CAEP Accreditation of Teacher Preparation Programs
Posted on November 25, 2020 by Amber Day
The University of South Alabama College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) teacher education programs have been re-accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) from 2020 to 2027. Accreditation was granted with no stipulations and no areas for improvement.
"Congratulations to Dr. Kent and Dr. Binion and the CEPS faculty and administrative team who helped make this happen," said Dr. John Kovaleski, interim dean and professor for the College of Education and Professional Studies.
"It is with heartfelt gratitude that I say thank you to all of the CEPS family for this extraordinary accomplishment," said Dr. Andi Kent, interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. "Each of you were directly or indirectly part of the CAEP re-accreditation efforts and it is because of you that we received an exemplary report. I must say that it was most fitting that the notification arrived during the CEPS Graduation Recognition Ceremony Friday evening."
"I echo Dr. Kovaleski in a special thank you to Dr. Binion for his leadership throughout the journey, to the CAEP committee and the chairs of each standard, to those who helped recruit our partners to participate in the on-site interviews, and all those who helped and participated in the on-site visit. There is truly no college family like the CEPS family!"
"I am still in awe of what we accomplished," Dr. Matt Binion, director of academic assessment for the College of Education and Professional Studies. "It's hard to believe that I was hired just over three years ago and got right to work on our CAEP submission. I knew nothing about USA, the college, and our partners, but we quickly got to work. We all knew that we had a solid program, but it took a great amount of teamwork and collaboration to show CAEP that USA CEPS is the best teacher preparation program on the Gulf Coast."
CAEP is the sole accrediting body for educator preparation recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. 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 uniform accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all providers focused on educator preparation. Currently, approximately 700 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP accreditation system.
CAEP advances equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning. To learn more, visit www.caepnet.org.