School of Education Earns Top Grades for Reading Accreditation
The University of Indianapolis School of Education has earned the highest possible reading accreditations and recognitions for its Science of Reading-aligned programs, a prestigious set of awards that demonstrates UIndy’s status as a top institution of higher education to train the next generation of teachers.
A trio of national and international organizations—the International Dyslexia Association, the National Council on Teacher Quality, and TPI-US—has bestowed the ratings about the University of Indianapolis program.
“These accreditations showcase and validate the deep commitment our faculty and staff have made to preparing future teachers who are equipped to help all students become strong readers,” said Dr. Libby Turner, director of undergraduate students in the School of Education. “These are not easy recognitions to achieve. I truly believe that we have the best program in the state of Indiana and one of the best programs for teaching teachers in the entire country.”
Each organization did its own research and review of UIndy’s program and materials as part of the accreditation process.
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) performed a written review of UIndy’s syllabi and course materials. The NCTQ accredited:
- Elementary Education at the undergraduate level with a grade of A+
- Elementary Transition to Teaching with a grade of A+
- Special Education Transition to Teaching with a grade of A+
TPIS-US engaged in a written review of UIndy’s program along with a week-long campus visit following the recommendations of the Indiana Department of Education Science of Reading Review. TPI-US rated UIndy’s quality of literacy instruction:
- Elementary Education undergraduate as STRONG
- Elementary Transition to Teaching as STRONG
- Special Education Transition to Teaching as STRONG
The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) process included a written review of all materials, a video review of the future teachers tutoring K-6 students, along with faculty coaching feedback to the future teachers to meet the requirements for UIndy’s undergraduate elementary education program’s plus component. The IDA accredited:
- Elementary Education undergraduate at the Accreditation PLUS level
- Elementary Transition to Teaching at the Accreditation level
- Special Education Transition to Teaching at the Accreditation level
- Credentialing to Masters in Literacy Specialists and Coach at the Accreditation level
The literacy team—Blaire Dosmann, Shannon Fischer, Stacy Knoop, Kassy Morales, Megan Thompson, Libby Turner, Joanne Warner, and team lead, Tracy Johnson, along with student teaching coordinators Brooke Hooper, Stephanie Morell and Kate Reinhardt—created new courses, reviewed books, rewrote syllabi and courses, established new practicum experiences, built new assessments and reworked observation criteria. They were supported by the School of Education leadership team of John Kuykendall, John Somers and Jean Lee.
“It took an entire team to accomplish this and I am very grateful for their efforts,” said Turner. “We remain committed to educating the next generation of teachers so that they can help future generations of students reach their full potential.”
The work is not over. During the upcoming academic year, there is a final review of the Secondary Literacy Program by TPI-US. Molly Dury, Kate Reinhardt and Sarah Denney are leading preparations for that visit.