Published on August 2, 2017 by Sara Roman  
gifted education

Orlean Beeson School of Education’s M.S.E. with Gifted Certification program received national recognition status on its submission for Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs). This addition brings the total number of nationally recognized programs to nine for Samford’s education school, the highest number of nationally recognized programs in the state of Alabama. 

Many programs are recognized by more than one SPA due to having multiple certifications in the program. The nine nationally recognized programs are recognized by a total of 12 different SPAs.

Four certification programs received national recognition in the fall of 2016; seven received national recognition on their first submission in the spring of 2017, and the M.S.E. with Gifted Certification program received recognition this week.

According to Jeanie Box, Orlean Beeson School of Education dean, preparing a report for SPAs can take years, and often, submissions do not receive recognition without multiple revisions. The education school has had seven recognized on first submission.

“To have nine programs recognized by 12 SPAs in such a short amount of time is truly remarkable,” said Box. “Our faculty works tirelessly to ensure our students receive the highest level of instruction as set by national standards and guidelines. I am very proud of all of our accomplishments.”

Samford’s Nationally Recognized Programs

• B.S.E. in Early Childhood, Special Education, Elementary, Elementary Collaborative is recognized by the Association of Childhood Education International, the National Association of Education for Young Children and the Council for Exceptional Children.

• B.S.E. in Secondary English is recognized by the National Council of Teachers of English.

• B.S.E. in Secondary History and Social Studies is recognized by the National Council for the Social Studies.

• M.S.E. in Secondary Social Studies is recognized by the National Council for the Social Studies.

• M.S.E. in Secondary Physical Education is recognized by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

• M.S.E. in English is recognized by the National Council of Teachers of English.

• M.S.E. in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education is recognized by the

National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Association of Childhood Education International.

• M.S.E. in Instructional Leadership is recognized by the Educational Leadership Constituent Council.

• M.S.E with Gifted Certification is recognized by the National Association for Gifted Children/Council for Exceptional Children.

Recognized programs were submitted for a rigorous external program review, and were assessed on the quality of the curriculum, faculty and students as aligned with a national set of established standards and criteria.

All recognized programs are listed on the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation website as well as the national specialized professional association websites.

The education school hopes to eventually have all programs nationally recognized.

“The education school has a vision to be distinguished for excellence as a committed, Christian community and widely recognized for quality education,” Box added. “To see our team’s efforts recognized to this magnitude is very rewarding.” The school has been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education since 1954.

Sara Roman is marketing and communication coordinator for Orlean Beeson School of Education.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.