CEHD News

The University of Louisville and College of Education and Human Development received a positive, preliminary report from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) accreditation Board of Examiners (BOE). The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education is a national accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education authorized by the U.S. Department of Education. NCATE determines which schools, colleges, and departments of education meet rigorous national standards in preparing new and experienced teachers and other school specialists for the classroom.

The EPSB/NCATE partnership is an agreement between the Commonwealth of Kentucky and NCATE to conduct joint state program approval and NCATE accreditation reviews. Fifty-three educator preparation programs at the University of Louisville were part of the accreditation review. The EPSB/NCATE Board of Examiners reviewed all unit educator preparation programs in the College of Education and Human Development, including collaborating programs in the School of Music (music education), Department of Surgery (communication disorders), College of Arts and Sciences (art education and English as a Second Language), and Kent School of Social Work.

The BOE team chairs (national and state) and the Division Director of Educator Preparation at EPSB presented the preliminary continuing accreditation report to the President, Provost, CEHD Dean, and NCATE coordinators on October 22, 2008. The President, Provost, Dean and NCATE coordinators were pleased with the report’s preliminary findings and heard acknowledgement of progress related to educator preparation at the University of Louisville since the previous on-site accreditation visit in 2002. In particular, the unit’s service to constituents in schools and the community was cited as exemplary.

An afternoon reception on October 22, 2008 to acknowledge the preliminary report was held at the Rausch Planetarium for faculty, staff, and collaborating partners involved in preparation for the accreditation visit. The final accreditation report is anticipated Summer 2009.