Education Accreditation Visit Starts Saturday

A six-member team from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) will conduct an on-site visit of Sam Houston State University's College of Education and Applied Science Educator Preparation Programs Oct. 11-15.

The visit is part of a continuing accreditation process for which the college has been preparing for two years. The College of Education as well as its public school and community partners will be involved in meetings with a team of education experts from throughout the United States.

"The last two years have been a whirlwind of effort," said Hollis Lowery-Moore, NCATE coordinator at SHSU.

"We have worked to meet new state certification guidelines, meet higher state accountability criteria, meet federal accountability guidelines, improve our educator preparation unit and our programs in ways that the national accrediting organization will recognize, and to think imaginatively about our future.

"This has required the Educator Preparation faculty and staff at Sam Houston State University to energize all forces to meet the challenges, and all should be commended. Sustaining the energies is a shared commitment."

The board of examiners will interview key administrative personnel, educator preparation faculty, staff and a host of others to determine whether the Educator Preparation Program at SHSU meets national accreditation standards. The team will conduct site visits at partnership schools in Region 6 and at The University Center in The Woodlands.

On Sunday evening (Oct. 12) the Educator Preparation Program will host a “Fajita Dinner and Poster Session” event to brief the team on its activities. Poster sessions will involve university faculty, university students, public school partners, and community members and will highlight the programs and opportunities available to SHSU Educator Preparation candidates.

The NCATE board of examiners will include Kay Persichitte (chair), University of Northern Colorado; Steven E. Hoffman, Columbus City Schools, Columbus, Ohio; Barbara J. Farnandis, Chicago State University; Michelle Hulse, Warrick County School Corporation, Newburgh, Ind.; and Julius Chapman, Coppin State College. Willie Harris will serve as the state consultant representing the State Board for Educator Certification.

Lowery-Moore said the Sam Houston State University Educator Preparation Program's goals are to enhance the future through collaborative instruction, field experience, and research that ensures SHSU students have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to plan, implement, assess, and modify instruction for diverse learners using all technologies available.

"As the oldest teacher-training institution in the southwestern United States, we welcome the opportunity to strengthen our program through this process and to interact with this excellent team."

-END-

SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Oct. 7, 2003
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu