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Based on your input and recommendations, we introduced a series of informational e-mails to update you on the latest news and developments from the Board of Regents and the State Education Department that impact the higher education community. Consistent with the positive feedback we received from the field, we will continue to regularly share these e-mail updates. Below, please find the fourth update in the series. I hope you find the information to be useful and informative. To supplement the e-mail updates, important information is routinely posted on our home page.

If you have any questions about any of the items below or would like to provide us with feedback, please contact the Office of Higher Education by phone at 518-474-3862 or by e-mail at hedepcom@mail.nysed.gov.

STATE BUDGET DEVELOPMENTS

The 2005-06 New York State Budget has been finalized and includes a number of items impacting the higher education community:

• Proposed deferments to the State's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) were not enacted.
• Funding for the State's Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and The City University of New York's (CUNY) College Discovery was restored. Additional funding is being provided to the State University of New York's (SUNY) Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and CUNY's Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge (SEEK) program. The State's opportunity programs are essential to helping close the performance gap in higher education.
• Additional capital funding is being provided to SUNY and CUNY and a five-year capital matching grant program was established for independent colleges and universities.
• The State budget provides an increase in operating aid to SUNY and CUNY, averting potential tuition increases.
• Unrestricted aid for independent colleges and universities (Bundy Aid) is being provided at a level consistent with that provided in 2004-05.
• A new Nursing Faculty Scholarship and Loan Forgiveness program and a new Social Worker Loan Forgiveness program have been established.
• Support is being provided for the Teachers of Tomorrow program, the Teacher Mentor-Intern Program, Teacher Centers, and Teacher Support Aid.

We are grateful for the overall support the final State budget provides for higher education. The budget helps keep college affordable and accessible, helps to close the performance gaps in higher education, invests in the future of colleges and universities, and provides targeted support to address critical workforce shortages. Throughout the summer months, members of the Board of Regents and Department staff will work to establish priorities for higher education for the 2006-07 State budget. We will be reaching out to many of you as we establish inclusive priorities to carry out the goals and objectives outlined in the Regents Statewide Plan for Higher Education.  top

THE STATEWIDE PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 2004-2012

Three public hearings were recently held on the tentative Regents Statewide Plan for Higher Education 2004-2012. Chancellor Robert Bennett and Regent Milton Cofield participated in the first of the hearings on March 23, 2005 at the University at Buffalo. Vice Chancellor Adelaide Sanford and Regents Merryl Tisch, Geraldine Chapey, Harry Phillips, and John Brademas participated in the hearings held at the New York City College of Technology on April 5 and April 8, 2005. The Regents and the Department would like to thank all of you who provided testimony. We heard from 57 representatives of the higher education and K-12 communities. The Regents heard testimony from the leaders of all four sectors of higher education - Matthew Goldstein, Chancellor of CUNY; Stephen Jerome, Chair of the Association of Proprietary Colleges (APC); Robert King, Chancellor of SUNY; and Abraham Lackman, President of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (cIcu). Testimony was also provided by college and university presidents, institutional administrators, faculty members, students, librarians, union representatives, district superintendents, principals, school personnel, and others.

Valuable comments and recommendations were received on the Regents Statewide Plan, as well as on the long-range master plans of SUNY, CUNY, the State's independent colleges and universities, and proprietary institutions. In May, the Regents considered modifications to the tentative Plan based on the feedback received during the public hearings. Information on the public hearings, including a list of participants was presented to the Regents in advance of their discussion. The Department is modifying the Plan to reflect feedback from the field and will be bringing the final Plan to the Regents for action.   top

REGIONAL FORUMS ON CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP

This spring, the Board of Regents and the State Education Department are hosting a series of forums across the State centered around identifying strategies to narrow the achievement gap for students in pre-kindergarten through college. Five regional forums held in Rochester, Syracuse, Glens Falls, Long Island, and in the Hudson Valley region brought together over 300 educators, administrators, students, business leaders, and representatives of cultural organizations. Participants discussed the strategic role of the University of the State of New York (USNY) to prepare the next generation of students to succeed in a global future characterized by demographic shifts, technological advancements, and emerging competition. Over thirty leaders in the higher education community participated in the five regional forums held to date. Special thanks to Joseph Moore, President of Empire State College, SUNY; Joseph Hankin, President of Westchester Community College; Drew Bogner, President of Molloy College; John Martin, President of Robert Wesleyan College; and Erik Bitterbaum, President of SUNY Cortland for serving as conveners of regional forum conversations. Two more forums are scheduled to be held in New York City in June. CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and John Sexton, President of New York University, have agreed to serve as conveners. A statewide summit is being planned for November that will establish goals for operationalizing the strategies identified in the regional forums and create partnerships and cooperative arrangements for long-term success.   top

TEACHING AND TEACHER CERTIFICATION NEWS

• New Web-based Computer System
• New Supplementary Teaching Certificate
• Update on Recent Improvements to the New York State Teacher Certification Examination (NYSTCE) Program
• Update on the Next Phase of the School Leadership Initiative
• Regional Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Training
• Virtual Learning System (VLS)

New Web-based Computer System

We recently launched the first major phase of a customer-driven computer system to transform services and processing in the Office of Higher Education's Office of Teaching Initiatives. The Web-based system, known as TEACH, will improve customer service, create a more efficient certification process, and facilitate the hiring of qualified teachers. Phase I of TEACH, also called "Certification Help," provides customers with a menu of choices to help them learn about and determine the requirements necessary for teacher certification. Based upon the customer's certification goals and preparation pathway, the system will create a customized listing of requirements necessary to become a certified teacher, with links to detailed explanations.

Looking ahead - Phase 2 of TEACH, scheduled to be launched later in 2005, will ultimately allow applicants to apply for certification and fingerprint clearance online, make credit card payments, and check on the status of pending applications. School district administrators will be able to search for an individual's certification, update professional development plans, and make fingerprinting inquiries. TEACH will also allow higher education institutions to recommend your graduates for certification-online.

New Supplementary Teaching Certificate

The Board of Regents approved a supplementary certificate to enable certified classroom teachers in areas of oversupply who have earned specific academic credits, passed the Content Specialty Test, and are enrolled in a higher education institution, to provide instruction in a subject with a shortage of teachers. The supplementary certificate is the latest in a series of strategies to attract teachers into subjects with shortages and to facilitate the transition away from temporary licenses to qualified, certified teachers for all children. Applications are now available through the Office of Teaching Initiatives.

Update on Recent Improvements to the New York State Teacher Certification Examination (NYSTCE) Program

Based on significant feedback from the field, over the past several years we have been working to make long-term improvements to the NYSTCE program. For example, we:

• increased the number of regular examination administrations from four to seven each year
• fully re-configured the online registration process for exam takers
• added new test administration sites around the New York City metropolitan area, across New York State, in other states, and in Canada
• worked closely with school districts to accommodate needs of alternative teacher preparation candidates
• decreased the turn-around time on score reports from five weeks to four weeks

Thank you for your feedback and your continued support of efforts to facilitate teacher certification and the hiring of qualified teachers.

Update on the Next Phase of the School Leadership Initiative

In July 2003, the Regents adopted regulations to improve the preparation and practice of school leaders. Forty-nine colleges and universities across New York State modified their educational leadership preparation programs (totaling 116 programs) to meet the new standards by September 2004. This transition required extensive effort on the part of presidents, deans, directors, faculty, other administrators, and students at these institutions. Thank you for working to align your programs with the new and improved standards.

This month, preliminary draft regulations were shared with the Regents Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee that would amend Part 80 of the Commissioner's Regulations to establish new names for the certificate titles in educational leadership service consistent with the modifications you made to your programs in September 2004. The proposal would also establish new education, examination and experience requirements for candidates to qualify for certification as a School Building Leader (SBL), School District Leader (SDL), and School District Business Leader (SDBL).

We anticipate that the Regents Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee will engage in ongoing discussions regarding these preliminary draft regulations during their meetings in May, June and September. Throughout this period, we invite you to share feedback on the preliminary draft regulations. We anticipate refining the proposal based on our discussions with the field and submitting the proposal to the full Board of Regents for action this fall. According to the proposal, the new educational leadership certificate titles and certification requirements would become effective in September 2006. Until final action is taken, graduates of educational leadership programs will continue to receive the School District Administrator (SDA), School Administrator and Supervisor (SAS), or the School Business Administrator (SBA) certificates.

Regional Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Training

On May 2nd and 3rd, 45 regional certification officers from 29 BOCES offices across the state participated in an annual training conference hosted by the Office of Teaching Initiatives. Participants discussed a number of topics including strategies for addressing complex teacher certification issues and future technologies to streamline BOCES certification work and enhance communication between the regional offices and the Office of Teaching Initiatives. A prototype of the new TEACH automated online teacher certification application system was introduced at the conference. Enhancements to the Office of Teaching Initiatives' Web site and the new, soon to be launched Office of Teaching Initiatives-BOCES Web site will provide regional certification officers and prospective teachers with important certification information and resources online. Special thanks to the regional certification officers for your dedication and service all year round. We look forward to continuing to build and expand on the successful partnerships we have with BOCES offices and regional certification officers well into the future!

Virtual Learning System (VLS)

An enhanced version of the State Education Department's Virtual Learning System (VLS) is now available. The VLS is a Web-based tool for teaching and learning designed to assist classroom teachers locate Internet resources for instruction. VLS offers the full text of New York State's learning standards with their key ideas and performance indicators, as well as alternate performance indicators for students with severe disabilities. It provides resources that classroom teachers can use to support pre-K - 12 standards-based instruction, such as sample tasks, learning experiences and lesson plans.

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REGENTS ROLE IN INSTITUTIONAL ACCREDITATION

Since 1952, the Board of Regents has been recognized by the federal government as a national institutional accrediting agency. In October 2002, the U.S. Secretary of Education renewed this recognition for three years and in November 2004, extended the term of recognition to October 2007. Institutional accreditation is voluntary for institutions. However, only degree-granting institutions that already hold all required State approvals, including degree authority and program registration, may seek accreditation from the Regents. Colleges and universities frequently seek accreditation so their students can be eligible for federal student financial aid. The accreditation process also serves to verify that an institution meets established standards, which in turn has implications for students when selecting a college to attend. Private and public agencies often require an institution to be accredited prior to investing funds or providing them with grants. Accreditation also invokes self-reflection and continued improvement, contributing to a culture of involvement across the college or university in institutional evaluation and planning. Accreditation provides for peer review, constructive feedback, and recommendations for continuous improvement. Twenty colleges and universities in New York State have been granted institutional accreditation by the Regents.

This month, members of the Board of Regents received an update on accreditation standards, policies, procedures, and activities. top

APPLICATIONS FOR LICENSURE IN MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS NOW AVAILABLE

Licensure requirements and application forms for the four new mental health professions (mental health counseling, creative arts therapy, marriage and family therapy, and psychoanalysis), are now available on the Office of the Professions Web site. top

Back to Periodic Updates from Senior Deputy Commissioner Johanna Duncan-Poitier
 

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