The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) holds a national conference every fall for its member institutions. This year Diane Newman, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Amy Kline, Accreditation Officer and Senior Administrator, and Gretchen Adams, Administrative Coordinator, represented Bank Street College with their session entitled, “Navigating a Data-Driven Landscape: Let Your Mission Be Your Guide.” With the presentation, they shared Bank Street Graduate School experiences with data gathering and use.
Like all institutions of higher education, Bank Street must respond to multiple accreditation demands and other external calls for accountability. Over the past number of years, Bank Street has incorporated a data-informed approach to program improvement. The presentation highlighted examples of process and program improvements made as we have moved toward a better understanding of how to use assessment data while holding to the culture of Bank Street. The hour-long session engaged the audience with the story of the “warm fuzzy,” which is Bank Street, and the “cold prickly,” which are the external demands for accountability, to illustrate the conflict. What they ultimately came to understand was that both “sides” are working towards the same goal of enhancing student outcomes and the goal is to find ways to do this that stays true to the institution’s mission and values.
Bank Street is nationally accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation covers initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation levels. The next Self Study report cycle will take place in 2020 under the purview of the newly formed Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).