The University of Wisconsin-Parkside will be allowed to conditionally continue the teacher education program that came under fire earlier this year.

Parkside will be granted full approval by the Department of Public Instruction by the summer of 2010 if it continues to meet a series of steps, according to information released Thursday afternoon by the university, but Chancellor Debbie Ford said she hoped to have everything resolved by spring when the program comes up for its normal, five-year review.

Former director of teacher education Kelly McFatter was removed from her position in May after a complaint was filed with the university and DPI against the program. According to that complaint, which was made by another person in the department, students were assigned courses out of sequence and improperly given credit for courses not taken at the university.

McFatter also served as an assistant dean and was in charge of advising students, approving them for student teaching and ensuring they met certification requirements for licensure.

Officials earlier said the problem was more widespread and serious than they initially believed. Gerald Greenfield, the interim provost and vice chancellor, said an internal investigation revealed sloppy record keeping but that McFatter did not intentionally falsify student records needed for teacher licensing.

The complaint and investigation put numerous students in the program in jeopardy of not receiving their teaching license.

Chancellor Debbie Ford, who wasn’t on staff when the complaint was made, said she was focused on moving forward, and said the school would work with all those students to ensure they are appropriately licensed.

Parkside has been given conditional permission to continue the program, but must improve record keeping, do a more in-depth review of the teacher certification process, and improve department structures and procedures.

“I would hope this was not intentionally disruptive,” Ford said. “I don’t know because I wasn’t here at that time, and based on my review of the DPI report there is not an indication of this being intentional.” Ford said. “The bottom line is we are preparing teachers for the future. Many students are enrolled in the program at different stages, and they will be continuing. We are moving forward.”