NCATE
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is the profession’s mechanism to help establish high quality teacher preparation. Through the process of professional accreditation of schools, colleges and departments of education, NCATE works to make a difference in the quality of teaching and teacher preparation today, tomorrow, and for the next century. NCATE’s performance-based system of accreditation fosters competent classroom teachers and other educators who work to improve the education of all P-12 students. NCATE believes every student deserves a caring, competent, and highly qualified teacher.
To the school district, the accreditation process provides value not only through judging quality, but also assuring reliable information about institutions and programs, promoting accountability and identifying successful improvement efforts. Accreditation:
Confirms that the public presentation of an educational program, student services and graduate accomplishments is fair and accurate.
Promotes accountability through ongoing external evaluation of the institution or program, with a finding that there is compliance with general expectations in higher education or a professional field as reflected in the accreditation standards.
Identifies institutions and programs that have voluntarily undertaken explicit activities directed at improving the quality of the institution and its professional programs and are carrying them out successfully.
Ultimately, we expect increased student learning, better scores and campus recognition.
When a college of education is NCATE accredited, it provides an assurance that the school’s teacher preparation program has met national standards set by the teaching field at large and has undergone rigorous external and impartial review by professionals, policymakers, and representatives of the public.
NCATE’s performance-based system of accreditation fosters the development of competent classroom teachers, specialists, and administrators who work to improve the education of all P–12 students and help all students.
Graduates from an NCATE accredited teacher preparation program are in high demand because they are well-prepared for initial licensing and advanced board certification. Candidate performance at NCATE institutions is thoroughly assessed throughout the program of study and before the candidate is recommended for licensure.
Many states have reciprocity agreements based on graduation from NCATE- accredited schools, so graduates of NCATE-accredited schools will generally find it easier to apply for licensure when they move out of state.
Individuals applying to an NCATE accredited school will have the assurance that the school’s educator program has met national standards and received the profession’s ‘seal of approval.
For students, accreditation provides value related to not only judging quality, but also obtaining employment, receiving student aid and transferring credits. Accreditation:
Encourages confidence that the educational activities of an accredited institution or program have been found to be satisfactory.
Assists with student mobility: Accredited status indicates to institutions judging requests for transfer or applications for graduate school that the sending institution or program has met threshold expectations of quality.
Signals to prospective employers that a student’s educational program has met widely accepted standards, with graduation from an accredited program, in some cases, a prerequisite for entering a profession.
Provides access to federal and sometimes state financial aid, available to qualified students who attend institutions accredited by recognized accrediting organizations.
The College of Education at The University of Texas at Brownsville is committed to excellence in our programs of studies, research and services. We have high quality standards in all Education programs and we are searching for expanding our academic offerings and research productivity. In addition, for maintaining our high quality standards we are seeking national accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The teacher preparation programs have the academic collaboration of UTB Departments of Fine Arts, English and Communications, Modern Languages, History, Biology, Computer Science, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Allied Health.