whom they work in schools. They graduate prepared to meet the challenges of teaching in today's classrooms.
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