School of Education National Accreditation
CAEP National Accreditation
The Mercy University School of Education Earns Reaccreditation
The School of Education earned reaccreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in May 2021. We take pride in this result. It means that the school in its entirety has a robust and reliable infrastructure in place for the assessment of the progress of our candidates through our programs, and rigorous and interesting programs of instruction that meet the highest professional standards in the field.
We take pride as well in the fact that all our degree programs also earned national recognition from their respective Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs). The degree program areas that earned SPA recognition were the following teacher preparation programs: Childhood, Early Childhood, Secondary Education--English Language Arts, Secondary Education--Mathematics, Secondary Education--Social Studies, Secondary Education--Physics, Secondary Education--Biology, Secondary Education--Chemistry, and Teaching English to Students from Other Language backgrounds (TESOL). The following advanced programs for certified professionals that earned SPA recognition include: TESOL (Advanced), Teaching Literacy and School Building Leadership. The national recognition of these programs attests to the excellence of our programs and services.
Our school was reaccredited based on a virtual site visit that took place from December 6-8, 2020. During that visit, a site visiting team of eight members interviewed our students (all programs), faculty (core and adjunct), assessment personnel, program completers and alumni, as well as representatives from the local school buildings and districts. Based on that visit and a meeting by the CAEP accreditation board in late May 2021, the accreditation of our school was extended for another seven years.
Conceptual Framework
The shared vision for the education unit's efforts to prepare candidates to work in P-12 schools as teachers, school leaders or other school professionals. The Mercy University CF theme is centered on the Effective Educator, focusing on the six goals and corresponding proficiencies the unit expects of candidates upon completion of their programs. These six goals are the following: Content Knowledge, Pedagogical and Professional Knowledge, Reflection, Dispositions, Diversity and Technology.
The unit is dedicated to preparing effective educators, including teachers and other school professionals who are reflective practitioners and have the knowledge base, technological skills, research tools and professional proficiencies and dispositions to empower them to help diverse students succeed in their learning and community environments. The unit supports the values of competency, diversity, collaboration and ethical practice and commits itself to the tenet that all students can learn.
The Mercy University Conceptual Framework represents the group effort of faculty members in all unit programs to establish the philosophy, governing principles and standards to guide the unit and its individual programs. Through a consistent plan for curriculum, instruction, fieldwork, clinical practice and assessment, the Conceptual Framework sets forth the shared vision, mission, professional commitments and explicit proficiencies and dispositions the unit considers to be requisites for the preparation of teachers and other school professionals, enabling them to become Effective Educators.
Programs in the School of Education:
- Early Childhood Education
- Childhood Education
- Secondary Education: Science (Biology, Physics, Chemistry), English, Mathematics, Social Studies
- Literacy
- TESOL
- Special Education
- Educational Leadership
Programs in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences:
- School Counseling
- School Psychology
Unit values and competencies are supported by the six goals and related proficiencies that define the effective educator in the unit’s Conceptual Framework. The six goals are: Content Knowledge, Pedagogical and Professional Knowledge, Diversity, Technology, Reflection and Dispositions.
| Candidate Goals | Candidate Proficiencies |
|---|---|
| 1. Content Knowledge |
1.1 Demonstrate knowledge of current research, theory, models and practice in the discipline or content area 1.2 Exhibit competency in the discipline or content area |
| 2. Pedagogical and Professional Knowledge |
2.1 Plan and deliver instruction and professional services to address students' cognitive, linguistic, academic, cultural, social, emotional and physical strength and needs 2.2 Implement differentiated strategies that align with professional standards 2.3 Use assessment and other data based sources of information describe, inform and document student learning |
| 3. Diversity |
3.1 Implement curricula of inclusion and provide intervention services that respect and build on the strengths of students from diverse experiential backgrounds 3.2 Demonstrate fairness and equity in instructional and professional practice 3.3 Exhibit awareness of how students' cultural, linguistic, ethnic and experiential backgrounds contribute to the school and broader communities |
| 4. Technology |
4.1 Analyze and evaluate existing and emerging technological tools for advancing education goals and data-based decision making 4.2 Adapt technology effectively for student learning 4.3 Adhere to the ethical, legal and professional standards of technology |
| 5. Reflection |
5.1 Apply current, evidence-based research to improve practice 5.2 Use self-evaluation for instructional and professional planning, promote health and well-being and maintain a safe and effective learning environment |
| 6. Dispositions |
6.1 Demonstrate commitment to ethical and legal practice through professional behaviors and consistent adherence to ethical standards 6.2 Demonstrate respect for the roles of all stakeholders in the school and broader communities 6.3 Demonstrate the belief that all students can learn through respectful interaction and by providing experiences that encourage all students to be successful learners
|
The unit has developed an assessment system to support the implementation of these goals and to help stakeholders better evaluate unit effectiveness and determine areas for improvement. It outlines a process for continuous review of the effectiveness of the unit’s programs and operations serving our candidates, and includes a wide array of assessment processes, including course based key assessments to evaluate candidates’ progress, course evaluations to evaluate instructional effectiveness, exit and one-year follow up surveys to examine candidates perceptions of the effectiveness of the unit’s programs, as well as employer surveys to obtain their employers’ perspectives on our graduates’ preparedness for employment in the field of education.
The Conceptual Framework threads the values of diversity through the content, pedagogical and clinical proficiencies and professional dispositions required of unit candidates for teaching and other school professions. Within its curricula, assignments and standards for clinical practice, the unit stresses inclusion and respect for the ethnic, cultural and linguistic differences among its candidates and faculty and for those of students, parents and staff in P-12 communities. Mercy University is a federally- designated Hispanic-Serving Institution proud to serve a diverse candidate population and was ranked in the top 100 schools awarding master’s degrees to Hispanics (Hispanic Outlook 5/072012). The unit strives to recruit and develop teachers and other school professional candidates from ethnically and culturally diverse backgrounds who demonstrate their potential to provide quality instruction to all learners.
In their progression through their professional education programs, candidates have the opportunity to interact with each other and with university faculty in richly diverse environment. The faculty provides candidates with the academic and pedagogical context to integrate research and standards-based curricula into practice and provides knowledge into how cultural, linguistic, ethnic and experiential backgrounds contribute to solving problems.
Key assessments results indicate that candidates demonstrate the ability to work with students, families and colleagues in ways that reflect the various proficiencies and dispositions expected of them as professional educators. They demonstrate understanding, professional behaviors and values that are consistent with the belief that all students can learn.
The electronic data system the education unit employs to assess candidate performance through the collection and analysis of data and to better inform faculty about the changes needed to make programs better, to archive candidate work and to communicate progress with candidates.