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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF |
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TO: |
Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee |
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FROM: |
Johanna Duncan-Poitier |
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SUBJECT: |
Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education
Recommendation of Accreditation Action: |
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DATE: |
May 30, 2006 |
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STRATEGIC GOAL: |
Goals 1, 2, and 3 |
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AUTHORIZATION(S): |
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SUMMARY
Issue for
Decision
Reason(s) for Consideration
Required by
State regulation.
Proposed
Handling
The question will come before the Higher Education and Professional
Practice Committee at its June 2006 meeting, where it will be voted on and
action taken. It will then come before
the full Board at its June 2006 meeting for final action.
Procedural
History
The
Board of Regents adopted a new teaching policy, "Teaching to
Higher Standards: New York’s Commitment," in 1998. As a result of that policy, in 1999 the Board
adopted Section 52.21(b)(2)(iv)(c)(1) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, which requires
Background
Information
Most
students come from within 100 miles of the campus. The area’s population is predominantly White,
although significant minority and high-need populations exist in the region. In 2004-05, the College had 1,035 full-time
and 119 part-time undergraduate students and 16 full-time and 36 part-time
graduate students.
The preparation of teacher
candidates at Keuka is the responsibility of the Division of Education and
Social Work. Enrollment in teacher
education programs in 2004-2005 included 289 full-time and 4 part-time
undergraduates and 26 graduate students, all part-time. Eighty-one percent were female and 19 percent
male; 96.5 percent were White and 3.5 percent were underrepresented
minorities. The College states that experiential education is a hallmark and
distinguishing feature of the Keuka education.
Each student, for example, is required to complete a "Field
Period" - a three-credit course that requires a minimum of 140 hours of
field work - every year. Each year
between 2001-2002 and 2003-2004, 51 to
56 candidates took the NYSTCE exams, achieving pass rates ranging from 94 to
100 percent.
In 2004-2005, Keuka employed 55 full-time and 107
part-time faculty. The Education
Department accounted for seven full-time (five female, two male) and one
part-time (female) faculty members; none were from underrepresented
groups. With some exceptions, faculty
qualifications reflect a wide range of experience in theoretical and practical
applications of special education, curriculum and instruction, and the content areas
of the program's degree offerings.
A
RATE team visited the College in May 2005.
It conducted an on-site review of evidence, including documents in the
exhibit room, interviews with College and school-based faculty and
administrators, candidates, and alumni. Review
of syllabi, observation in classes, and interviews with candidates affirmed a
grounding in New York State Learning Standards, research, and theory. Candidates
include the Learning Standards in lesson plans and activities.
At both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the small size of the Education Department and the faculty’s commitment to student development have established a sense of intimacy and respect. Faculty referred to their relationships with candidates as both a personal commitment and a conscious modeling of the quality of teaching and leadership expected of candidates. There is a sense of a team effort among faculty, but the RATE team noted that Education Department faculty are overextended by their responsibilities. Teacher Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty collaborate and cooperate to improve teacher preparation. For purposes of teacher preparation, Keuka has working relationships with 20 area schools (including high-needs schools).
Consistent with the institutional mission, the teacher education programs emphasize “real-world experience” in both classroom settings and program requirements. The team found some administrative issues that impact the effectiveness of the teacher programs.
While
the RATE team concluded that the quality of
Keuka
accepted all 20 areas for improvement and indicated how each is being
addressed. The College's response is summarized in the
attached Summary of the Application for Accreditation. At its September 22, 2005 meeting, the PSPB's
Higher Education Subcommittee unanimously recommended that the teacher education programs offered by
Following that meeting, Keuka submitted
additional material that clarified information presented to the RATE team or
demonstrated corrective actions taken in the summer and fall of 2005. The Department found that the College's
follow up addressed 11 of the 16 issues encompassed by the original 20 areas
for improvement. Considering the
information submitted after the meeting of the PSPB's Higher
Education Subcommittee and the progress that continues to be made by the
institution to address the issues identified by the site visit team and the
PSPB, the Department recommends accreditation for a period of three years. This is consistent with recommendations on
other institutions that have shown evidence of progress to address areas for
improvement and where continued monitoring will help sustain that progress. If accredited as recommended, the College
would be required to submit annual reports to the Department to update progress
on all areas for improvement identified in the Compliance Review Report.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Board of Regents accredit
for three years the teacher education programs offered by
Keuka College
Summary of the Application for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs and Department’s Preliminary Recommendation on Accreditation Action
Preliminary Recommendation for Accreditation Action:
Accreditation, with term and conditions, if any, to be recommended by
the Higher Education Subcommittee of the New York State Professional Standards
and Practices Board for Teaching.
Teacher Education Programs to Be Accredited:
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Degree and Program Title |
Certification Type and Area(s) |
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B.S. Unified Early Childhood/Special Education |
Initial: Early Childhood
(birth-grade 2), Teaching Students with Disabilities (birth-grade 2) |
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B.S. Unified Childhood/Special Education |
Initial: Childhood (grades 1-6), Teaching Students with Disabilities (grades 1-6) |
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B.A. Adolescent American Sign Language Education |
Initial: American Sign
Language 7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent American Sign Language Education/Special Education |
Initial:
American Sign Language 7-12, Teaching Students with Disabilities: ASL
7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent Biology Education |
Initial: Biology 7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent Biology Education/Special Education |
Initial: Biology 7-12,
Teaching Students with Disabilities: Biology 7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent English Education |
Initial: English 7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent English Education/Special Education |
Initial: English 7-12,
Teaching Students with Disabilities: English 7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent Mathematics Education |
Initial: Mathematics 7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent Mathematics Education/Special Education |
Initial: Mathematics 7-12,
Teaching Students with Disabilities: Mathematics
7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent Social Studies Education |
Initial: Social Studies 7-12 |
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B.A. Adolescent Social Studies Education/ Special Education |
Initial: Social Studies 7-12,
Teaching Students with Disabilities: Social Studies
7-12 |
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M.S. Childhood Education |
Professional: Childhood
(grades 1-6) |
In 2004-05, the College had 1,035 full-time and 119 part-time
undergraduate students and 16 full-time and 36 part-time graduate students.
The preparation of teacher candidates at Keuka is the responsibility of
the Division of Education and Social Work.
Enrolled in teacher education programs in 2004-2005 were 289 full-time
and 4 part-time undergraduate students and 26 graduate students, all
part-time. Eighty-one percent were
female and 19 percent male; 3.5 percent were underrepresented minorities. In 2004-2005,
the Education Department employed seven full-time (five female, two male) and
one part-time (female) faculty members; none were from underrepresented
groups.
Fifty-one to 56 candidates have taken the NYSTCE exams between
2001-2002 and 2003-2005; 96 to 100 percent pass the certification exams
annually. Eight faculty members delivered the Education curricula at the time
of the visit. Seven faculty members are full-time and one is an adjunct; four
hold PhD’s, two are ABD’s, and two hold master’s degrees. Faculty
qualifications are generally strong and reflect a wide range of experience in
theoretical and practical applications of special education, curriculum and
instruction, and all areas of degree programs except Early Childhood, which did
not have a full-time faculty member with a terminal degree and expertise in
early childhood education.
Keuka
College Candidates’ Pass Rates on New York State
Certification Examinations for the Last Five
Years
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Year |
ATS-W |
LAST |
CST |
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# Taking |
% Passing |
# Taking |
% Passing |
# Taking |
% Passing |
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1999 - 2000 |
42 |
98 |
41 |
100 |
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2000 - 2001 |
32 |
97 |
33 |
97 |
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2001 – 2002 |
56 |
98 |
56 |
98 |
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2002 – 2003 |
52 |
98 |
54 |
96 |
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2003 - 2004 |
51 |
100 |
51 |
100 |
28 25* |
94 96* |
*
Students with Disabilities CST
Summary of Findings and Institutional Response:
Following a review of the institution’s Self
Study, a RATE team visited
Standard 3c: Faculty
The Unified Early Childhood/Special Education program lacked a full-time
faculty member with a terminal degree and credential in Early Childhood.
At the time of the visit, faculty teaching
assignments exceeded the maximum teaching loads as defined in Regulations.
Some faculty teaching undergraduate courses or supervising student
teachers did not possess a graduate degree.
The College lacked faculty diversity.
Additional faculty was needed to fulfill
program responsibilities.
Standard 3d: Curriculum
Field experiences at the infant and toddler levels for the Unified Early
Childhood/Special Education program were not being adequately addressed.
Methods courses did not ensure equal and adequate attention to the
different certification areas: early childhood, childhood, and adolescence
education.
Pedagogical preparation and field experiences did not cover all categories of learning disabilities, including autism, multiple disabilities, and health impairments (in addition to the mild disabilities currently represented in the curriculum).
Standard 3e: Collaboration
There was a need for greater
synchrony between Education and liberal arts and sciences faculty to provide
more effective student advisement, particularly for candidates in adolescence
education.
Standard 5: Assessment of Candidate Achievement
Candidate assessment did not include teacher education graduation
rates.
Standard 6: Resources
Faculty support was limited to promotion and tenure issues.
There was limited software to promote technology skills, to enhance
knowledge and dispositions of the Education programs as embodied in various
national and State standards.
The budget did not provide line items discrete
to the Education Department.
There was a need to increase library holdings.
In its
response, the College accepted all 20 areas of improvement and indicated how it
will address each item. The College:
has conducted outreach and extended the search for a full-time faculty
with credentials and expertise in Early Childhood Education;
has added another faculty line to strengthen the overall faculty base;
will expand faculty training and strengthen advisement;
is prepared to fund collaborative opportunities to support faculty
scholarship;
has adjusted faculty schedules to assure compliance with faculty loads;
has provided assurance that adjunct faculty are qualified to teach their
assigned coursework;
has added a faculty member from an underrepresented group who will begin
teaching in fall 2005;
has revised syllabi to assure curriculum and field experiences with
infants and toddlers for those pursing early childhood certification;
will continue to work to address all certificate areas (childhood, early
childhood, and secondary education);
will track education candidates from entry to graduation to determine persistence
and program completion rates;
will add software for education programs using Title III grant monies;
has provided a copy of its current budget which identifies line item
distributions for education;
is reviewing a library budget allocation for each program area
undergoing review to determine where the education collection may be enhanced;
and
will correct catalog errors identified by the team.
Annual reports submitted to the Office of
College and University Evaluation will include evidence of satisfactory
progress in each of the Standards identified as requiring improvements.