GENESEO, N.Y. – SUNY Geneseo's Ella Cline Shear School of Education has been reaccredited for seven years by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
The accreditation is for seven years at both the initial and advanced teacher preparation level. The decision indicates that the school meets rigorous standards in all categories set forth by the professional education community and assures the public that graduates have acquired knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to help all students learn. Geneseo's on-site review took place in the Fall of 2012.
"I am very pleased that our education programs have received full accreditation from NCATE," said Anjoo Sikka, Dean of the School of Education. "Professional educators have high regard for our students, who are deeply dedicated to the teaching profession with strong support from Geneseo's challenging liberal arts environment."
In 2012-13, the School of Education enrolled 826 undergraduate education majors in early childhood and childhood, childhood, childhood with special education, and adolescence education. The school offers graduate programs leading to professional certification in early childhood, multicultural education, literacy (B-12) and adolescence education. The school has 24 full- time and 6 part-time faculty members.
In their report, the NCATE team praised the School of Education for promoting a culture of collaboration and "can-do" spirit. Teacher candidates were recognized for their content expertise, their outstanding pedagogical knowledge and skills, and their deep and sustained commitment to volunteerism. Faculty members were praised for their scholarly work including recent publications and presentations at state, national, and international conferences and their dedication to the local educational community.
The accreditation team made three recommendations for improvement, including an area of enhancement in the assessment system, a more focused clinical experience for graduate multicultural education majors, and increased opportunities for students to work with diverse faculty members. In response to changes in professional licensure requirements and NCATE recommendations, School of Education faculty are participating in various initiatives to revise programs, including a new vision for teacher preparation at SUNY Geneseo.
"The value of having outside observers assess your program is the fresh insight they bring from their experiences," said Sikka. "We will employ that expertise to enhance our programs in preparing our students to be accomplished educators."
Founded in 1954, NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges and departments of education. NCATE and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) have consolidated and are now transitioning into the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Media Contact:
David Irwin
Media Relations Manager
(585) 245-5516
Irwin@geneseo.edu