The Education Department at Delaware State University is pleased to announce its application for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher education (NCATE) reaffirmation.  The Department received its initial accreditation in 1998 and was reaffirmed in 2003. The NCATE process ensures that accredited institutions have met high and rigorous standards of accountability for their teacher education programs. This process also provides an opportunity for teacher education programs to thoroughly examine their mission, goals, objectives, teaching strategies, faculty qualifications, assessment practices and performance outcomes. Although the NCATE on-site visit takes place every seven years, the teacher education program, which includes P-12 preparations, is in a continuous assessment process that provides the highest quality programs of study students. The purpose of NCATE accreditation processes is to provide assurance to the public such that professionally determined standards have been met, thereby validating the programs offered by such institutions. Graduates from NCATE-accredited schools of education master the subject matter and possess a variety of strategies to teach it effectively.  In this case, graduates can articulate why they select a particular instructional strategy; are able to manage classrooms with students from many different backgrounds; are able to use technology as an instructional tool; are reflective of their own practices and make appropriate changes; and have had a number of diverse clinical experiences in P-12 schools and studied under master teachers during a systematically designed field.  The NCATE Board of examiners is scheduled to visit our campus in March, 2011. The following six standards will be used to evaluate the unit programs:

• Institutional Report Overview

• Standard 1 Candidate Knowledge for Teacher Candidates

• Standard 2 Assessment System and Unit Evaluation

• Standard 3 Field Experiences and Clinical Practice

• Standard 4 Diversity

• Standard 5 Faculty Qualifications, Performance, and Development

• Standard 6 Unit Governance and Resources