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Governance Document

Context

This page contains an overview of the governance structure of the Professional Education Unit. The full structure is described in the Professional Education Unit Governance Document, which is available by request.

Administration

The Dean of Education, Health, and Human Services is the Unit Head and shall administer the PEU and shall have the authority and responsibility for the overall operation of the Unit and for CAEP accreditation of the institution. The Dean is appointed by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The duties of the Dean include the following:

  1. Serve as the Head of the Professional Education Unit (PEU)
  2. Provide a vision for the PEU
  3. Exercise the authority and assume responsibility for CAEP accreditation of the institution
  4. Consult with the Executive Director of the Professional Education Unit and oversee all Unit functions
  5. Serve as an ex officio member of the Professional Education Council

The Executive Director of the Professional Education Unit serves as the CAEP Coordinator and assists the Dean in the administration of the PEU. The Executive Director is appointed by the Dean.

The duties of the Executive Director for the Professional Education Unit include the following:

  1. Consult with the Dean on matters of professional education and accreditation
  2. Serve as the primary liaison between the PEU and CAEP
  3. Serve as the chairperson of the Professional Education Council
  4. Communicate accreditation related developments to departments within the PEU
  5. Monitor accreditation related tasks assigned to departments within the PEU
  6. Coordinate, write, and submit accreditation related reports (including self- studies) to CAEP
  7. Plan and implement the PEU’s assessment efforts
  8. Provide oversight to the offices of Field Experience, Assessment, and Teacher Certification
  9. Serve as a liaison between the PEU and community partners (Advisory Board, Joint Management Team-Higher Education Group, SUNY Deans and Directors of Education, public schools, etc.)

Committees

On behalf of the Professional Education Unit, the Professional Education Council (PEC) shall assist the Dean to develop and implement a shared vision for programs preparing initial and advanced teachers, school counselors, and school building and district leaders and to establish procedures for fostering continuous improvement of these programs that are consistent with the institution’s mission of student success, the PEU’s conceptual framework, best practices of the education profession, and CAEP accreditation requirements and standards. Standing and ad hoc committees of the Unit shall make recommendations to the PEC, which, in turn, shall assist the Dean to develop and execute policies.

Other functions of the PEC includes:

  1. Coordinate the governance work of the Unit
  2. Coordinate the work of standing committees
  3. Disseminate information relative to accreditation to home departments
  4. Disseminate information relative to state and national initiatives pertaining to teacher certification to home departments
  5. Review home department personnel criteria to assure consistency with accreditation requirements and the University’s existing set of personnel processes
  6. Review and evaluate reports of the Assessment Committee, and identify areas of concern within the Unit and develop plans for remediation and continuous improvement
  7. Based upon Assessment Committee reports and analysis, communicate the accomplishments and needs of the Unit to the Vice President for Academic Affairs through the Dean
  8. Review and evaluate reports of the Effectiveness and Best Practices Committee, and identify areas of concern within the Unit and develop plans for remediation and continuous improvement
  9. Based upon Effectiveness and Best Practices Committee reports and analysis, communicate the accomplishments and needs of the Unit to the Vice President for Academic Affairs through the Dean
  10. Establish and consult with an Advisory Board relative to the goals of the Unit and procedures for attaining those goals

The voting members of the PEC shall include the following persons:

  1. Executive Director of the Professional Education Unit, Chair
  2. Dean (or designee) of the School of Education, Health, and Human Services
  3. Dean (or designee) of the School of Arts and Sciences
  4. Director (or designee) of the Center for Graduate Studies
  5. Chair (or designee) of the Department of Education and Human Development
  6. Chair (or designee) of the Department of Counselor Education
  7. Chair (or designee) of the Department of Educational Administration
  8. Chair (or designee) of the Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies, and Physical Education
  9. Chair (or designee) of the Department of Public Health and Health Education
  10. Director of Partnership Development and Field Experience
  11. Certification Officer
  12. Four representatives from the School of Arts and Sciences representing the content areas of Math, Science, Humanities and Languages

The PEU Assessment Committee is a standing committee of the PEC and shall be charged by and report directly to the PEC. The primary purpose of the Unit Assessment Committee is to coordinate the collection, aggregation, analysis, and use of data from a variety of sources related to the performance of the Professional Education Unit, including data about applicant qualifications, candidate and graduate performance, and Unit operations.

The Committee’s specific functions include the following:

  1. Develop, refine, maintain, and evaluate an assessment system that reflects the Unit’s conceptual framework and professional and state standards, including assessment and evaluation measures of candidate performance, programs, and Unit operations at data checkpoints
  2. Develop and implement processes to eliminate bias in assessments and work to establish the fairness, accuracy, and consistency of its assessment procedures and Unit operations
  3. Regularly evaluate the validity and utility of the data produced through assessments
  4. Assess candidates’ ability to impact the learning of diverse student populations
  5. Make data analysis reports available to PEC, faculty and candidates to review
  6. Use technology to support the assessment system

The members of the Unit Assessment Committee shall include the following persons (the chair of the Committee shall be appointed by the Dean):

  1. Executive Director of the Professional Education Unit
  2. Representatives from each of the home departments of the PEU
  3. Representatives from the School of Arts and Sciences representing the content areas of Math, Science, Humanities and Languages

The Effectiveness and Best Practices Committee is a standing committee of the PEC and shall be charged by and report directly to the PEC. The primary purpose of the committee is to review cohesiveness across programs and with the broader educational community.

The specific functions of the committee are to:

  1. Evaluate consistency across the PEU and broader educational community through the review of programs and policies. The areas to be reviewed include (and are not limited to) the following:
    1. Being grounded and guided by a constructivist approach to education
    2. Linking theory and practice through extensive quality-based field experiences in diverse settings
    3. Explicitly delineating required knowledge and skills (i.e. the Themes and Competencies defined in the PEU Conceptual Framework including effective integration of technology in instruction)
    4. Professional Dispositions
    5. Candidates’ positive impact on P-12 learners or the learning environment
  2. Identify, monitor, and expand school partnerships that support field experiences in diverse settings which incorporate best practices of the discipline.
  3. Recommend to the PEC, areas in which greater coherence across the PEU and broader educational community is needed.

The members of the Effectiveness and Best Practices Committee shall include the following persons (the chair of the Committee shall be appointed by the Dean):

  1. Director of Partnership Development and Field Experience
  2. Representatives from each of the home departments of the PEU
  3. Representatives from the School of Arts and Sciences representing the content areas of Math, Science, Humanities and Languages
  4. Executive Director of the PEU

In order to improve the effectiveness and best practices of the Unit, the Professional Education Council will appoint ad hoc committees. These committees will develop from a need or issue that is brought to the PEC from a committee, department or member of the PEU or college. One ad hoc committee formed as needed will be the disposition subcommittee that will review Level 3 disposition transgressions and refer to the Unit Head for appropriate action. If a conflict of interest exists with a committee member, he/she will step aside and a new member will temporarily replace them.The Professional Education Unit Advisory Board ensures a relationship between the Professional Education Unit and the persons in the education community it serves. The Advisory Board provides input to the Unit’s on-going strategic planning process that will help to ensure that programs will be kept at the forefront of the profession.

The functions of the Advisory Board shall include the following:

  1. Review and provide objective assessment and make recommendations about the future direction of curriculum, instruction, candidate and Unit assessment, and other aspects of Unit operations
  2. Help promote good relationships with the Professional Education Unit’s external community, including positively promoting the Unit’s Programs
  3. Provide an external perspective including practitioner, employer, and education faculty
  4. Provide an alumni perspective and student perspective
  5. Keep the Professional Education Unit apprised of trends and needs in P-12 education

The membership of the Professional Education Unit Advisory Board shall consist of representatives of professional education from school districts and other professional education institutions, and current Brockport students (graduate and undergraduate). The members of the Advisory Board could include the following categories of individuals:

  1. Experienced administrators, including school superintendents, central office administrators, building principals, and directors of health, physical education, and athletics, and directors of counseling
  2. Practitioners who have significant years of experience and have earned tenure in their positions, including teachers and school counselors
  3. Alumni
  4. Faculty from other higher education institutions
  5. Representative from New York State United Teachers (NYSUT)

 

General Rules for Conduct of Committee Meetings in the Unit

  1. Committees meet on the call of the chairperson or when at least 30% of the committee membership petitions the chair
  2. Chairpersons shall prepare and distribute an agenda prior to a committee meeting
  3. A quorum shall be necessary for any votes taken during the conduct of a meeting; a quorum shall be defined as attendance which is greater than 50% of committee membership
  4. Motions shall be carried or defeated by a majority vote of those in attendance; there shall be no provisions for absentee voting
  5. Minutes and notes shall be maintained by all committees and made available to all members of the Unit