New and renewed programs

The College's Accreditation Committee has granted initial accreditation to two new programs so far this year.

In February, the committee granted initial accreditation to a part-time program of professional education that will be offered in Ottawa in the Primary/Junior divisions by the School of Education and Professional Studies at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Potsdam.

The program will seek to offer its practicum portion in public and Catholic school boards in the Ottawa area and south of Ottawa. The accreditation period for this program is two years or the period of time ending on the graduation of the second class of enrolled students, whichever is longer, but not to exceed 2010.

William Amoriell, Dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at SUNY, said that accreditation by the Ontario College of Teachers was exceptional. “It was a very professional and pleasant process. The experience was not only a collegial one, it provided invaluable input that helped us in finalizing the content of our program proposal.”

In June, the Accreditation Committee also granted initial accreditation to Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Education for its one-year program of teacher education in the Primary and Junior divisions.

Gord Hough, chair of the College's Accreditation Committee, said: “The College's role in accrediting teacher education and in-service programs gives Ontario's teachers a unique role in guiding the preparation of new members of their profession.”

The committee also renewed for five years the accreditation of the Primary-Junior program in Burlington operated by Australia's Charles Sturt University.