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Public Comment Period February 15–March 29

By James G. Cibulka, president, Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation

Education reform over the past decades has ushered in changes in standards, assessment, curriculum, and teacher evaluation.  Most recently, the focus has turned to teachers and their professional preparation; research has shown that teachers are the most significant in-school influence on student achievement. While education reform is often politicized, the opposing sides share considerable common ground. In the end, those vested in the topic of education reform agree that every student deserves the best teachers and education possible.

The Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP)[i] takes up its responsibilities as the new national accreditor of educator preparation providers at a time of high interest in P-12 student performance and in the capabilities of the education workforce. In this context, accreditation must be a strong lever in shaping educator preparation, assuring the public of the rigor of educator preparation programs. 

Accreditation is a non-governmental activity based on peer-review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and motivating improvement.^[ii] CAEP, then, is ideally positioned to play an effective role through its accreditation standards as a collaborator and initiator of changes in educator preparation that enhance the effects of these widespread reforms. The accreditation process provides a ready means of bringing evidence to bear on the task of meeting the unique demands, challenges, and opportunities that make up the new educational landscape.

Standards serve as the basis for any accreditor’s reviews. These attributes of accreditation spring from a broad consensus across educator preparation stakeholders, data users, and policymakers, and are what set accreditation apart from simple ranking systems. 

Standards make expectations for evidence clear. They have caused providers to regroup and begin again, if necessary. They have motivated creation of assessments to demonstrate candidate teaching “performances” and testing constructs that include explicit focus on P-12 learning as the object of preparation. They act as a framework for continuous improvement.

It is appropriate, then, that the first publically visible action of CAEP was the creation in May 2012 of its Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting. Specifically, the Commission was charged with developing – for all preparation providers – the next generation of accreditation standards based on evidence, continuous improvement, innovation, and clinical practice. 

The Commission’s work is organized around the three areas of teacher preparation identified by the National Research Council[iii] (NRC) as most likely to have the strongest effects on raising student achievement – content knowledge, clinical experience, and the quality of teacher candidates. The Commission is also exploring other important functions of an accrediting body, including quality assurance, continuous improvement, and public accountability and transparency. 

And now it is YOUR turn. Accreditation processes evolve over time in response to developments in research, improvements in practice, and changes in policies and expectations for schools and teachers. The Commission has worked diligently to draft the next generation of accreditation standards and accompanying evidence, and now we need the thoughtful feedback of the full range of stakeholders in educator preparation.

A link to the draft standards and instructions for public comment can be found at http://standards.caepnet.org. The public comment period extends from February 15–March 29, 2013. Following this period, a summary of the comments received will be made available, with the Commission meeting again in early June to finalize the standards to be presented to the CAEP Board of Directors. 

With emerging evidence, data streams, and the most sweeping education reforms in decades, CAEP is poised to work with educator preparation providers in using accreditation to leverage further advancement in the field, ensuring that P-12 students are prepared to compete in today’s global economy.

[i] As the new national accreditor, CAEP will initially accredit more than 900 educator preparation providers currently accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). Included in that number are a large number of religiously based educator preparation providers – including almost half of the members of the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities – that prepare teachers for public and private schools, alike.

[ii] Higher education’s own self-governing accreditation coordinator, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, describes accreditation as “ . . a process for reviewing colleges, universities, institutions and programs to judge their educational quality—how well they serve students and society.” Council for Higher Education Accreditation, The Value of Accreditation, CHEA, June 2010 p. 1.

[iii] National Research Council.  (2010).  Preparing teachers: Building evidence for sound policy.  Committee on the Study of Teacher Preparation Programs in the United States, Center for Education.  Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education.  Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.