Elon’s teacher education program just concluded site visits by teams from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction (SDPI). Both teams gave the Elon program positive reports, says Jerry Dillashaw, dean of the School of Education, and the program will now be on a 7-year review cycle rather than a 5-year cycle.
In the judgment of the visiting team, Elon has met all 6 NCATE standards. The six NCATE standards are I – Candidate Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions; II – Assessment System; III – Clinical and Field Experiences; IV – Diversity; V – Faculty Qualifications; and VI – Governance and Resources. The team’s recommendations go to the Unit Accreditation Board, which will meet in October to make the final decision on continuing accreditation for the program.
The SDPI team reported on each licensure area and indicates in its report whether Elon needs to take action. The only areas the SDPI identified for review were a literacy component in the middle grades program and an annual review of the secondary history/social studies program. No action is needed in any other licensure area.