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At the start of another academic year filled with opportunity for colleges and universities across New York State, I write to first say - welcome back! I would also like to take an opportunity to provide you with an update on news and developments from the Board of Regents and the State Education Department which have transpired over the summer and impact the higher education community. I am very pleased to report, for example, that the Regents Statewide Plan for Higher Education has been officially approved by the Board of Regents (details follow). I look forward to continuing to work with you collaboratively throughout the fall semester and through 2006 to carry out the goals of the Statewide Plan, support your quality higher education programs, and maximize success for all students in our State's colleges and universities.

HURRICANE KATRINA RELIEF

As we make a smooth transition into a new academic year, sadly, our counterparts in Gulf Coast states are struggling to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with them during this critical time. I want to thank you and your school communities for your contributions to the relief efforts and for the assistance you provided to the Office of Higher Education earlier this month with our work with the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) to help coordinate services for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane-related assistance has been provided in four key areas:

• Directed students enrolled in colleges and universities in areas affected by the hurricane to individuals and organizations who could help them identify temporary and/or long-term higher education options at colleges and universities in this State. Colleges and universities in New York have reported enrolling approximately 850 students who were attending institutions in areas impacted by the hurricane. If you have questions about displaced students seeking enrollment in your institution, please contact the Office of Higher Education's Office of College and University Evaluation (OCUE) at (518) 474-2593.
  
  
• Worked with colleges and universities in New York State to identify vacant dormitories and other housing that could potentially be used as temporary living space for those who evacuated the Gulf Coast states. We are also working with colleges and universities to coordinate potential volunteer translators to help in cases where English is not the evacuee's primary language.
  
  
• Facilitate licensure and registration and/or certification for licensed professionals and teachers who have evacuated the Gulf Coast states and are seeking employment in the professions and in teaching in New York State. We have set up a dedicated e-mail box - opassist@mail.nysed.gov - for individuals who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina and are seeking 24 hour assistance on matters related to professional licensure and registration.
  
  
• Help New York State licensed professionals (e.g., nurses, physicians, pharmacists, veterinarians, veterinary technicians, professional engineers, etc.) who have expressed an interest in participating in relief efforts identify opportunities through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), SEMO, the American Red Cross, and other organizations. Also, the Office of the Professions' on-line verification system allows hospitals and others to verify that an individual offering assistance is a licensed professional in the State of New York.

Additional information from the State Education Department for hurricane victims seeking services in New York State is available on the Web. If you have any questions about these or other efforts, please feel free to contact us by phone at (518) 474-3862 or by e-mail at hedepcom@mail.nysed.gov.

While over the years I have come to know first hand the generous spirit of kindness and thoughtfulness within the higher education community, I have been overwhelmed by the magnitude of assistance and support you have provided to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and to those coordinating relief efforts. On behalf of the Board of Regents, Commissioner Richard Mills, and the State Education Department, I would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation. Thank you.   top

THE STATEWIDE PLAN FOR HIGHER EDUCATION HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF REGENTS

The Regents Statewide Plan for Higher Education 2004-2012 has officially been approved by the Board of Regents. Again, on behalf of the Board of Regents, and my colleagues in the State Education Department, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking such an active role in the development of the Plan. As a result of the involvement of leaders across the State at numerous forums, conferences, public hearings, and other meetings held since October 2002, the Statewide Plan for Higher Education is reflective of the goals and objectives of the 268 colleges and universities in all four sectors of higher education in New York State - The City University of New York (CUNY), independent colleges and universities, proprietary institutions, and the State University of New York (SUNY); and the Board of Regents and the State Education Department. The Plan establishes priorities for higher education in the State and sets an ambitious agenda for driving the future of higher education. We look forward to working with you throughout the coming years to continue to carry out the priorities identified in the Plan.

Each of you will receive a hard copy of the final version of the Plan in the near future. The Plan is also available on the Web.  top

TEACHING AND TEACHER CERTIFICATION NEWS

• Update: Timeline for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs
• Update on the School Leadership Initiative
• New Expedited Pathway for Licensed Psychologists to Become Certified as Bilingual School Psychologists
• New Expedited Pathway for Individuals with Certificates in School Psychology, Speech and Language Disabilities, and for Teaching the Speech and Hearing Handicapped to Provide Bilingual Education Services
• Gifted Education Update
• No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Update: Timeline for Accreditation of Teacher Education Programs

In line with the 1998 Board of Regents teaching policy, all teacher education programs at 114 colleges and universities in New York State must achieve accreditation by either the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), or the Board of Regents (Regents Accreditation of Teacher Education - RATE) by December 31, 2006.

While 47 accreditation actions have been completed to date, the remaining 67 institutions have either had an accreditation visit and are awaiting the decision, or are scheduled for an accreditation visit. Six institutions are scheduled for visits in late fall 2006. It is unlikely that these institutions will receive an accreditation decision until after the December 31, 2006 deadline. In addition, two institutions seeking accreditation by NCATE are now addressing the conditions that resulted in initial denial of accreditation. Therefore, to be responsive to the needs expressed by higher education institutions involved, the Regents Committee on Higher Education and Professional Practice, in September, accepted the Department's recommendation to develop draft regulations for Regents consideration to allow institutions that are awaiting an accreditor's decision or addressing issues raised by accreditors to continue their teacher education programs for a designated period of time after December 31, 2006. It is anticipated that draft regulations will be discussed by the Committee in January 2006, and shared for final consideration in February 2006.

Update on the School Leadership Initiative

In June 2005, we issued an invitation for comments on preliminary draft regulations that would amend Part 80 of the Commissioner's Regulations to 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), consistent with the modifications you have made to your educational leadership preparation programs over the past few years. The proposal would also establish new names for the certificate titles in educational leadership service. The invitation for comments was sent to leaders in the elementary, middle, and secondary community and the higher education community throughout the State. Special thanks to those of you who shared valuable and important feedback on the proposal. In light of the input and recommendations we received, we are now working to refine the proposal. In the coming months, we will be sharing the revised version of the draft proposal with the Board of Regents and the field again for your comments. According to the proposal, the new educational leadership certificate titles and certification requirements would become effective in September 2006. Until final action is taken on the regulations, 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) certificate.

New Expedited Pathway for Licensed Psychologists to Become Certified as Bilingual School Psychologists

The Board of Regents recently established an expedited pathway for licensed psychologists who have demonstrated proficiency in a language other than English to obtain the first level certificate with an Interim Bilingual Extension necessary to work as a bilingual school psychologist without first completing a college supervised internship in school psychology. Qualified candidates will be required to matriculate in a registered program leading to a Bilingual Education Extension and be mentored by a certified school psychologist during the first year of employment under a provisional certificate. Applications for certification should be submitted through registered programs leading to the Bilingual Education Extension in which candidates are enrolled.

New Expedited Pathway for Individuals with Certificates in School Psychology, Speech and Language Disabilities, and for Teaching the Speech and Hearing Handicapped to Provide Bilingual Education Services

A new Interim Bilingual Education Extension will allow individuals with demonstrated language skills who hold certificates in school psychology, speech and language disabilities, and for teaching the speech and hearing handicapped, to work as bilingual school psychologists or bilingual teachers of students with speech and language disabilities for up to three years while completing registered college programs leading to the regular Bilingual Education Certificate Extension. Applications for certification should be submitted through registered programs leading to the Bilingual Education Extension in which candidates are enrolled.

These two new pathways were established to help school districts who have experienced persistent shortages of certified bilingual school psychologists and teachers of students with speech and language disabilities meet the needs of their students with disabilities and students whose primary language is not English.

Gifted Education Update

The requirement that teachers of gifted students in State funded gifted and talented programs must hold a Gifted Education Extension of a teaching certificate (or have obtained a statement of continued eligibility based on previous employment as a gifted education instructor) has been deferred until September 1, 2006. This change provides additional time for institutions of higher education that are or will be offering approved teacher education programs to develop coursework necessary to prepare teachers to provide instruction to gifted students. Also, in July, the Regents adopted an amendment to the Commissioner's Regulations requiring candidates seeking to meet the education requirement for a gifted education extension through individual evaluation (rather than completion of an approved gifted education program at an institution of higher education) to complete 12 semester hours of coursework in specified subjects, rather than the six semester hours previously required prior to the amendment.  The full report to the Board of Regents is available on the Regents Web page.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

For updated information on the implementation of NCLB in New York State, visit the Office of Higher Education's NCLB Web page.

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HEOP EFFICIENCIES

We are always looking for ways to improve the administration of programs such as the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and to reduce required reports and items your institutions are required to submit. Some examples of successful streamlining in HEOP include elimination of the Early Report Rosters; reducing the number of proposals and re-application copies; elimination of the February 15th Report; and the removal of the requirement to submit hard copies of budget transfer requests. As a result of many comments and recommendations from you and your HEOP administrators, beginning with the fall 2005 freshman class, your HEOP programs will no longer be required to submit copies of documents that verify economic and academic eligibility for most of your HEOP students. Your HEOP programs will still be required to verify student academic and economic eligibility and maintain required documents on file in their offices. However, you will no longer be required to submit copies to the State Education Department. We hope this change will reduce costs related to copying, paper, postage, etc. and save staff time as well. Additional details will be shared with you and your HEOP coordinators by mail. We look forward to receiving your feedback on this new process improvement and will continue to seek out new opportunities to streamline program administration. top

FEDERAL AWARD OPPORTUNITY

The United States Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education has announced the availability of the 2006 Graduate Assistance in the Area of National Need Award. The program provides fellowships, through academic departments and programs of institutions of higher education, to assist graduate students with excellent records who demonstrate financial need and plan to pursue the highest degree available in a field designated as an area of national need (i.e., biology, chemistry, computer and information sciences, engineering, geological and related sciences, mathematics, nursing, and physics). Award applications are due on November 14, 2005. This federal program is consistent with two important Regents priorities included in the Regents Statewide Plan for Higher Education - Support Strong Graduate Programs to Meet the State's Needs and Ensure an Adequate Supply of Qualified Professionals and Teachers for Every Community in the State. top

NATIONAL POSTSECONDARY STUDENT AID STUDY (NPSAS)

Data from the 2003-2004 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study is available online. The study provides information on characteristics of students enrolled in postsecondary education and how students and their families finance education. For the first time ever, the 2003-2004 survey obtained larger samples for twelve states (including New York) to provide data for state-level analysis of postsecondary students' characteristics. Through a grant from the Lumina Foundation, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education provided training for using the data in California and New York. Additional training may be available via teleconference if there is sufficient interest. To learn more, please contact Shefali Mehta.  top

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

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