The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) recently announced that the School of Education at Aquinas College is one of 46 providers from 22 states and Puerto Rico to receive CAEP Accreditation in Spring 2018 for its educator preparation programs. Aquinas College was one of 147 providers approved under the CAEP teacher preparation standards—rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs. The School of Education at Aquinas College earned the highest level of accreditation and has held TEAC/CAEP accreditation since March 2013.
“We are pleased to have been awarded this prestigious national accreditation and proud to have the School of Education at Aquinas College recognized by CAEP for its excellent accomplishments and vision for the future,” said Susan English, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Education and Associate Professor of Education at Aquinas College. “We’ve set a very high bar for our teacher prep program and CAEP Accreditation validates the hard work we are doing. Our students and their families are investing in an education program that is designated as nationally accredited for teacher preparation.”
CAEP is the sole nationally recognized accrediting body for educator preparation. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. CAEP was created by the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. It is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. Currently, more than 800 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including many previously accredited through former standards.
Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review on five standards, which are based on two principles:
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Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and
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Solid evidence that the provider’s educator staff have the capacity to create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.
If a program fails to meet one of the five standards or required components under the standards, it is placed on probation for two years. Probation may be lifted in two years if a program provides evidence that it meets the standard.
The School of Education at Aquinas College has implemented numerous innovative, new programs recently, including an English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement program for in-service teachers, workshops on Google educator tools, and a fully-funded “PREP” program addressing the need for more racially-diverse early childhood educators. Ninety percent of Aquinas College School of Education graduates were rated as “effective” or “highly effective” by their employers.
For More Information Contact: Angela M. Butterfield, Communications: 616-632-2824