NCATE update please - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Mar 29, 2006

NCATE update please

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Didn't go well

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Far away alum's teacher wrote:

Any news on the visit?

It went great. We are doing a great job over here. All you pessimistic people need to find a life. Our dean and his deparment chairs are doing a good job. We have more accomplishments in this college than any college on campus.

Ralph, get under a log.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

teacher educator - you must not have witnessed nor participated in the same visit that I just did this week. I hope your comments were grounded in biting sarcasm.
It did not go well at all. The final report isn't given until around Sept/Oct 2006 but the team will have left the Dean of the CoEP with an earful.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Sure...but ask DT about what CEC said.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Who is CEC?

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Council for Exceptional Children...ask DT what they told her....

Date: Mar 29, 2006

I heard that we passed. Congrats!

Date: Mar 29, 2006

USM will not know if they passed until Fall 2006. Wise-up.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

And if USM passes, Jones Jr. College ought to consider starting a teacher ed program! What the CEC say to DT???

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Standards 2-5 were passed, some with comment. Particularly, lack of resources for the NCATE process (the NCATE people, unlike SACS, were denied early and often by the Dome) and lack of some data for the unit assessment process (some chairs blew it off, but the big "thanks" goes to SFT for mismanagment going back to firing Carl Martray and moving forward with Dome interference for a couple more years). These are not the kiss of death-they may result in "conditions." Diversity and Field Experience were solid. The problem may be the SPAs--accreditation for specific programs within the university for which program directors and chairs are responsible. Dr. Dana Thames (the President's daughter) tanked on all of hers. Dr. deCasale (Assistant Dean)-who is coordinating NCATE--wanted to see these way back when last Spring to get them in shape, but Dana balked and convinced Dr. Exline (Assistant to the Prez for Accreditation) and Dr. Jay Grimes (Provost) that Dr. deCasale did not know whereof she spoke, and they let Dana take her own sweet time about it. Hence, they were submitted at the last moment and authored by Dana herself. Some SPAs in COAL and other colleges bombed also, but the ones mentioned up above are the biggies. They all can be fixed, but the question remains whether or not Dana will bother, or if she can get it right the second time. If not, NCATE for all will be in a heap of trouble. I guess she was busy spending that $13,000 raise...

In sum, feedback was that, except for the SPAs, we are in reasonably good shape (amazing considering that deCasale came in to put the fire out just over two years ago). The bad news is that if Dana does not get her act together, all of the hard work so far is for naught (and the NCATE site visit team was not stupid--they know exactly what is going on her). The ironic aspect of all this is that SFT and the Provost are gunning for Dr. deCasale, essentially because Dana is not pleased with Dr. deCasale's presence on campus. Dr. Exline and Dr. Grimes were warned repeatedly about Dana's knowledge, skills, and disposition, but, for obvious reasons, have chosen to look elsewhere to place blame. Now y'all will be scrambling to tie up another loose end that should have been dealt with much earlier.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Hence, they were submitted at the last moment and authored by Dana herself.

Authored by Dana??? She doesn't know how to write. Anything. She never has -- her lack of literacy skills was a source of embarassment for several former CISE faculty members when they were still at USM. You'd think she'd at least have been halfway smart enough to have made some of her minions write the blasted report.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Streetcar wrote:

Hence, they were submitted at the last moment and authored by Dana herself. Authored by Dana??? She doesn't know how to write. Anything. She never has -- her lack of literacy skills was a source of embarassment for several former CISE faculty members when they were still at USM. You'd think she'd at least have been halfway smart enough to have made some of her minions write the blasted report.

The writing was addressed in at least one report.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

Streetcar wrote:

Hence, they were submitted at the last moment and authored by Dana herself. Authored by Dana??? She doesn't know how to write. Anything. She never has -- her lack of literacy skills was a source of embarassment for several former CISE faculty members when they were still at USM. You'd think she'd at least have been halfway smart enough to have made some of her minions write the blasted report.

One of her minions who does write well once told me that Dana re-writes other's edits back to Dana-ese.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

i heard from a son-of-a-son-of-a-sailor that no SPAs passed.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

History passed NCATE review with flying colors.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

stinky cheese man wrote:

i heard from a son-of-a-son-of-a-sailor that no SPAs passed.

I'm not sure that's true SC or I don't quite understand what SPAs are. I know for certain of at least one area program that was commended and cited as a national model . . . . but perhaps I'm unclear of the NCATE terminology in terms of academic entities . . .

Date: Mar 29, 2006

as i said i heard from a son-of-a . . . that the SPAs were in trouble. but then again, i could be wrong on this and would be glad to admit my error.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

i have trouble with the alphabet soup acronyms that i read. accreditation in some areas requires dictionaries--SPAs--isn't that where you get rub downs and the like? my problem at usm with SPA is that also stands for sponsored programs administration. i am so glad i have nothing to do with NCATE and i feel for those departments and programs that do. hope it works out well.

Date: Mar 29, 2006

The SPA's under the direction of DT did NOT pass. This would be Elementary Ed and Reading. I'm not sure about Special Ed. I know that the English SPA DID pass. Others did as well, but some SPA's didn't. What is sickeningly amazing is that programs under the stewardship of a person who has raked in a huge sum of taxpayers' money - some of this money being awarded for "merit" - failed to pass. There is a law against Nepotism in Mississippi, and I've heard that there is a lawsuit out there that is challenging this very issue concerning the conflicts of interest involving Shelboo and little piddl'n Shelbooette.

Date: Mar 30, 2006

Actually, the English SPA failed, as did the math, foreign langauge, health, and special education. The overall report was positive.

Date: Mar 30, 2006

NCATE report wrote:

Actually, the English SPA failed, as did the math, foreign langauge, health, and special education. The overall report was positive.

CEC is special ed and is Dana's baby. She didn't involve her spec ed faculty in writing the SPA the way she should have (especially the one who is a veteran of the NCATE wars), and it was an unmitigated disasater. The sad thing is that SPED is one of the true growth areas in education, and Dr. D has managed to kill that program at both the grad and undergrad areas. Some SPAs that did not make it had some standards "Not Met," and therefore are more easily dealt with. Dana's, however, were more consistent--all standards not met (I have never seen this before in any accreditation report). I suppose another raise and more new lines are warranted by Pops.

Date: Mar 30, 2006

NCATE report wrote:

Actually, the English SPA failed, as did the math, foreign langauge, health, and special education. The overall report was positive.

Troll alert. We heard from one of our licensure people yesterday that English passed.

Date: Mar 30, 2006

We need a scoreboard and a scorecard to keep up. Since there are sub areas to accredit, how does this end up? Is partial accreditation possible or is it all or nothing?

Date: Mar 30, 2006

I can confirm that history passed with top scores in every category. English also passed though less glowingly. Baby-Doc Thames, as we all know, fails yet again. Of course, DeCasal will be blamed as The Deal posted below. No accountability on this campus.

Date: Mar 30, 2006

Jameela Lares wrote:

NCATE report wrote: Actually, the English SPA failed, as did the math, foreign langauge, health, and special education. The overall report was positive. Troll alert. We heard from one of our licensure people yesterday that English passed.

Not to worry JL-this is fairly accurate (I didn't write the original post). FL, Eng, Health were not totally "clean," but need small tweaks. Math Ed was sloppier. SPED was a mess.

Date: Mar 30, 2006

Congrats to History!! That's good to know!

Date: Mar 30, 2006

Emma wrote:

Congrats to History!! That's good to know!

Dear Friends,

Emma is far too modest to mention that all of our SPA's were given the highest marks here at USM-D'Lo, in no small measure due to her tireless efforts. My hat is off to our Provost and our superb faculty and support staff. You have indeed made us proud.

Sincerely yours,

W.J. Johnson, Ph.D.
Chancellor, USM at D'Lo

Date: Mar 30, 2006

I know nothing about NCATE policies. Is accreditation an all or nothing process, or will NCATE accredit those programs (areas, etc.) that pass, and not accredit those areas that fail? If partial accreditation is possible, I can see SFT and the gang declaring that we passed NCATE when we only passed some parts.

Date: Mar 31, 2006

Who has undoubtedly been one of the major contributors to this whole endeavor. She's after deCasal. My prediction is that USM will be put on PROBATION, and the "Unit" will be happy that they have yet another chance to try to crawl out of the hole they've dug for themselves. It IS all or nothing, btw.