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THE
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY
OF THE STATE OF |
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TO: |
Committee on Higher Education and Professional Practice |
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FROM: |
Richard P. Mills |
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SUBJECT: |
Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education Recommendation of Accreditation Action: Daemen College |
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DATE: |
December 20, 2005 |
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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
Daemen College has applied for accreditation of certain of its teacher education programs. Should the Board of Regents accredit these programs?
Reason for Consideration
Required by State regulation.
The question will come before the Committee on Higher Education and Professional Practice at its January 2006 meeting for action. It will then come before the full Board at its January 2006 meeting for final action.
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 New York State teacher education programs to become accredited by an acceptable accrediting organization by December 31, 2006.
Daemen College, Amherst, has applied for Regents accreditation of certain of its teacher education programs. Daemen has the following registered programs leading to initial certification in the classroom teaching service which are the subject of this application:
B.S., Childhood Education
B.S., Childhood Education/Special Education: Inclusive Childhood Education
B.S., Early Childhood Education/Special Education: Inclusive Early Childhood Education
M.S., Special Education/Childhood Education
B.A., Adolescence Education: French
B.A., Adolescence Education: Spanish
B.A., Adolescence Education: English
B.A., Adolescence Education: Mathematics
B.A., Adolescence Education: Social Studies
B.S., Adolescence Education: Biology
B.S., Visual Arts Education
(The College offers three other programs which are not part of this application.)
The first four programs in the list above are offered by the College’s Education Department, located in the Division of Health and Human Services. The remaining seven programs are housed in the Division of Arts and Sciences. There is a working relationship between the Education Department and the corresponding departments in the Division of Arts and Sciences for these programs. No teacher preparation programs are offered through distance learning.
Daemen College is an independent, nonsectarian, coeducational, career-oriented liberal arts college located in a suburb of Buffalo. In the fall of 2003, the College enrolled 1,401 full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate students and a total of 2,243 full- and part-time, undergraduate and graduate students; 25% of the freshmen class and 18% of the transfer students consisted of students from diverse populations. Between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002, total College undergraduate headcount enrollment decreased about 1% (from 1,675 to 1,654) while undergraduate headcount enrollment in teacher preparation programs increased by 53% (from 230 to 353). During this time, the College’s total enrollment of African-American and Hispanic undergraduates increased by 32% (from 194 to 256); enrollment from these groups in teacher preparation programs increased by 95% (from 19 to 37). In 2001-2002, students/candidates from these groups accounted for 15% of total undergraduate enrollment and 10% of enrollment in the baccalaureate-level teacher preparation programs.
A RATE site visit took place on November 2-5, 2003. The Higher Education Subcommittee of the Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching (PSPB) reviewed the application for RATE accreditation on March 23, 2005, and voted to recommend denial of accreditation. On April 7, 2005, Deputy Commissioner Duncan-Poitier advised the College of the negative recommendation. On April 20, 2005, the College notified the Deputy Commissioner of its intention to appeal pursuant to Regents’ Rule §4-2.6(a)(12)(ii). It submitted its appeal on April 27, 2005.
Pursuant to §4-2.6(a)(12)(iii), the Deputy Commissioner was entitled to file a written response to the appeal. After careful consideration of the College’s appellate materials, the Deputy Commissioner determined not to file papers in opposition to the College’s appeal, but instead elected to recommend that the Board of Regents grant accreditation of the College’s teacher education programs, subject to certain conditions.
The Compliance Review Report dated February 25, 2005, as summarized in the Deputy Commissioner’s revised recommendation dated November 9, 2005, identified 14 areas for improvement pursuant to §4-2.5. The Compliance Review Report evaluated the standards as follows:
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Met |
Met with Areas for Improvement |
Not Met |
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Standard |
(1) Commitment and Vision (2) Philosophy, Purposes, and Objectives (7) Support Services (8) Advertising (9) Candidate Complaints |
(5) Assessment of Candidate Achievement (6) Resources |
(3) Standards for Program Registration (4) Teaching Effectiveness of Graduates |
The appeal response satisfactorily addressed four of the six areas for improvement identified in standard 3 and one and a half of the two areas for improvement identified in standard 4. Most of the areas for improvement in standards 5 and 6 were addressed.
Upon consideration of the College’s appeal, the Deputy Commissioner has concluded that the College has successfully addressed the most critical areas of deficiency, and that its teacher education programs should be conditionally accredited for a period of three years. I concur.
Recommendation: Consistent with the recommendation of Deputy Commissioner Duncan-Poitier, I recommend that the Regents take the following action:
VOTED, that the Board of Regents accredit the teacher education programs offered by Daemen College, Amherst, listed above, effective January 10, 2006, for a period beginning immediately and ending on January 9, 2009, with the following conditions: (1) that the College submit annual progress reports to the State Education Department with respect to the 14 areas for improvement cited in the Compliance Review Report and summarized in the Deputy Commissioner’s revised recommendation dated November 9, 2005; and (2) that the College undergo a focused site visit to be conducted three years from this action, and that such site visit shall indicate compliance with Regents’ Rules, including specific confirmation that (a) faculty hired are working in the programs; (b) a proper assessment system is in place and data is properly collected; (c) bi-monthly meetings are held between Education and Liberal Arts faculty; (d) course sequencing and other curriculum adjustments have been made; and (e) all deficiencies cited in the Compliance Review Report have been corrected, all as recommended in the Deputy Commissioner’s November 9, 2005 revised recommendation. Accreditation beyond January 9, 2009, shall be contingent on a finding that the College’s programs are in all respects in compliance with Regents’ Rules, Subpart 4-2.
