Why Did NCATE Develop Standards for PDSs?

Why Did NCATE Develop Standards for PDSs?

NCATE recognized the potential power of PDSs for improving the quality of teaching and enhancing student achievement. Standards strengthen and support PDS development, are a tool to assess progress within the PDS, and assure accountability.

Between 1995 and 2001 NCATE worked with hundreds of practitioners and teacher educators to design and field test standards for professional development schools. Draft standards were developed based on extensive input from experts in the field. The draft standards were then field-tested for three years by eighteen diverse and representative PDS partnerships:

Pilot Sites Selected for NCATE’s PDS Standards Field-Test Project

1. Baylor University/Hillcrest PDS (elementary), Waco, Texas

2. Doane College/Crete Public Schools (K–12), Crete, Nebraska

3. Eastern New Mexico University/Washington Avenue School (elementary), Portales, New Mexico

4. Kansas State University/Manhattan High School, Manhattan, Kansas

5. Kent State University/Allen Elementary School, Kent, Ohio

6. Maryville University/Parkway South High School, St. Louis, Missouri

7. Montclair State University/Montclair High School, Upper Montclair, New Jersey

8. North Carolina Central University/Governor Morehead School for the Blind, Durham, North Carolina

9. Rutgers University/Lincoln Professional Development School (elementary), New Brunswick, New Jersey

10. San Jose State University/Washington Elementary PDS, San Jose, California

11. Towson University/Owings Mill Elementary School, Towson, Maryland

12. University of Cincinnati/Cincinnati Public School District- Shroder Paideia Middle School,Cincinnati, Ohio

13. University of Colorado at Denver/Northglean High School, Denver, Colorado

14. University of Louisville/Fairdale High School, Louisville, Kentucky

15. University of Massachusetts-Amherst/Chestnut Accelerated Middle School, Amherst, Massachusetts

16. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/Chatham County At-Risk Dropout Prevention Program, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

17. University of North Dakota/Lake Agassiz Elementary School, Grand Forks, North Dakota

18. University of South Carolina/Columbia Rice Creek Elementary School, Columbia, South Carolina

19. West Liberty State College/Madison Elementary School, West Liberty, West Virginia

20. Wheelock College Learning/Teaching Collaborative/Edward F. Devotion School (elementary), Brookline, Massachusetts