NCATE Requirements

State Requirements, Initial

and Continuing

Dates of Visit:

The unit is asked to submit its preferred visit dates to NCATE at least 1 year prior to the scheduled on-site visit review.  Institutions in partnership states must have the date approved by the state agency prior to submitting its request to NCATE.  

Institutions are visited every 5 years.  Institutions with probation, conditional, or provisional visits will be visited within 2 years of the UAB’s decision.

Visits are scheduled from Saturday afternoon through Wednesday noon except in special circumstances.

The state approval cycle and the NCATE accreditation cycle are the same.  The institutions must notify the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) Teacher Education Section (TES) with a Letter of Intent to seek NCATE/State approval at least two years prior to the end of the state approval cycle. 

Timelines:

For the 5 year continuing visit, formation is sent by NCATE to the institution two years prior to the visit.

For probation, conditional, or provisional visits information is sent by NCATE soon after the UAB’s decision.

For initial visits, information is sent by NCATE to institutions upon request.

NCATE timelines will be honored by NDE in NCATE institutions.  The TES must approve the dates of the visit before they are submitted to NCATE.

Preconditions:

(Initial Only)

For initial visits, the institution responds to preconditions found on the NCATE website.  The preconditions report must be submitted to the NCATE office at least eighteen months prior to the onsite visit.

Institutions on Probation, Accredited with Conditions, or Provisional Accreditation do not need to submit a new preconditions report, however, the institution must maintain the preconditions for continued NCATE accreditation.

There are no state preconditions required as Nebraska has a program reviews optional partnership.

Program Review documents:

(Program review Optional)

NCATE coordinates program reviews by specialized professional associations (SPAs) with program standards that have been approved by the Specialty Areas Studies Board. An institution may choose to seek a SPA review of one or more of its programs.  Institutions seeking initial accreditation submit program reports eighteen months prior to the NCATE visit.  Institutions with Spring visits must submit by February 1 and those with Fall visits by September 15.

Two years before the continuing visit, NCATE sends the unit a "Status of Programs" report that indicates the program report documents that may be submitted.  Program reports are due on February 1 or September 15, approximately one year before the visit.

For specific information on the preparation of program reports visit the NCATE website at www.ncate.org. 

At the beginning of the academic year in which the on-site visit will be held, the institution must update its filed program with the Nebraska Department of Education by submitting new and revised unit descriptions and program standards forms to the Teacher Education Section and all members of the visiting team.  The institution may not, however, change the Application for Approval (NDE 20-004) which provided the basis for institutional approval for the current academic year.

Unit Standards:

NCATE standards apply to the professional education unit.

NCATE standards apply to the professional education unit. The institution must also meet the Rule 20 State Program Approval Standards and meet the Rule 24 program standards.  These program standards are based on the standards of specialized professional associations where appropriate. 

Institutional Report

:

For initial and continuing visits, the institution prepares the required institutional report as outlined in NCATE Handbooks for Accreditation Visits. 

The institution sends one copy of the institutional report and undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) catalogs to each BOE member, state team members, state consultants, and NEA and AFT observers; and two copies to NCATE.  The state may require an addendum.  See the state requirements for information related to a state addendum to institutional reports.

The institutional report is submitted to NCATE 60 days prior to the on-site visit.

The institution sends one copy of the institutional report and college catalogs to each member of the state visiting team.  Two copies are sent to the NCATE office.

Evidence/Electronic

Exhibit Rooms:

Electronic exhibit rooms are encouraged. NCATE’s electronic exhibit room guidelines can be accessed at www.ncate.org.  Performance-based evidence that demonstrates what candidates know and are able to do must be included in the exhibit room.  Examples of assessments include reflections, observations, teaching demonstrations, analytic work, student projects, tests, and other forms of evaluative information demonstrating proficiency.  The NCATE Handbooks for Accreditation Visits provide additional information regarding assessments of candidate performance.

Previsit:

The NCATE chair meets with the state co-chair, consultants from the state education agency, and the institution's unit head and/or designee to plan for the visit.  This previsit occurs at the institution within 60 days of the visit.The institution sends the team co-chairs copies of the institution's report(s) before the previsit. (See NCATE Handbooks for Accreditation Visits for details.)

The Director of the Teacher Education Section and/or designee and the state's chair meet with the NCATE chair and the institution's unit head and/or designees to plan the joint NCATE/state visit.

Team Members:

(Joint)

A team is selected from NCATE's Board of Examiners (BOE). The team includes representatives from organizations of teacher educators, teachers, education specialists and/or policy makers.  Team assignments are systematically made in order to ensure that conflicts of interest are avoided.

For initial, continuing, and probation visits, teams will include 3-6 BOE depending on several factors, including the number of programs, number of candidates, size of the faculty, and degree levels.

For conditional and provisional visits teams will include 2-3 BOE members.

The state selects team members from within the state to join the NCATE Board of Examiners team.  The state team members participate in the data collection and discussions of the team.  A separate state team will have previously completed program reviews of the State’s unit and program standards and will provide that report to the joint NCATE/state team for their consideration in development of the BOE report. 

State representatives to the joint team are selected by NDE from the membership of the Nebraska Council on Teacher Education (NCTE).  The number of state representatives is equal to or one less than the number of NCATE representatives.

State Consultant:

NCATE invites the state education agencies to appoint representatives.  The representatives of the state agencies are referred to as "state consultants" who advises the team on state requirements, nomenclature, and special circumstances.  Consultant expenses are covered by the respective agency.  The state consultants facilitate an orientation to the state partnership at an early team meeting.

The Director of TES and/or designee serves as co-chair for the on-site visit.

Additional Team Participants:

NCATE invites the state affiliates of the NEA and AFT to appoint observers for the on-site visit. The participants’ respective agencies are responsible for their travel and maintenance expenses.

These observers can assist the BOE team with the collection of data, interviews, and assist in the editing of the team report.  However, they should not be assigned a primary writing assignment.  

The state appoints additional members of the Nebraska Council on Teacher Education or NDE staff members to serve as state team members and assist the BOE team members.

On-Site Visit:

The NCATE template for on-site visits guides the conduct of the visit as outlined in the NCATE Handbooks for Accreditation Visits and on the NCATE website at www.ncate.org.

For all types of visits, the BOE on-site team members make recommendations as to whether the NCATE unit standards are met at the initial and advanced levels.

An exit conference is conducted before the team departs on Wednesday. It is conducted by the NCATE chair, state chair, and consultants from the state agencies.  The institution is represented by the unit head and coordinator of the NCATE review; the president and/or provost may also attend.

An exit conference is conducted before the team departs on Wednesday. It is conducted by the NCATE chair, state co-chair, and consultant from the state agency.  The institution is represented by the unit head and coordinator of the NCATE review; the president and or provost may also attend.

The state chair provides copies of the report on the recommendations that the state members of the team made as a result of the state visit. 

The chair conducts a planning meeting with the co-chair, state team members and BOE team members prior to the Sunday team meeting.

The state co-chair completes the assistant chair’s checklist and returns it to the NCATE chair for submission to NCATE.

An exit interview is held following NCATE's guidelines.  An exit conference is conducted by the NCATE chair, the co-chair from the Nebraska Department of Education, and the institution's unit head.

BOE Team Report:

The BOE team report includes the Joint team’s findings for the unit standards for both the initial and advanced preparation levels as appropriate.   The BOE team chair mails a draft of the report to the NCATE office and to all team members (including state representatives) for review and editing. The chair incorporates suggestions from team members, AFT/NEA observers, and NCATE staff, and sends the next draft to the unit head to review for factual accuracy. The unit has approximately five days to respond in writing.

After receiving the unit's response and making appropriate changes if necessary, the chair submits the final report to NCATE. 

NCATE sends two copies of the report to the institution and copies to the state agencies. 

Provisional and conditional visits include team findings related to the previously unmet standard(s).

NCATE sends two copies of the BOE team report to NDE.

Within 30 days after NCATE's Unit Accreditation Board takes action on the accreditation of the institution, NCATE sends the chief executive officer and head of the professional education unit a letter that indicates the official action.

Two copies of the action report are mailed to the Nebraska Department of Education.

 NE Rev.  October 23, 1995

NCATE Format Rev.  6/97

Revision 5/99

NCATE Rev 4/00

NCATE 10/01