Gallaudet University Professional Education Program Receives Accreditation

Gallaudet University is pleased to announce its Professional Education Programs (PEP) unit has received accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) at the initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation levels. The NCATE accreditation means that Gallaudet’s PEP meets rigorous standards which are established by the professional education community.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.

The NCATE accreditation includes Gallaudet’s professional education programs in elementary education and early childhood education; secondary education programs in biology, chemistry, English, general science, mathematics, and social studies; and the master’s programs in deaf education, school counseling, school psychology, and school social work.

The Gallaudet University Department of Education does an outstanding job of educating future teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students and they must be commended for their diligent efforts, said President T. Alan Hurwitz. The NCATE accreditation is a wonderful achievement which further exemplifies the fact that Gallaudet graduates are fully equipped to educate the deaf and hard of hearing students of today and tomorrow.

NCATE currently accredits 670 institutions that produce two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates each year. Its accreditation process establishes standards for teacher education programs and holds accredited institutions accountable for meeting these standards which include the following:

• Teacher candidates must possess in-depth knowledge of the subject matter they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to teach it effectively to students. The university is responsible for assessing this knowledge and skill to determine that students may graduate.
• The institution must have partnerships with pre-K-12 schools that enable candidates to develop the skills necessary to help students learn.
• Candidates must be prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations.
• College and university faculty must model effective teaching practices.
• And the school, college, or department of education must have the resources, including information technology resources, necessary to prepare candidates to meet new standards.

NCATE revises its standards every seven years to incorporate best practices and research in order to ensure that the standards reflect a consensus about what is important in teacher preparation. NCATE will conduct its next site visit in Fall 2018.