DE DOE and Wesley College Agree to Terms for Provisional Approval of Teacher Education Program
The Delaware Department of Education (Department) has granted Wesley College provisional approval to continue to operate its Teacher Education Program until June 30, 2012 after the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) approval for Wesley College expired on December 31, 2010.
The Department’s provisional approval allows Wesley College to continue offering its Teacher Education Program, ensuring that students graduating during the provisional approval period remain eligible for a Delaware teaching license and certificate, while also requiring Wesley College take the steps necessary to address the areas for improvement identified by NCATE.
“The Department is granting this provisional approval to Wesley College’s Teacher Education program as a result of Wesley College’s strong commitment to rectify the issues related to the NCATE requirements,” said Secretary of Education Lillian M. Lowery. “The Department intends to rigorously monitor the plan submitted by Wesley and to provide periodic updates to the public, especially to students and their parents.”
Wesley College was notified in November that NCATE revoked their accreditation due to NCATE’s determination that the Teacher Education program had not met a number of NCATE standards. The Department has responsibility for approval of post-secondary teacher education programs in Delaware. The Department agreed to grant provisional approval to Wesley College, beginning January 1, 2011 for a period of no longer than 18 months.
As part of this agreement, Wesley College has also agreed to a series of corrective actions aimed at addressing the areas that were deficient in the NCATE ruling and are designed to provide a foundation for the future success of the program. Specifically, its provisional approval to Wesley was conditioned on Wesley College’s development of a detailed plan of action to address assessments, resources, and teacher candidates’ knowledge, skills and field experiences. Wesley College will provide quarterly reports to the Department on progress and outcomes.
During the provisional approval period, Wesley College students graduating in the field of education will not have completed a NCATE-approved program but will have completed a state-approved program. Students who graduate during the provisional approval period and become licensed and certified in Delaware may be eligible for licensure and certification in other states based on each state’s reciprocity agreement. Not all states require graduation from an NCATE- approved program for licensure and certification.
Wesley College has assured the department it will apply for NCATE accreditation of its Teacher Education Program in fall 2011. Following the scheduled site visit in fall 2011, the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board will make a final accreditation decision and notify both the State and Wesley in April 2012. If the visit was successful with a positive outcome, the decision will be retroactive to the semester that the site visit took place, or in this case, that will be September 2011.
Wesley College, as a whole, is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and the lack of NCATE approval does not affect the entire College’s accreditation. Rather, only students graduating with degrees in education will be affected.
For additional information, please contact Lisa Bishop, Special Assistant at: (302) 735-4105 or lbishop@doe.k12.de.us. For inquiries specific to Wesley College, please contact Dr. Patricia Dwyer, Vice President for Academic Affairs, at 302-736-2558 or at pdwyer@wesley.edu.
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Contact Info.
Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us |
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