GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM AT MCNY RECEIVES LONG-AWAITED NATIONAL ACCREDITATION

Notable Recognition from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Makes MCNY Graduates Competitive on the National Level

NEW YORK, NY- December 9, 2010 — Metropolitan College of New York (MCNY) has obtained national accreditation for its Masters of Science in Education programs.  Earlier this month, Dr. Patrick Ianniello, director of the Masters of Science in Education degree program, announced that MCNY’s graduate education degree programs have earned full accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), an organization responsible for national accreditation of professional teacher education.

MCNY currently offers Masters of Science in Education degree programs for Childhood Education Grades 1-6 and Mathematics Grades 7-12. Known for its Purpose-Centered Education model, MCNY presented to NCATE over three years’ of quantitative data proving the full integration of NCATE’s goals and rigorous standards into the school’s experiential learning curriculum. By meeting and even exceeding all six required standards, NCATE also validated MCNY’s unique educational philosophy and learning approach, which prepares qualified teachers within 12 months to work in largely underserved and high need urban schools.

Both of MCNY’s graduate level education degrees are 1-year, 3-semester, 48-credit programs with full-time teaching internships. Curriculum is designed for teachers dedicated to the education of all children in diverse urban and suburban areas through an intensive full-time schedule of study and practice.

“Achieving national accreditation means that our graduates are able to compete with teachers anywhere in the country. However, our goal remains to raise the educational level of K-12 students right here in the New York Metropolitan area. This is not only a department and college effort but a community effort as well.  Teachers and principals from partnering schools are working with our teacher education candidates,” stated Dr. Ianniello.

NCATE revises its standards every five years to incorporate best practices and research in order to ensure that the standards reflect a consensus about what is important in teacher preparation today. Studies show that quality teachers are the most important factor in a student’s early education achievement. Making sure that teachers are fully prepared to enter the classroom and help students learn is now more crucial than ever. MCNY has proven its ability to train high-quality teachers by achieving accreditation under the performance-oriented standards of NCATE.

Meeting NCATE accreditation standards also helps institutions prepare new teachers for new, more rigorous licensing standards being established in many states. NCATE accreditation standards incorporate the model state licensing principles developed by a task force of the Council of Chief State School Officers.  Professional accreditation is one way to ensure that education programs are graduating well-qualified teachers ready for today’s diverse and challenging classrooms.

NCATE currently accredits 623 institutions that produce two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates each year.  Accredited schools must meet rigorous standards. Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it so that students learn. The college or university must then carefully assess this knowledge and skill to determine that candidates are eligible for graduation. The institution must have partnerships with P-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn. College and university faculty must model effective teaching practices and have the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards.

In the past decade, NCATE has moved from an accreditation system that 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. The new system expects teacher preparation institutions to provide compelling evidence of candidate knowledge and skill in the classroom.

About NCATE

The U. S. Department of Education recognizes NCATE as a specialized accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education. NCATE is composed of more than 30 professional and policymaker organizations representing millions of Americans committed to quality teaching. It was founded in 1954 by the teaching profession and the states. NCATE continues its mission today: the profession and the states working together for excellence in teacher preparation and development.  More information about NCATE is available at www.ncate.org.