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CITY, ND – (NewsDakota.com) The teacher preparation programs at Valley City State University have been reaccredited under the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards at both the initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation levels.
The NCATE standards are administered by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The recommendation to continue VCSU’s NCATE accreditation was approved by CAEP’s Selected Improvement Commission at its April 30–May 3, 2016, meeting in Baltimore, Md.
“Special congratulations are in order because the Commission cited no areas for improvement relative to any of the standards,” said Christopher Koch, CAEP president, in a May 17, 2016, letter to VCSU President Tisa Mason conveying the reaccreditation news.
VCSU was founded as Valley City State Normal School, a teacher’s school, in 1890. VCSU’s teacher programs have been nationally accredited since NCATE was founded in 1954.
The university now offers bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and in secondary education in the following areas: art, biology, business, chemistry, English, health, history, mathematics, music, physical education, social science, and technology. VCSU also offers a master’s degree in education.
“We have a long history in preparing teachers at Valley City State,” said Gary Thompson, dean of VCSU’s School of Education and Graduate Studies, “and our recent reaccreditation confirms that we’re staying at the forefront of teacher education.”
VCSU’s teacher preparation program received its last accreditation in 2008. In the intervening years, the university kept apprised of changes in the NCATE standards and aligned its curriculum with state and national standards. A self-study report was submitted to a CAEP Board of Examiners in February 2015. That report was reviewed by the examiners, and an off-site visit provided VCSU with feedback. VCSU’s programs underwent a successful three-day site visit by the Board of Examiners in October 2015.
VCSU will complete and submit CAEP annual reports each year during the accreditation period; VCSU’s next national accreditation visit—scheduled for Fall 2022—will be under the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards.