Teacher Education
In the 1980s, America was considered a “nation at risk” because of its low educational standards. To make needed changes, educational organizations around the country tried out many different strategies—including recruiting and training fantastic teachers. Teacher education has changed drastically over time, but the demand for regulated teaching standards has remained firm. One of the newest systems on the block is CAEP accreditation.
For those of you who are beginners to CAEP accreditation, we’re about to shed some light on all things CAEP: the standards, the accreditation process, and stipulation. Upon finishing this article, you just might become the MacGyver of CAEP accreditation.
Prior to CAEP, many teacher education programs followed NCATE and TEAC legacy standards. Then in 2016 NCATE and TEAC merged together to form CAEP. Along with the merger, CAEP significantly raised the bar for teacher preparation.
CAEP Standards in Layman’s Terms Click To TweetFive elaborate standards must be met to receive accreditation. And when we say elaborate, we mean it. The CAEP accreditation standards are considerably different from previous accreditation standards, with a strong focus on continuous improvement. They aren’t easy to understand either, so we’ve laid out the standards in simple terms below:
The program ensures teacher candidates understand what they’re teaching and how to teach effectively.
The program works with school districts and communities to create student teaching opportunities.
The program recruits high-quality candidates that demonstrate characteristics best suited for teaching.
The program uses a variety of measures to prove the program’s impact on completers.
The program uses data to continually improve the learning experience.
CAEP accreditation is a rigorous, lengthy venture that takes anywhere from 7-10 years to complete. CAEP Assistant Director Bradley Duncan presented the process and a map of the process at CAEPCon 2019.
Programs that are NCATE or TEAC accredited do not have to apply to CAEP. All programs new to accreditation must apply to begin the process.
All programs must complete the review process, which varies from state to state.
Programs write a self-study report to provide evidence of meeting CAEP accreditation standards.
The CAEP site team responds to the evidence provided by the program.
The site team arrives onsite to examine evidence and conduct interviews with program leaders.
The site team writes a response to the tasks completed during the site visit.
The CAEP Accreditation Council reviews all materials and makes a final decision.
Programs must submit an annual report to CAEP that shows continuous improvement.
A program must meet all the standards for full CAEP accreditation. Although there are specific stipulations for each standard, there are similarities across the board. Generally a stipulation is associated with:
Programs have two years to meet the failed standard upon stipulation. If stipulations are removed, full accreditation is theirs. If the standards remain unmet, accreditation is withheld.
The CAEP accreditation process may not be a cinch, but hopefully you now have a better grasp on what it entails. For more specifics about CAEP accreditation, check out the official CAEP website.
For even more information on how to achieve CAEP accreditation, check out our article Crushing CAEP Accreditation Standard 4.
