THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:

The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents

FROM:

Johanna Duncan-Poitier

COMMITTEE:

Higher Education and Professional Practice

TITLE OF ITEM:

Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education

Recommendation of Accreditation Action: St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn and Suffolk Campuses

DATE OF SUBMISSION:

June 7, 2004

PROPOSED HANDLING:

Action

RATIONALE FOR ITEM:

St. Joseph’s College relies on the Regents as its accreditation agency for teacher education programs

STRATEGIC GOAL(S):

Goals 1, 2, and 3

AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

          St. Joseph’s College has applied for accreditation of its teacher education programs by Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education (RATE).  The attached Summary of the Application for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs and Preliminary Recommendation for Accreditation Action lists the registered programs leading to certification in the classroom teaching service offered by St. Joseph’s College at its main campus in Brooklyn and its Suffolk Campus in Patchogue.

 

The Board of Regents chartered St. Joseph’s College for Women, Brooklyn, in 1916 and granted it an absolute charter in 1929.  Having pioneered in the study of child development, the College opened a laboratory preschool in 1934.  A program to prepare teachers has been in place since 1941, under the title of Child Study.  The College’s charter was amended in 1970 to give it its present name and to enable it to admit men.  The College began to offer courses at an extension site in Suffolk County in 1971; in 1976 the Regents authorized a branch campus in Suffolk County, and in 1978 it moved to its present site in Patchogue.  As part of one independent college that sees itself as having a single identity, the two campuses of St. Joseph’s College share a common mission and goals, similar curriculum and academic programs, much of their higher-level administration, a unified financial structure, and integrated academic departments and faculty.  Across both campuses, Saint Joseph’s had an enrollment of 5,161 students in the fall of 2003, including 4,791 undergraduate and 370 graduate students.

 

St. Joseph’s College’s catalog and self-study state a clearly defined mission:  “to provide a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, rooted in the liberal arts tradition that supports provision for career preparation and enhancement.”  The goals, purposes, objectives, and implementation of the teacher education programs are in keeping with this mission.

         

Following a review of the institution’s self-study, a separate team visited each campus of St. Joseph’s College in September 2003 as part of the accreditation review process.  Each team conducted an on-site review of evidence, and the two teams conferred via videoconferencing technology which the College uses for meetings and other communications between campuses.

 

A draft report of each team’s findings was prepared and transmitted to the College for review and comment.  It was the teams’ overall assessment that the College was in compliance with the standards found in Regents Rules, Subpart 4-2.  Program strengths and areas for improvement cited by the teams in the report are listed in the attachment.  Upon receiving the College’s comments, the Department prepared a final compliance review report for consideration by the Higher Education Subcommittee of the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching.  Material providing further information on the College’s application and the review process is available in the Regents Office.

 

The Department’s preliminary recommendation to the Subcommittee was that the College’s programs be accredited for a period of seven years.  At the Subcommittee’s meeting in June 2004, it considered this preliminary recommendation and the self-study and reports underlying that recommendation.  The Subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend that the Department’s recommendation be adopted as the Deputy Commissioner’s recommendation.  The Subcommittee added that, among the areas for improvement cited in the compliance review report, the Subcommittee recommends that the following are the ones for major focus in the College’s continuing efforts in preparation for its next review for Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education:  the recruitment and hiring of faculty members who will provide diversity, and the recruitment of candidates for teacher education from historically underrepresented groups; the development of a comprehensive system for assessing graduates’ teaching effectiveness; and better reflection in Adolescence Education syllabi of how course goals, objectives, and assignments prepare candidates to teach to the New York State learning standards.

 

Recommendation:  I recommend that the Regents take the following action: 

 

VOTED, that the Board of Regents grant accreditation of the teacher education programs offered by St. Joseph’s College at its main campus in Brooklyn and its Suffolk Branch Campus in Patchogue effective June 22, 2004, for a period beginning immediately and ending on June 21, 2011.

 

Attachment

STATE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND PRACTICES BOARD FOR TEACHING

Higher Education Subcommittee

RATE Accreditation Recommendation

 

St. Joseph’s College:  Brooklyn and Suffolk Campuses

         

            VOTED, That the Higher Education Subcommittee of the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching, meeting on June 3, 2004, following review and discussion of the compliance review report on the teacher education programs offered by St. Joseph’s College at its Brooklyn and Suffolk Campuses, on the basis of the record* before it recommends to the Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education that the Department’s preliminary recommendation for accreditation action be adopted as the Deputy Commissioner’s recommendation.  Among the areas for improvement cited in the compliance review report, the Subcommittee recommends that the following are the ones for major focus in the College’s continuing efforts in preparation for its next review for Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education:

 

Approved unanimously with eight voting members of the Subcommittee present.

 

________________________________________

Higher Education Subcommittee Chair

 

________________________________________

Date

 

 

*Including the Department’s preliminary recommendation for accreditation action, the institution’s self-study, its application for accreditation, other documents relevant to the Department’s preliminary recommendation, and any additional written submissions by the institution.

St. Joseph’s College

 

Summary of the Application for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs and Department’s Preliminary Recommendation on Accreditation Action

 

St. Joseph’s College has applied for accreditation of its programs of study leading to teacher certification, offered at the College’s Brooklyn and Suffolk campuses, under the Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education (RATE).

 

Preliminary Recommendation for Accreditation Action:           

 

Accreditation for a period of seven years.

 

Teacher Education Programs to Be Accredited:

 

Both Campuses:

Child Study, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), leading to initial certification in Early Childhood Education (birth-grade 2), Childhood Education (grades 1-6), Students with Disabilities (birth-grade 2), and Students with Disabilities (grades 1-6)

Biology, B.A. and Bachelor of Science (B.S.), leading to initial certification in Biology (grades 7-12)

English, B.A., leading to initial certification in English (grades 7-12)

Mathematics, B.A. and B.S., leading to initial certification in Mathematics (grades 7-12)

History, B.A. leading to initial certification in Social Studies (grades 7-12)

 

Brooklyn Campus:

Chemistry, B.A. and B.S., leading to initial certification in Chemistry (grades 7-12)

Spanish, B.A., leading to initial certification in Spanish (grades 7-12)

 

Suffolk Campus:

Infant/Toddler Early Childhood Special Education, Master of Arts (M.A.), leading to initial/professional or professional certification in Early Childhood Education (birth-grade 2) and Students with Disabilities (birth-grade 2)

 

 

Summary of Findings and Institutional Response:

 

The programs at both campuses have the same curricula, and many of the faculty members teach at both campuses.  Following a review of the institution’s self-study, a separate team visited each campus of St. Joseph’s College in September 2003 as part of the accreditation review process.  Each team conducted an on-site review of evidence, and the two teams conferred via videoconferencing technology which the College uses for meetings and other communications between campuses.  It was the teams’ overall assessment that the College was in compliance with the standards found in Regents Rules, Subpart 4-2.  The teams cited the following program strengths:

 

  1. Evidence from multiple sources attests that the programs at both campuses prepare teachers who are effective in the classroom.
  2. The College’s motto, Esse non videre (to be, and not to seem) and mission permeate the Child Study and adolescence education programs in the curriculum, the field placements, and the professional development of the teacher candidates.
  3. Each candidate’s academic and professional development receives careful attention in advising, teaching, and interactions with faculty and staff.
  4. Both campuses have established strong collaborative relationships with local schools, including high-need schools and schools with diverse student populations; the Suffolk Campus has jointly registered programs with Suffolk County Community College from which it draws a significant portion of its enrollment in teacher education programs.
  5. Financial and physical resources are appropriate; technology resources are excellent.

 

The team, however, did identify some areas for improvement, including:

         

  1. The College needs to recruit and hire faculty members who will provide diversity within the college setting.
  2. A full-time faculty member with a terminal degree in Science Education is needed.
  3. The College is encouraged to develop its assessment plan in a timely fashion to provide firm evidence for its graduates’ teaching effectiveness and information for program improvement.
  4. The College is encouraged to seek external sources of funding to expand services and to reduce the burden of support services from the College’s operating budget.
  5. A formal procedure is needed for the Child Study and Education departments to review all publications yearly.  In addition, the Education Department should engage the Director of Development (or a marketing firm) to produce an attractive and professional brochure.
  1. The department chairs in Child Study and Adolescence Education need to create formal files to receive and maintain a record of candidate complaints.

 

In its response, the College has acknowledged these recommendations.

 

 

 

May 21, 2004