Development of Standards for Program Approval
In 2000-02 INTASC oversaw a collaborative effort by eight states--Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin--to draft model standards compatible with the INTASC core standards for the review and accountability of teacher preparation programs and to develop materials that states could use to support programs in meeting the standards. This project resulted in draft program approval standards entitled INTASC’s Model Standards for the Review and Accountability of Teacher Preparation Programs: A Resource for State Dialogue. These standards are currently in the final stages of editing and should be available to the public by fall 2003.
The standards are designed to help states work with their teacher preparation programs to improve the quality of those programs, while at the same time holding them accountable to high standards.
Organization of the Standards
The standards are organized into the following four categories that establish the primary foci for the review of teacher preparation programs.
1. Standards-Based Teacher Preparation
2. A Standards-Based Assessment System
3. Institutional Resources
4. A Commitment to Institutional Renewal
Across these categories there are eight distinct standards, each of which is described in greater detail through quality indicators.
Next Steps
The development of draft program review and accountability standards is just the first step in developing a course for program improvement. INTASC has now turned its attention to how to support programs in attaining these standards and to guiding states in the development of procedures that assure that teacher preparation institutions meet these standards. As we develop additional products and pilot test them in the next few years, we anticipate learning more about how useful the draft standards are in supporting our goal of improving teacher preparation. Throughout these years the standards will be reviewed and revised to reflect what we learn through our work.
For information about INTASC’s program approval standards, please contact David Paradise at davidp@ccsso.org or 202-336-7068.
Chiefline
