NCATE Accreditation

NCATE Preconditions

The Dedicated Educator: A Conceptual Framework (doc)

NCATE FAQs

In October 1999, Louisiana became a State Partner with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE has partnership agreements with 46 states, so that institutions may seek professional accreditation while gaining state approval. Each Louisiana institution seeking either state or national accreditation of its teacher preparation program will now be visited at least once every five years by a joint team comprised of members of both the NCATE and the State Board of Examiners (SBOE).

Although each institution in the State of Louisiana that prepares teachers must now meet NCATE as well as state guidelines, official NCATE accreditation is voluntary. The Department of Education at Centenary College, with support from the administration at Centenary College, hosted an initial accreditation visit in Fall 2006. The Department of Education at Centenary College of Louisiana is now accredited with provisions from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), 2010 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036; phone (202) 466-7496. This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation programs, including all undergraduate and graduate education programs at Centenary College. NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education to accredit programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel.

Over one-third of NCATE's 500 accredited institutions are private, independent, liberal arts colleges. Thirty-three national organizations, representing 3.5 million educators and the public, support and sustain NCATE. In the last five years, NCATE has been consistently supported in its efforts by a number of major national foundations. This support enables NCATE to continue to improve the rigor, quality, value, and relevance of the accreditation process.

NCATE accreditation responds to the public's expectation that colleges of education be professionally accredited and meet rigorous standards. In a recent public opinion poll conducted by Penn and Schoen, 82 percent of the public favors requiring teachers to graduate from nationally accredited professional schools.

Professional accreditation is an essential component of the newly emerging quality assurance system for teaching. Teacher candidates who graduate from NCATE-accredited schools will be better prepared for initial licensing and advanced board certification.

NCATE is committed to enhancing the quality of teacher education programs. It seeks to hold teacher education programs accountable for the following essential elements of contemporary teacher preparation:

  • Ensuring that teacher candidates gain in-depth knowledge of the content/developmental area they plan to teach.
  • Evaluating what candidates know and are able to do, using multiple assessment methods.Infusing the research and knowledge base for effective teaching into teacher education curricula.
  • Infusing the research and knowledge base for effective teaching into teacher education curricula. It is critical that teacher education programs operate differently from the past. Today's diverse and complicated student population demands that institutions incorporate new research on effective teaching and learning.
  • Emphasizing school district collaboration. NCATE colleges and universities must reach out to P-12 schools to create partnerships between the academy and the classroom. NCATE standards link preparation and practice more closely than ever.
  • Advancing technology in teacher preparation programs. NCATE standards now expect schools of education to provide adequate access to computers and technology, and they expect faculty and students to be able to use computers and technology successfully in their practice.
  • Promoting diversity in the institution's practices, policies, and programs. By the early part of the 21st century, nearly 50% of America's students will be ethnic minorities. Preparing teachers who will be ready to teach all students is a part of NCATE's expectations.

Although the Department of Education at Centenary College has always maintained high standards for preparation of teachers, NCATE accreditation will raise those standards even higher. Dr. Karen Soul, Assistant Professor of Education at Centenary College, is the Centenary College NCATE Coordinator. Please contant Dr. Soul at 318-869-5065 or ksoul@centenary.edu for more information.