Accreditation and Assessment

In This Section

Accreditation

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur founded the Academy of Notre Dame in 1851 in San Jose, California. The institution was chartered by the State of California in 1868 as College of Notre Dame and moved to Belmont, CA in 1923. The institution changed its name to Notre Dame 91福利资源站 (NDNU) in 2001.

Notre Dame 91福利资源站 is an accredited, independent Catholic, coeducational, master鈥檚 university offering graduate, credential, and undergraduate degree completion programs. WSCUC (formerly WASC) has continuously accredited NDNU since 1955.

Institutional Accreditation

Notre Dame 91福利资源站 is accredited by the:
WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)
1001 Marina Village Parkway, Suite 402
Alameda, CA 94501
510-748-9001

Accreditation Liaison Officer: Dr. Gregory Zubacz, Associate Provost

Accredited and Approved Programs at NDNU

Education credential programs are accredited by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Per Federal Regulation 34 CR 668.43 (a)(5)(v)(A-C), NDNU has not determined whether these programs meet the licensure requirements in the other 49 states.

MS Clinical Psychology program with the Marriage and Family Therapy concentration (MSCP/MFT), or with the Marriage and Family Therapy and Licensed Professional Clinical Counseling concentration (MSCP/MFT/LPCC), is in compliance with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences requirements for programs leading to MFT licensure (MSCP/MFT), or to both MFT and LPCC licensure (MSCP/MFT/LPCC). Per Federal Regulation 34 CR 668.43 (a)(5)(v)(A-C), NDNU has not determined whether these programs meet the licensure requirements in the other 49 states.

The following business programs at NDNU are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP):

Master of Business Administration (MBA); MS Technology Management; MBA STEM; and BS Business Administration

State Authorization for Online Programs

The Department of Education requires that institutions offering online or distance learning programs outside of their home states must seek authorization to operate from regulatory bodies in those states. Each state has a different set of requirements when it comes to allowing out-of-state colleges and universities to offer online degree programs to its residents. Notre Dame 91福利资源站 complies with such requirements and is working to increase the number of states where we can offer online programs. Notre Dame 91福利资源站 currently welcomes applications to our online programs from residents from the following states:

Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming

List of Authorized States

Assessment Leadership at NDNU

Assessment and Program Review at NDNU is led by the Assessment Council which is comprised of designated members of all schools and chaired by the Associate Provost. The Council is advisory to the Provost. The overall charge of the Assessment Council is to foster an understanding of assessment and its important role in a learning-centered university and to encourage assessment practices that contribute to the improvement of student learning and institutional effectiveness. The Assessment Council supports NDNU faculty who are responsible for creating and evaluating student learning outcomes and establishing standards of student performance.

The Assessment Council serves as a resource for improving academic (curricular and co-curricular) assessment processes at NDNU for the purpose of enhancement and documentation of student learning outcomes. The Assessment Council also serves as the steward for the assessment of institutional outcomes. It operates in accordance with the values of the Hallmarks of NDNU as a learning community and is guided by the principle of assessment as a means for improvement of the quality of student learning/success and institutional effectiveness.

Learning Outcomes

NDNU has developed learning outcomes at the program level which also reflect the requirements of external accreditors. Each program鈥檚 learning outcomes are included with the description of the program in the NDNU Catalog.

The Assessment Cycle at NDNU

The Assessment Cycle in the School of Education

CTC Framework:
Continuous improvement for all teachers is based on the 鈥淐ycle of Formative Assessment鈥�

Faculty prepare the academic year with these Professional Development activities:

to align courses with particular CalTPA Cycle and step(s)
aligning scores to MSCRED in preparation for Literacy Standard (TPE 7)
, preparing teacher candidates with these resources and live in-person/hybrid orientation preparation for teaching practicum
Course syllabi includes alignment with Teacher Performance and CalTPA objectives

During the school year, teacher candidates complete their coursework and conduct the following with NDNU faculty and mentors:

and . Supervisors, Adjunct Faculty, and Cooperating Teachers use these forms during observations and assessment of their teacher candidates
In addition to completing coursework, teacher candidates also submit their TPA to Commission Teacher Credentialing for scoring.

During our SOE Retreat, faculty observe, analyze, and discuss the following assessments:

Formative assessment: Faculty meet to plan and engage in improved practices for the coming year. Examples:

Handout for University Supervisors to ask and debrief with their teacher candidates Cal-TPA aligned questions
for teacher candidates, based on the areas that teacher candidates should improve on

Academic Program Review

The Academic Program Review (APR) process at Notre Dame 91福利资源站 is a key method for evaluating the effectiveness of academic programs in promoting student achievement, with all programs reviewed on a cycle not exceeding six years. This review includes all baccalaureate and master鈥檚 degrees, post-baccalaureate credentials, and general education. Self-study documents must be timely, comprehensive, reflective, and evaluative, focusing on assessing student learning objectives and using results to improve program quality. The self-study aligns with annual assessments, and external reviewers are required for programs without specialized accreditation.