69ý

Federal

NCATE President Fleshes Out Plans to Update Process

By Stephen Sawchuk — March 06, 2009 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

In a wide-ranging speech delivered here last week, the president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, James G. Cibulka, laid out his most specific ideas yet for updating the group’s accreditation process.

Mr. Cibulka plans to create an option for teacher-preparation programs in good standing to seek “continuous improvement” status—essentially, an alternative to reaccreditation. He also seeks revisions to NCATE’s standards to strengthen content and clinical preparation.

NCATE plans to roll out details in the coming weeks. The proposals must first be vetted by internal committees.

The group last overhauled its teacher education standards in 2001, when it introduced a performance-based approach requiring teachers’ colleges to gauge their candidates’ acquisition of knowledge and skills.

Mr. Cibulka stopped short of indicating his proposals would require changes of that magnitude, but he drew parallels to those changes.

“NCATE has raised the bar,” Mr. Cibulka said about the 2001 effort, which initially increased the number of schools failing to receive accreditation. “Arguably, it has not raised the bar enough.”

Compliance to Improvement

Since assuming the reins of NCATE last year, Mr. Cibulka has promoted the accreditation process as a lever to focus teacher education on precollegiate student achievement. He has also sought a more efficient accreditation system.

During his Feb. 25 speech, sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank here, Mr. Cibulka underscored that such changes should include opportunities for teacher education to engage in research-and-development opportunities.

One way of effecting that change, Mr. Cibulka said, would be to offer institutions that receive accreditation without condition the option of seeking “continuous improvement” status, rather than going through the reaccreditation process. A number of regional accrediting bodies for higher education employ a similar option, as do national accreditors in other specialized fields, such as social work.

To apply, Mr. Cibulka suggested, a program would have to propose an in-depth project on an area of concern in teacher education. Such projects’ results, he said, could transform the field in new ways.

Changes to Standards

Mr. Cibulka added, however, that certain elements of the NCATE standards do need attention. In particular, he called on institutions to address content areas with “renewed vigor” to ensure they are focused and well-integrated with pedagogy. Although program-specific content standards are set by specialized professional associations, not by NCATE, their work is guided by an NCATE task force.

Mr. Cibulka also discussed NCATE’s standard for candidates’ student-teaching experiences, saying that revisions to that standard should aim to make those experiences the “centerpiece” of teacher education programs.

“We need to be, perhaps, more prescriptive asking programs to document the amount of fieldwork, the link between the area of content and how it is integrated, the selection of the site for student-teaching, and the quality of the supervising teacher,” he said.

Such ideas won plaudits from supporters of stronger field experiences for prospective teachers.

“Right now, coursework is in the foreground, and the clinical piece is in the background,” said Barnett Berry, the president of the Hillsborough, N.C.-based Center for Teaching Quality. “What we need to do is reverse that.”

Mr. Berry also suggested that the changes could help institutions focus their attention on specific program areas and on a smaller number of candidates.

“University programs tend to prepare almost every type of teacher,” Mr. Berry said. “In some states, they are preparing teachers who are not needed or will never find jobs. That money could be spent on a smaller number of candidates in fields who will.”

NCATE continues to explore the idea of accrediting alternative-route providers, Mr. Cibulka concluded, saying that he has had initial meetings with major groups such as Teach For America and umbrella organizations representing alternative routes. He hopes to encourage closer links between NCATE accreditation status and state oversight of teacher preparation.

“We need to have one high standard for all teacher preparation, with data for effectiveness and consequences for those who fall short,” Mr. Cibulka said.

A version of this article appeared in the March 11, 2009 edition of Education Week as NCATE President Fleshes Out Plans to Update Process

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates—and detractors—see a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump's Education Secretary Pick Is Linda McMahon, Former WWE CEO
McMahon led the Small Business Administration in Trump's first term and is co-chair of the president-elect's transition team.
6 min read
Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, March 29, 2019.
Then-SBA Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, March 29, 2019. Trump has tapped McMahon to serve as education secretary in his second term.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Federal What Could RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary Mean for School Vaccine Requirements?
The vaccine skeptic in line to lead the mammoth federal agency could influence schools' vaccine rules, even though they're set by states.
6 min read
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks before President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign event on Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich. Trump has selected Kennedy to serve as secretary of health and human services in his second term.
Carlos Osorio/AP
Federal Can Trump Force 69ý to Change Their Curricula?
Trump's bid to take money from schools that teach "critical race theory" or pass policies for transgender kids raises legal complexities.
9 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Evan Vucci/AP