ACCREDITATION VISIT
The Department of Teacher Education and Leadership at Mississippi College is hosting an accreditation visit by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in November of 2013. Interested parties are invited to submit third-party comments to the visiting team. Please note that comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the party's relationship to the Educator Preparation Program (i.e. graduate of the program, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates from the program).
We invite you to submit written testimony to:
Board of Examiners, NCATE
2010 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036-1023
Or by e-mail to: callforcomments@ncate.org
Correspondence, which must be received by NCATE no later than three months prior to visit, will be submitted to the Educator Preparation Program for response via NCATE’s Accreditation Information Management System (AIMS). NCATE will not upload anonymous comments to the BOE team or EPPs.
About the department
The Teacher Education Department is located in historic Lowrey Hall, one of the oldest, most significant campus buildings. Graduates of Mississippi College were among the first schoolmasters and schoolmarms in Mississippi. Before "public" school and teaching certificates existed, many MC graduates found themselves teaching in the schools and academies across the state. As education took shape in Mississippi, Mississippi College was in the forefront of the process. Mississippi College even pioneered "Normal" education in the early 20th Century. In 1954 the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education came into existence to bring high standards to teacher training in America. Mississippi College was accredited by NCATE in 1960, becoming one of the first colleges in the South to be so acknowledged. Mississippi College received continuing accreditation by NCATE in 2000 and was reviewed again during the fall of 2005.
Other important features of the Department of Teacher Education relate to the decision making process and to the department's commitment to collaboration. Since the programs in the department interface with most other departments in the University and also because school districts in the region collaborate with Mississippi College in the preparation of teachers and other education professionals, a committee has been formed called the Professional Education Advisory Committee (PEAC). The PEAC reviews existing programs and/or the need for new programs. This committee is composed of faculty across campus, undergraduate and graduate students, and public school teachers and administrators.
Praxis pass rates
Mississippi College program completers at the undergraduate and graduate levels far surpass the MDE requirement of an 80% pass rate of the appropriate Praxis II scores.
Praxis II PLT K-6 pass rates for Elem Ed program completers are as follows:
2010-2011 98%
2009-2010 100%
2008-2009 100%
2007-2008 98%
Praxis II Content K-6 pass rates are as follows:
2010-2011 96% pass rate
2009-2010 100%pass rate
2008-2009 97% pass rate
2007-2008 95% pass rate
All other 7-12 and K-12 programs completers also have a minimum pass rate over the last four years of at least 94%