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Touro College has applied for Regents accreditation of its teacher education programs.  Should the Board of Regents accredit these programs?
The question will come before the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee at its September 2006 meeting, where it will be voted on and action taken.  It will then come before the full Board at its September 2006 meeting for final action.
The Board of Regents adopted a new teaching policy, "Teaching to Higher Standards:  New York's Commitment," in 1998.  As a result of that policy, in 1999 the Board adopted section 52.21(b)(2)(iv)(c)(1) of the Commissioner’s Regulations, which requires New York State teacher education programs to become accredited by an acceptable accrediting organization.
Touro College has applied for accreditation of its teacher education programs by Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education (RATE).  The Summary of the Application for Accreditation, available in the Regents office, lists the registered programs leading to certification offered by Touro.
Chartered in 1970, Touro College is a multi-layered, independent institution based in New York City.  Its schools, divisions, centers, campuses, and branch campuses in and outside New York offer undergraduate and graduate instruction in traditional classroom settings and through distance learning.  It was consolidated in 1979 with Jewish Teachers Seminary and People’s University, and its charter was made absolute in January 1990.  Its programs of study include the sciences and humanities and professional programs in law, health science, and medicine.  In addition, Touro offers graduate programs in Israel and Europe in disciplines such as Jewish studies, business, education, and school psychology.   In the fall of 2004, Touro College had a total institutional enrollment of 14,830 (8,827 full-time and 6,003 part-time).
The preparation of education candidates at Touro College is the responsibility of the School of Education and Psychology.  In recent academic years, enrollment in teacher education programs ranged between 1,900 and 2,700.  In support of Touro's overall mission, the School of Education and Psychology has developed its own conceptual framework and philosophy.  This framework includes a “commitment to the goals of universal education at the highest levels, and a dedication to advance learning and educational opportunities for members of the Jewish community and students from underserved groups throughout the New York metropolitan area and its outlying districts."  Between 2000-2001 and 2003-2004, 11 to 30 Touro candidates per year took the State certification exams, with annual pass rates ranging from 89 to 100 percent.
The accreditation review process for the teacher education programs at Touro College consisted of the following steps:
College prepared its Self Study
RATE team conducted the site visit
College responded to the site visit team's report
The Higher Education Subcommittee of the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching (PSPB) reviewed the site visit team report, the College's response, and the Department's preliminary recommendation and recommended denial of accreditation
The Deputy Commissioner reviewed all materials and recommended denial of accreditation
College appealed the Deputy Commissioner's recommendation
Deputy Commissioner reviewed the College's appeal and, with additional assurances from and actions by the College, recommended accreditation with conditions
A RATE team visited the College from March 6 - 9, 2005, as part of the accreditation review process.  The team reviewed documents; visited classrooms; inspected facilities and resources; and interviewed administrators, department chairs and faculty, candidates and graduates, principals, and cooperating teachers.  The team identified 24 areas for improvement across 8 RATE standards relating to commitment and vision; philosophy, purposes, and objectives; program registration; teaching effectiveness of graduates; assessment of candidate achievement; resources; support services; and advertising.  Key concerns focused on the number of full-time faculty, the lack of program alignment with the conceptual framework and the New York State Learning Standards, and inconsistencies in the curriculum, including fieldwork and student teaching.
The College's response is summarized in the Summary of the Application for Accreditation.  The PSPB reviewed all materials and considered the application on November 17, 2005, and January 19, 2006.  At the January meeting, the PSPB voted to recommend denial of accreditation.  After reviewing the PSPB's recommendation and the entire record of the accreditation process, Deputy Commissioner Duncan-Poitier recommended denial of accreditation.  The institution notified the Department of its intention to appeal that recommendation, and it followed up in May 2006 with its appeal materials.
As detailed in the Findings and Response Summary (available in the Regents office, along with the Compliance Review Report and other materials), the Deputy Commissioner found that the College had satisfactorily addressed 13 of the 24 areas for improvement.  The College continues to work towards compliance, and overall the institution's responses have signaled substantive efforts and demonstrable improvements that address key concerns identified by the PSPB and the Department.
On the basis of the evidence of the institution's improvements to date and its continuing efforts, the Deputy Commissioner recommends that the teacher education programs at Touro College be accredited with conditions for a period of three years, with a follow up visit to be conducted 18 months from the Regents action to focus on the areas for improvement identified in the Compliance Review Report, the concerns expressed by the PSPB subcommittee, and the evidence and outcomes of the actions that the College has taken to address those issues, including the following:
The final Five-Year Plan of Strategic Initiatives;
Course syllabi containing goals and assessments reflecting the conceptual framework;
Evidence of efforts in recruiting undergraduate candidates from underrepresented groups;
Evidence that every candidate has field or student teaching experiences in high needs schools;
Percentage of educational courses being taught by full-time faculty, by program;
Examples of using assessment data (both graduate and candidates) for program improvement;
Confirmation of expanded faculty office space; and
Use of an instrument to collect data to confirm employment of graduates in the areas for which they were prepared.
Consistent with the recommendation of Deputy Commissioner Duncan-Poitier, it is recommended that the Regents accredit with conditions for three years the teacher education programs offered by Touro College, as listed in the Summary of the Application for Accreditation.   Accreditation will be effective September 12, 2006, for a period beginning immediately and ending on September 11, 2009, under the condition that the Department conducts a follow up visit to the College 18 months from the Regents action to focus on the areas for improvement identified in the Compliance Review Report, the concerns expressed by the PSPB subcommittee, and the evidence and outcomes of the actions that the College has taken to address those issues, including the issues specified in the Deputy Commissioner's recommendation.