Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Self-Study Process |
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March 2005 Update: A Bank Street College/Middle States Refresher Course.
Download our updated timeline and a review of the essentials.You can also link directly to our previous Middle States Accreditation documents:
In preparation for our ten-year institutional reaccreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Bank Street College has recently completed a Selected Topics Self-Study. Accreditation is achieved through a means of self-regulation and peer review intended to strengthen and sustain the quality and integrity of educational institutions. The Middle States Self-Study allowed us to tell our story, as we work collaboratively to forward Bank Street's mission.
A primary goal for the College is to have structures and processes that efficiently support the fulfillment of our mission while maintaining academic excellence. These structures and processes allow the College, as a community, to foster reflection and renewal, and to ensure effective use of our resources. Members of our community are working together to refine a comprehensive and ongoing assessment plan to evaluate the Institution's effectiveness and continually strengthen our teaching and learning programs. Members of our three program and two support divisions are represented on Middle States Work Groups. Most groups also had a representative from our Board of Trustees.
Selected topics is one model by which institutions complete the Self-Study process. "A selected topics model allows an already accredited institution to devote concentrated attention to selected issues, without having to all address all accreditation standards within the self-study report" (MSACHE Designs for Excellence, p. 10). Toward that end, we chose three overarching themes to guide our Self-Study:
- Communication
Refers to the flow, the exchange of information--how ideas, facts, strengths, interests, and needs are expressed and received by individuals and groups.
- Capacity
In organizational contexts, the word "capacity" is often referenced as "capacity building". We are not using the term in this sense, but rather, think of its more basic definition (absorb, contain, and receive--Webster's) that refers to consciously establishing an optimal scale that balances our programs and resources in accordance with our mission.
- Coherence
Refers to a logical or natural coming together that considers intentional and unintentional overlaps. What is the design of the WHOLE and how do we create synergy of efforts?
Getting Started
The Steering Committee used Middle States' 14 STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE as organizing guideposts, collapsed into six Work Groups:
- Work Group 1: Institutional Planning, Standards 2 and 3
- Work Group 2: Institutional Assessment, Standard 7
- Work Group 3: Educational Offerings and Related Educational Activities, Standards 11 (partial) and 13
- Work Group 4: The Student Experience, Standards 8 and 9 (both partial)
- Work Group 5: Faculty, Standard 10
- Work Group 6: Assessment of Student Learning, Standard 14
All other standards were fulfilled through the compliance documentation process. Partial standards were addressed both through compliance and within the written Self-Study.
Thank you for your interest in our Self-Study process. Please direct questions, comments, etc., to middlestates@bankstreet.edu and check back soon!
Bank Street College of Education
Middle States Steering Committee
- Virginia Casper / Co-Chair of the Self-Study Steering Committee / Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Graduate School
- Barbara Coleman / Co-Chair of the Self-Study Steering Committee / Associate Dean for Administration and Student Services, Graduate School
- Bernadette Anand / Director of the Early Childhood General Teacher Education Program and Childhood General Teacher Education program (for employed teachers), Graduate School
- Maria Benejan / Director of the Center for Universal Pre-K, Division of Continuing Education
- Barbara Dubitsky / Director of the Leadership in Mathematics Education program, Graduate School
- Susan Goetz-Haver / Co-Chair of the General Teacher Education Department, Graduate School
- Rudy Jordan / Dean, Children's Programs
- Sue Kaplan / Ex Officio / Chair, Bank Street College Board of Trustees
- Fern Khan / Dean, Division of Continuing Education
- Judy Lesch / Instructor and Advisor, Special Teacher Education, Graduate School
- Hal Melnick / Instructor and Advisor, General Teacher Education and Mathematics Leadership, Graduate School
- Michele Morales / Co-Chair of the General Teacher Education Department, Graduate School
- Nancy Nager / Instructor, General Teacher Education and Teachers for a New Era AOI Team Leader, Graduate School
- Nilda Bayron-Resnick / Instructor and Advisor, Dual Language/Bilingual Teacher Education and Special Teacher Education, and Co-Director of the Minority Fellows Grant, Graduate School
- Jon Snyder / Dean, Graduate School
- Kristen Stavisky / Administrative Coordinator, Graduate School
