THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

 

TO:	The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents
FROM:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
COMMITTEE:	Higher Education and Professional Practice
TITLE OF ITEM:	Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education Recommendation of Accreditation Action: The College of New Rochelle
DATE OF SUBMISSION:	February 18, 2005
PROPOSED HANDLING:	Action
RATIONALE FOR ITEM:	The College of New Rochelle relies on the Regents as their accreditation agency for teacher education programs
STRATEGIC GOAL:	Goals 1, 2, and 3
AUTHORIZATION(S):

 

SUMMARY:

 

The College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, has applied for accreditation of its teacher education programs by Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education (RATE).  The attached Summary of the Application for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs and Department’s Preliminary Recommendation for Accreditation Action lists the registered programs leading to certification offered by The College of New Rochelle.

 

The College of New Rochelle was incorporated as Ursuline Seminary on March 22, 1898.  The absolute charter was granted on June 27, 1904 under the name College of St. Angela.  A charter amendment, on December 14, 1905, granted the College of St. Angela the authorization to confer collegiate degrees.  The charter was amended in 1910 to change the name to The College of New Rochelle. The College is authorized to grant all degrees recognized by the Board of Regents. 

 

The philosophy and purpose of the education department is reflected in the Ursuline tradition of offering intellectual development through maintaining high standards of academic excellence and educational growth as is expressed and upheld in the mission statement of the College.  This mission statement identifies the primary responsibility of the College as “the intellectual development of persons through the maintenance of the highest standards of academic excellence and growth.” The College fulfills this mission through its commitment to providing lifelong learning opportunities to a diverse population of candidates exhibiting a wide range of ethnic, socio-economic and age differences.  

          Following receipt of a self-study, a site visit team composed of peer reviewers and a review coordinator from the Office of College and University Evaluation visited the College in November 2003.  A draft report of the team’s findings was prepared and transmitted to the College for review and comment.  It was the team’s overall assessment that the College was in compliance with the standards set forth in Regents Rules, Subpart 4-2, except for 4-2.5(a)(5), Assessment of candidate achievement, and the related assessment regulations in CR 52.21(b).  The attached summary report cites the strengths of the programs, as well as program issues that were identified by the site visit team.

 

          The Department’s preliminary recommendation to the Higher Education Subcommittee of the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching was that The College of New Rochelle’s teacher education programs be accredited, with term and conditions to be recommended by the Higher Education Subcommittee of the New York State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching.  The Summary of the Application for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs and Department’s Preliminary Recommendation on Accreditation Action is attached.  Materials providing further information on the College’s application and the review process are available in the Regents Office.

 

          At the Subcommittee’s meeting on January 20, 2005, it considered the Department’s preliminary recommendation for accreditation action and the self-study and report underlying that recommendation.  The Subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend that the teacher education programs offered by The College of New Rochelle be conditionally accredited, with a focused site visit in three years to evaluate:

 

1. The development and implementation of a formal and systematic assessment plan that reflects a coherent program, is tied to explicit national and State standards, and includes evidence of candidate performance and performance of students taught by candidates and graduates;

 

2. Written evidence explicitly demonstrating that the following elements are addressed across the curricula in formal syllabi and in teaching by faculty and candidates:

 

• Inclusion of students at all ability levels,
• Multicultural perspectives, and
• Alignment of curricula with State learning standards in all specialty areas

 

3. Evidence of progress toward representation of currently underrepresented groups on the full- and part-time teacher education faculty that more closely matches the diversity among program candidates; and

 

4. Compliance with the regulatory requirement that a majority of courses in each teacher education program are offered by full-time faculty.

The Subcommittee further stipulated that the College include in its first RATE annual report a plan with a specific timeline to assess its progress toward satisfying these conditions, including a report on the diversity of the faculty actually teaching in teacher education programs during the semester in which the annual report is submitted.

 

Recommendation:  I recommend that the Regents take the following action: 

 

VOTED, that the Board of Regents grant accreditation of the teacher education programs offered by The College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, New York, effective March 15, 2005, for a period beginning immediately and ending on March 14, 2012, with the condition that a focused site visit be conducted before March 14, 2008, to address the issues cited by the Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching.   Accreditation beyond March 14, 2008 shall be contingent on a finding that the College has satisfactorily addressed the identified issues.

 

Attachment

STATE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND PRACTICES BOARD FOR TEACHING

Higher Education Subcommittee

RATE Accreditation Recommendation

 

The College of New Rochelle

           

            VOTED, That the Higher Education Subcommittee of the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching, meeting on January 20, 2005, following review and discussion of the compliance review report on the teacher education programs offered by the College of New Rochelle, on the basis of the record* before it recommends to the Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education that the teacher education programs offered by the College of New Rochelle be conditionally accredited, with a focused site visit in three years to evaluate:

5. The development and implementation of a formal and systematic assessment plan that reflects a coherent program, is tied to explicit national and State standards, and includes evidence of candidate performance and performance of students taught by candidates and graduates;
6. Written evidence explicitly demonstrating that the following elements are addressed across the curricula in formal syllabi and in teaching by faculty and candidates:

·     Inclusion of students at all ability levels,

·     Multicultural perspectives, and

·     Alignment of curricula with State learning standards in all specialty areas;

7. Evidence of progress toward representation of currently underrepresented groups on the full- and part-time teacher education faculty that more closely matches the diversity among program candidates; and
8. Compliance with the regulatory requirement that a majority of courses in each teacher education program are offered by full-time faculty.

 

The Subcommittee further stipulates that the College include in its first RATE annual report a plan with a specific timeline to assess its progress toward satisfying these conditions, including a report on the diversity of the faculty actually teaching in teacher education programs during the semester in which the annual report is submitted.

 

Approved unanimously with six voting members of the Subcommittee present.

 

________________________________________                _____________________

Higher Education Subcommittee Chair                                               Date

 

*Including the Department’s preliminary recommendation for accreditation action, the institution’s self-study, its application for accreditation, other documents relevant to the Department’s preliminary recommendation, and any additional written submissions by the institution.  Representatives of the institution were present to respond to questions

College of New Rochelle

 

Summary of the Application for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs and Department’s Preliminary Recommendation on Accreditation Action

 

The College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, New York, has applied for accreditation of its programs of study leading to teacher certification under the Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education (RATE).

 

Preliminary Recommendation for Accreditation Action:           

 

Accreditation, with term and conditions, if any, to be recommended by the Higher Education Subcommittee of the New York State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching.

 

 

Teacher Education Programs to Be Accredited:

 

Undergraduate programs leading to initial certification in:

 

·       Early Childhood B-2  (BA and BS degrees)

·       Childhood 1-6 (BA and BS degrees)

·       Middle Childhood Specialist in Biology, Chemistry, Foreign Language, English, Mathematics and Social Studies (BA and BS degrees)

·       Biology 7-12 (BA and BS degrees)

·       Chemistry 7-12 (BA and BS degrees)

·       Foreign Language 7-12 (BA degrees)

·       English 7-12 (BA degrees)

·       Mathematics 7-12 (BA and BS degrees)

·       Social Studies 7-12 (BA degrees)

·       Special Education B-2, 1-6 and 7-12 (BA and BS degrees)

·       Visual Arts (BFA, BA and BS degrees)

 

The Graduate School offers graduate programs in:

 

·       Early Childhood B-2 (MSEd degrees)

·       Childhood 1-6 (MSEd degrees)

·       Special Education B-2, 1-6 and 7-12 (MSEd degrees)

·       Gifted Education (MSEd degrees and Advanced Certificates)

·       Visual Arts (MA degrees)

·       Literacy 1-6 and Literacy 5-12 (MSEd degrees)

·       English as a Second Language (MSEd degrees)

·       Bilingual Education (Advanced Certificate)

·       Speech – Language Disabilities (MS degrees)

 

 

Summary of Findings and Institutional Response:

 

Following a review of the institution’s self-study, a team visited the College of New Rochelle in November 2003 as part of the accreditation review process.  It was the team’s overall assessment that the College was in compliance with the standards found in Regents Rules, Subpart 4-2. 

 

The Title II data reporting pass rates for required certification examinations verify that the aggregate of program completers have LAST pass rates reported as; 1999-2001 = 93%, 2000 – 2001 = 92%, 2001 – 2002 = 92%, 2002 – 2003 = 100%.  The ATS-W pass rates are reported as; 1999-2001 = 94%, 2000 – 2001 = 93%, 2001 – 2002 = 95%, 2002 – 2003 = 100%.

 

The team cited the following program strengths:

 

1.     The programs benefit from the commitment, on the part of the President and the college leadership, to providing lifelong learning opportunities to a diverse population of candidates exhibiting a wide range of ethnic, socio-economic and age differences.

 

2.     A very close working relationship exists between the School of Arts and Sciences Education Department and the local school districts and local schools actively seek grants programs for their schools and look to the College for assistance in this respect.

 

3.     The liberal arts and sciences faculty work side by side with the education faculty.

 

4.     There exists a very strong emphasis on placing field experience candidates in special education placements.

 

5.     Review of faculty CV’s and interviews with members of the College community reveal a faculty whose members are well prepared to teach in their respective areas and who are deeply committed to advancing the institutional mission and values.

 

6.     The college values their graduates and invites them to be a part of the teacher preparation programs as cooperating teachers and guest lecturers.

 

7.     The College has a number of successful initiatives to recruit students from historically underrepresented populations.

 

8.     Strong academic support services are provided via the Learning Support Services unit (LSS). Additional support is available through the Counseling, Career Development & Placement Services unit (CCD&PS).

 

The team, however, did recommend that the College address certain issues in its Annual Reports, including:

         

1.               Course descriptions and syllabi are not consistent in explicitly demonstrating how their objectives align with national and state standards.

 

2.               There is an evident need for the employment of more diverse faculty to reflect the rich diversity in the candidate body and the students they serve in the field. Efforts must be strengthened in future searches, and demonstrated results are essential.

 

3.               The program courses could more consistently reflect the infusion of issues of multiculturalism, diversity, and multilingualism to better prepare candidates to teach all students. This can include sensitive examinations of candidate’s own diversity, and the diversity of the students they see in the field.

 

4.               The program courses could more consistently reflect the infusion of appropriate ways to adapt, enhance and modify curriculum and teaching strategies to accommodate the needs of children identified as at-risk, disabled and/or gifted.

 

5.               A coalition built on the good will that exists in local cooperating schools and with CNR alumni  could benefit on-going program assessment.

 

6.               Program evaluation procedures initiated for the Self-Study and site visit should be continued and revised as needed in the future to keep them dynamic and relevant.

 

7.               The excessive use of part-time faculty in many graduate programs needs to be addressed.

 

8.               There is a need for the Education Department and the Graduate School to consolidate their student teacher and field experience placements so as to not overtax the available local resources.

 

9.               Graduate writing samples are submitted upon entry to the program. The review of these samples would be more effective if:

a.     The faculty were involved in developing fair and uniform rubrics against which these samples could be read.

b.     The faculty were involved in reading the samples.

 

10.           Candidate scores on standardized teacher certification examinations would be more useful in program evaluation if they were broken down by discrete program for consideration of the faculty in each program.

 

11.           Graduate faculty need to have computers on their desks. While candidates are supposed to arrive with transcripts in hand for advisement, they often do not. Further, throughout the semester, when candidates drop in for other kinds of assistance, online transcript access is frequently an essential tool in advisement.

 

In its response, the College has acknowledged and responded substantively to many of these recommendations.