SU Celebrates 50th Anniversary of NCATE

SALISBURY, MD---The Samuel W. and Marilyn C. Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies at Salisbury University joins the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in celebrating the council’s 50th anniversary this year. In 1954, SU’s Education Program was one of the first accredited by NCATE, which certified just 283 programs in its initial year. Today, NCATE accredits 575 institutions, including SU. “This accreditation means SU has met the highest national standards for the profession and is recognized nationally as an institution that prepares high quality teachers,” said Dr. Dennis Pataniczek, dean of the Seidel School. “I'm proud that SU is NCATE accredited and that we were among the initial institutions that met standards.” NCATE-accredited schools must meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public. Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it so students learn. NCATE revises its standards every five years to incorporate best practices and research to ensure the standards reflect a consensus about what is important in teacher preparation. In the past decade, NCATE has moved from an accreditation system focused on curriculum and what teacher candidates were offered to a data-driven, performance-based system dedicated to determining what candidates know and are able to do. For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU Web site at www.salisbury.edu.