Academic Year 2020-2021 General Profile

Academic Programs

All school-based professional preparation programs offered at Shippensburg University are housed within or coordinated through the College of Education & Human Services. All programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), nationally recognized by their content specific Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs) and other nationally recognized accreditors such as CACREP, and all are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Colleges of Teacher Education (NCATE). NCATE is the nationally recognized and approved overarching accreditor for school-based professionals and includes teachers, school counselors, reading specialists, special educators, principals, and superintendents. Shippensburg University is a charter member of NCATE and has been continuously accredited by NCATE since 1954.

Being an accredited institution recognizes Shippensburg University as an educational institution that meets or exceeds state and national standards.  This accreditation involves a regular process of alignment with state teacher education program standards and compliance with all aspects of appropriate Pennsylvania state law and code.

NCATE focuses on establishing high-quality preparation for teachers and other professionals. Through the process of professional accreditation of schools, colleges, and departments of education, NCATE works to make a difference in the quality of teaching and teacher preparation today, tomorrow, and for the next century. NCATE’s performance-based system of accreditation fosters competent classroom teachers and other educators who work to improve the education of all PK-12 students.

Shippensburg University recognizes that the accreditation process is an important time for self-study and reflection. The accreditation process allows us to continually reflect and implement changes in order to better prepare teacher candidates and other school professionals to impact PK-12 student learning.

The chart below lists the name of each program, the corresponding certification level (initial or advanced), the academic degree awarded, and the name of the Specialized Professional Association (SPA).

Initial Certification Program Completers (Undergraduate & Post-Bacc)

Advanced Certification Program Completers

Measure 1: Completer Impact and Effectiveness 

Data Collection and Analysis in progress.

Measure 2: Satisfaction of Employers and Stakeholder Involvement

Initial Program Completers

The 20-21 Employers survey yielded only one response for this cycle. The single response concludes that the employer was satisfied with the completer’s preparation for their assigned responsibilities in working with P-12 students.  Further analysis shows that the combined academic years of 18-19, 19-20, and 20-21 indicate that 84% of respondents (N=12) conclude that the employer was satisfied with the completer’s preparation for their assigned responsibilities in working with P-12 students. The EPP continues to work on ways to increase survey response rates for subsequent assessment cycles.

Advanced Program Completers

The EPP reports that the Advanced Program Employers’ Survey conducted by the EPP for the Academic Year 2020-2021 indicates that 100% of the respondent (N=3) employers are satisfied with the completers’ preparation and that completers reach employment milestones such as promotion and retention.  Further analysis shows that the combined academic years of 18-19, 19-20, and 20-21 respondents (N=7) indicate that 97.14% of employers are satisfied with the completers’ preparation and that completers reach employment milestones such as promotion and retention. The EEP continues to work on ways to increase survey response rates for subsequent assessment cycles.

Measure 3: Candidate Competency at Program Completion

Institution Pass Rates listed below are generated by the Title 2 Report and are calculated based on Pennsylvania's Cutscores.

ETS 20-21 Summary & Single Assessment Report 

Initial Program Completers

Teacher Education Title II Summary Report AY 20-21 *(Not yet complete)

Advanced Program Completers

In 20-21, ETS reported data indicates a 100% pass rate for candidates completing the principal and superintendent certification exams required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Measure 4: Ability of Completers to be Hired

Initial Program Completers

PLEASE NOTE: In 2010 the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) began using a sliding-scale system that allows candidates to score slightly lower than the State cut scores on the certification tests and utilize a higher grade point average to satisfy PDE requirements.  The Title II Report does not reflect the GPA Qualifying pass rates. Below are the calculations including the GPA sliding scale for our Academic Year 2020-2021 Program Completers.

To be hired in teaching positions, candidates must graduate from the program and pass the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s required certification test for that specific program/content area/grade span. For AY 2020-2021, the EPP had a total of 129 completers.  Of those 129, 9 have not yet met licensure requirements. Therefore, 93% of graduates have the ability to be hired.

The EPP reports that the Initial Certification Completers’ Survey conducted by the EPP for the Academic Year 2020-2021 indicates that 86.28% of respondents (N=15) perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they confront on the job and that the preparation was effective. Further analysis shows that the combined academic years of 18-19, 19-20, and 20-21 indicate that 86.25% of respondents (N=51) perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they confront on the job and that the preparation was effective. The EEP continues to work on ways to increase survey response rates for subsequent assessment cycles.

Advanced Program Completers

The EPP reports that the Advanced Certification Completers’ Survey conducted by the EPP for the Academic Year 2020-2021 indicates that 90% of respondents (N=10) perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they confront on the job and that the preparation was effective. Further analysis shows that the combined academic years of 18-19, 19-20, and 20-21 indicate that 92.22% of respondents (N=18) perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they confront on the job and that the preparation was effective. The EEP continues to work on ways to increase survey response rates for subsequent assessment cycles.