Northern Illinois University and the College of Education have been continuously accredited by NCATE - National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education - since the inception of NCATE in 1954. In 2000, NCATE changed the standards under which they review colleges of education from an input examination (i.e., types of students, classes, faculty) to an output examination (i.e., teacher candidate preparedness, K-12 student learning). This meant a change in the types of data and information gathered, synthesized, and submitted to NCATE.
In October 2001, NCATE sent a team of examiners to DeKalb to look at our programs in light of the new standards. We were one of the first colleges to be reviewed under the new standards.
Prior to arriving on campus, the examiners were given access to an intranet site where all the reports and data were posted. When the team came on campus, they visited with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our partner schools.
We are proud to let you know that we have once again been accredited and will continue our efforts to provide the best education and experiences for our students. Maintaining continuous NCATE accreditation is one outward symbol of our commitment to excellence, for our students and for all K-12 students in Illinois.