Utah State’s accredidation to be reviewed
Utah State University’s College of Education is one of the few colleges in the state to have maintained its accreditation, said Francine Johnson, associate dean for the College of Education. The college will soon have the chance to keep that status in tact.
The National Council for Accreditation (NCATE) will be visiting USU Saturday through Wednesday. This visit is going to affect at least 22 other departments across the university, said Francine Johnson, associate dean for the College of Education.
Any department, such as science or foreign language, that offers accreditation for teaching will be under examination by NCATE, Johnson said.
When the group, composed of five people, arrives, students will be affected because the group will be observing classrooms with students who are working toward a major or minor in education, Johnson said.
“Students may see a board of examiners in their classroom, [the examiner] will double check to make our licensing procedures meet national standards,” Johnson said.
The college has never had a problem with accreditation before, but with new standards, some people have experienced a bit more stress concerning the visit, Johnson said.
“It is a very extensive review,” Johnson said. “Any time you’re under a microscope, you become anxious.”
In the past, the group has conducted interviews all over campus. This year NCATE will be interviewing President Kermit L. Hall, many administrators, teachers and even some students. In addition, NCATE will also be examining diversity issues, field work, facilities, libraries, the branch campuses, technology and the quality of faculty.
NCATE also conducts a performance assessment within the college. In the past, students have been given tests that demonstrate their knowledge about teaching, reading or math. The students’ grades and classes have been looked at. Johnson said NCATE is moving away from that. The group wants to know that students who are going into elementary or secondary school are benefiting.
They are “linking performance assessment back to public school districts,” she said.
Johnson said NCATE’s visit is always beneficial because their goal is to “ensure students are learning what they need to and being effective when they are hired by a school district.”
For more information about NCATE and their past reviews of USU, visit the College of Education Web site at www.coe.usu.edu and click on the NCATE link.