The 1979 NCATE Standards: Implications for Teacher Education Programs

Abstract

In May 1977, the National Council for Accredita tion of Teacher Education (NCATE) adopted revisions to the standards which will become effective on January 1, 1979. Prior to the adoption of the new NCATE con stitution in 1973, AACTE had the responsibility for re vising standards. The 1970 revision of standards was largely the work of the AACTE committee on stan dards. However, under the new constitution, the NCATE's committee on standards is charged with the responsibility for recommending changes in the stan dards. In the present case, the committee made a series of proposals. According to the NCATE constitution, there must be a waiting period between presentation and adoption of changes in standards. During this period, constituent organizations and member institu tions had the opportunity to react. One public meeting was held at which NCATE constituent members ap peared. An AACTE task force on accreditation pre pared reactions to the proposed changes, many of which were adopted by the NCATE committee on standards. The committee's final recommendations were adopted by the council in May 1977. According to the NCATE constitution, there must be an 18 month period before implementation, so the standards will apply to institutions being visited after January 1, 1979. This paper will discuss the revised standards with emphasis on changes from the present standards. Im plications for institutions as they prepare for NCATE visits will also be considered. In many cases, the changes are merely clarifications of existing standards. However, as will be seen, there are some significant and substantial changes. In the final section we raise some fundamental questions about the application of the standards.