Teacher Preparation Program granted full approval
News Release - September 6, 2005
contact:
Karen L. Gill
karen.gill@cnu.edu
(757) 594-8428
(NEWPORT NEWS, VA) — Christopher Newport University’s Teacher Preparation Program has become fully accredited by the Virginia Board of Education for a maximum seven-year period.
Marsha Sprague, director of the program, was notified in August that the Teacher Preparation Program was fully approved, only four months after a state review team granted it approval with stipulations.
"It's such an innovative program -- I was glad that the Virginia is supporting new ways to prepare teachers," Sprague said.
The accreditation means that the program’s graduates continue to be eligible for a license to teach in Virginia, 44 states and three territories.
“It’s almost meaningless to have a program without accreditation because you can’t certify students to teach in the schools without it,” Sprague said.
The Teacher Preparation Program, which grants a master’s degree in teaching at the conclusion a five-year program, had submitted to the board an extensive plan of action and documentation to address each weakness the review team identified in April and has hired seven additional faculty members.
“You have clearly shown the desire of CNU to maintain a professional teacher education program that meets the highest standards and responds to the needs of the preK-12 schools in your community,” wrote Thomas M. Jackson Jr., president of the Virginia Board of Education, in the letter notifying the school of its accreditation.
In the plan to address weaknesses, the program proposed a number of steps to recruit minorities. These steps include more communication with minority students currently at CNU and recruiting at local area high schools and universities that have high percentages of minority students. Other plans focused on assessing students’ ability to teach reading, helping students who fail the teacher-licensing exam and centralizing the budget.
The Teacher Preparation Program had been operating as a unique pilot program since spring 2003. It was created in conjunction with Newport News Public Schools to respond to community desire for a teaching program to replace the university’s education programs that were closed in fall 2002 because of budget restraints.
The program, which was accredited as of 2005, graduated its first class of 19 students in May. The projected number of May 2006 graduates is more than 50. Sprague said she is hoping to increase the average class size to 63 students, its level before 2002.
The chance to earn a master’s degree in a five-year program is a big draw for students, Sprague said.
“It’s a thriving program, and the quality of the students has been wonderful,” she said.
Christopher Newport University is a four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia. CNU enrolls 4,800 students in programs through its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Business and offers great teaching, small classes and an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. Visit us at www.cnu.edu.