Huntsville, Ala. — Alabama A&M University’s long-standing ability to train quality teachers has received an important stamp of approval from the nation’s foremost agency on teacher education.
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is continuing the accreditation of AAMU’s distinguished Teacher Education Program, a part of the College of Education, Humanities and Behavioral Sciences (CEHBS). The decision was made at the organization’s meeting in San Antonio, Tex., and subsequently made official by a recent letter to AAMU President Andrew Hugine, Jr.
“This important achievement indicates A&M’s decades-old commitment to providing quality preparation and resources to eager educators,” commented Dr. Hugine. “Our graduates consistently distinguish themselves in school systems throughout the state, region and the nation as teachers and administrators.”
CEHBS Dean Curtis Martin gave special thanks to the faculty and called the accomplishment the result of an institutional effort. “We are committed to partnerships and enhanced student learning for learners in our partner schools and other surrounding areas,” commented Martin.
NCATE offers the professional accreditation needed to ensure the public that schools of education are graduating well-qualified teachers for today’s classrooms. In addition to AAMU, NCATE currently accredits 670 institutions which produce two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates each year. Over 70 institutions are candidates or pre-candidates for accreditation.
NCATE-accredited schools meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public. Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it so that students learn. The college or university must carefully assess this knowledge and skill to determine that candidates may graduate. The institution must have partnerships with P-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn.
NCATE revises its standards every five years to incorporate best practice and research in order to ensure that the standards reflect a consensus about what is important in teacher preparation today. AAMU’s next NCATE visit has been scheduled for 2017.
For additional information on the benefits of NCATE accreditation, please visit www.NCATE.org.
- Jerome Saintjones