SUU -Professional Education Unit: Questions

These standards were adopted by the NCATE Unit Accreditation Board on March 31, 2000, and were ratified by the NCATE Executive Board on May 11, 2000.
These standards will be required for all visits, beginning in fall 2001.

STANDARD I.A: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK(S)

The unit has high quality professional education programs that are derived from a conceptual framework(s) that is knowledge based, articulated, shared, coherent, consistent with the unit and/or institutional mission and continuously evaluated.

Indicators:

I.A.1 The conceptual framework(s) is well written, well articulated and shared among professional education faculty, candidates and other members of the professional community.

The framework(s) is defined and makes explicit the professional commitments, dispositions, and values that support it, including the commitment to acquire and use professional knowledge on behalf of students.

The framework(s) includes a philosophy and purposes, contains assessment statements of desired results for candidates, and provides an associated rationale for coursework, field expereinces, and program evaluation.

The framework(s) reflects multicultural and global perspectives which permeate all programs.

The framework(s) and knowledge bases that support each professional education program rest on established and contempory research, the wisdom of practice and emergin education policies and practices.

I.A.2 Coherence exists between the conceptual framework(s) and student outcomes, courses, field expereinces, instruction and evaluation.

Courses in general, content, professional and pedagogical, and integrative studies complement one another and are consistent with the conceptual framework(s)

Field expereinces are an integrated part of the professional education curriculum and are consistent with the conceptual framework(s).

I.A.3 The unit engages in regular and systematic evaluation (including, but not limited to, information obtained through student assessment, and collection of data from students, recent graduates, and other members of the professional community) and uses these results to foster student achievement through the modification and improvement of the conceptual framework(s) and programs.

The conceptual framework(s) establishes the shared vision for a unit's efforts in preparing educators to work effectively in P-12 schools. It provides direction for programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, scholarship, service, and unit accountability. The conceptual framework(s) is knowledge-based, articulated, shared, coherent, consistent with the unit and/or institutional mission, and continuously evaluated.

A conceptual framework(s) establishes the shared vision for a unit's efforts in preparing educators to work in P-12 schools. It provides direction for programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, scholarship, service, and unit accountability. The conceptual framework(s) is knowledge-based, articulated, shared, coherent, consistent with the unit and/or institutional mission, and continuously evaluated. The conceptual framework(s) provides the bases that describe the unit's intellectual philosophy, which distinguishes graduates of one institution from those of another.

Faculty members in the unit are expected to collaborate with members of their professional community in developing a conceptual framework(s) that establishes the vision for the unit and its programs. The conceptual framework(s) provides the basis for coherence among curriculum, instruction, field experiences, clinical practice, assessment, and evaluation. It makes explicit the professional commitments and dispositions that support it, including the commitment to acquire and use knowledge on behalf of P-12 students. It reflects the unit's commitment to diversity and the preparation of educators who help all students learn. It reflects the unit's commitment to the integration of technology to enhance candidate and student learning. The conceptual framework(s) also provides a context for aligning professional and state standards with candidate proficiencies expected by the unit and programs for the preparation of educators.

The conceptual framework(s) provides the following structural elements

the mission of the institution and unit
the unit's philosophy, purposes, professional commitments, and dispositions
knowledge bases including theories, research, the wisdom of practice, and education policies
performance expectations for candidates, aligning them with professional, state, and institutional standards
the system by which candidate performance is regularly assessed.

Each unit seeking initial accreditation is required to submit its conceptual framework(s) as a precondition for establishing eligibility for NCATE accreditation. In addition, it will include an overview of the conceptual framework(s) in the preliminary section of the institutional report.

An institution preparing for a continuing visit will include an overview of its conceptual framework(s) in the preliminary section of the continuing report. This overview must include a description of the framework(s), its development, and changes since the previous visit, including the relationship of conceptual framework(s) revisions to updated standards and assessments of the unit, profession, or state. The unit will also report evaluations of the conceptual framework(s) and resulting changes in the NCATE annual report.

Board of Examiners teams will use the indicators below to describe the unit's conceptual framework(s) in the introductory section of the team report that is written during the on-site visit.

Indicators for Conceptual Framework(s)
Shared Vision	The unit’s conceptual framework(s) describes the vision and purpose of a unit’s efforts in preparing educators to work in P-12 schools. It is well-articulated, knowledge-based, and consistent with the institution’s mission.
Coherence	The unit’s conceptual framework(s) provides a system for ensuring coherence among curriculum, instruction, field experiences, clinical practice, and assessment across a candidate’s program.
Professional Commitments and Dispositions	The unit’s conceptual framework(s) clearly articulates its professional commitments to knowledge, teaching competence, and student learning. It has outlined the dispositions that the faculty value in teachers and other professional school personnel.
Commitment to Diversity	The unit’s conceptual framework(s) reflects the unit’s commitment to preparing candidates to support learning for all students and provides a conceptual understanding of how knowledge, dispositions, and skills related to diversity are integrated across the curriculum, instruction, field experiences, clinical practice, assessments, and evaluations.
Commitment to Technology	The unit’s conceptual framework(s) reflects the unit’s commitment to preparing candidates who are able to use educational technology to help all students learn; it also provides a conceptual understanding of how knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to educational and information technology are integrated throughout the curriculum, instruction, field experiences, clinical practice, assessments, and evaluations.
Candidate Proficiencies Aligned with Professional and State Standards	The unit’s conceptual framework(s) provides the context for developing and assessing candidate proficiencies based on professional, state, and institutional standards.

Professional Education Unit

NCATE Standards Related to the Conceptual Framework

STANDARD I.A: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK(S)