WASHINGTON – The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Board of Directors has approved changes to the 2013 CAEP Standards for educator preparation. The CAEP Standards guide the nation’s top schools of education, those that are CAEP accredited, in preparing future K-12 teachers. The changes the Board approved include streamlining language, strengthening emphasis on technology, equity, and diversity. The revised standards are in effect for providers with visits in spring 2022.   

“The changes to the standards maintain our commitment to continuous improvement for our organization and our providers. The CAEP Standards were developed in 2013 to unify the profession under a single set of standards, with a commitment to ensure they remain rigorous. The enhancement to the standards is based on research to ensure rigor and relevance,” said CAEP President Christopher A. Koch. “CAEP providers are committed to preparing graduates that are ready to teach all students on the first day they enter a classroom.”

CAEP bylaws require a review of the CAEP Standards every seven years. The CAEP Research Committee was charged in 2018 with updating the research related to the CAEP Standards. The CAEP Board of Directors created a task force in June 2020, which met over the summer reviewing data and reports from the CAEP Research Committee and the CAEP Equity and Diversity Committee. The task force also reviewed US Department of Education (USDOE) and CHEA guidelines, more than 200 CAEP accreditation decisions, as well as feedback from stakeholders. It was composed of 21 representatives from the field of education, including P-12, higher education, state education departments and non-profit education organizations. The task force focused on reviewing the 2013 standards, specifically seeking to consolidate, clarify and streamline the standards.

The CAEP Board of Directors approved seeking public comment in September to changes recommended by the task force.  Feedback was received from approximately 200 individuals and organizations during the public comment period. Those comments were analyzed, and changes were made to the recommendations based on that feedback. 

“The task force reviewed more than 200 accreditation cases and received guidance from the CAEP Equity and Diversity Committee and the CAEP Research Committee, in addition to receiving feedback from dozens of stakeholders as they prepared their final recommendations,” said Karen Symms Gallagher, Chair, CAEP Board of Directors. “CAEP Accreditation is recognized as the industry standard. The current recommendations they have put forward will help CAEP providers better address current classroom conditions.”

CAEP is the only accreditor of educator preparation providers recognized by CHEA. CAEP is also seeking recognition by the USDOE. As part of that process, the Standards have been modified to include specific areas of focus required by the Department. 

In most cases the changes include the consolidation, clarification, and the removal of extraneous language. In addition, specific standards for technology have been added, given the increase in online learning. Equity and diversity measures have been specifically included in components of the standards to ensure proper attention is given and each provider must demonstrate progress toward recruiting and graduating a candidate pool that reflects the diversity of America’s P-12 students, as well as increased flexibility in documenting candidates academic knowledge and their impact on student learning and development.

“In 2018, the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) reaffirmed the importance of a unified national professional accreditation system that aligns with AACTE’s Principles for National Accreditation in Educator Preparation. The CAEP standards were developed with input from the field, including our members,” said Lynn Gangone, President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. “AACTE believes it is important to ensure that the CAEP standards be reviewed and updated on a regular basis to address current issues and trends in the field of educator preparation.”

“The CAEP standards were intended to remain relevant through regular review. AFT supports the changes being made that help align rigorous teacher preparation standards to the changes in our field and in our world in important areas like equity, diversity, and technology,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.

“As someone who is committed to best practices, transparency and inclusion, I am pleased with CAEP’s process for updating its standards,” said Cassandra Herring, President and CEO, Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity. “These standards help demonstrate that we can maintain high expectations of our teacher workforce while making more explicit matters of diversity and equity, which will benefit all students.”

“The CAEP Standards Taskforce was an open process that allowed honest input from a variety of perspectives. As an educator preparation provider lead, it was a great opportunity to critically assess the language and content of the standards,” said Ann Bullock, Dean, Professor and Director of Teacher Education at Elon University and member of Deans for Impact. “The revisions provide a more streamlined yet rigorous set of standards that emphasize continuous program improvement.”

“When the CAEP standards were developed they were meant to be the gold standards for educator preparation,” said Mary Cathryn Ricker, Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Education. “CAEP has done a thorough job in their review and their recommended changes address the changing world we live in and are relevant for the future of teaching.” 

“It was important to have community colleges at the table as the educator preparation standards were being reviewed,” said Linda Gronberg-Quinn, Director, Teacher Education, Community College of Baltimore County and Executive Board President of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Preparation Programs. “Community colleges are an important part in growing the teaching workforce and the revised standards allow for an even greater synergy between the two- and four- year institutions involved in this endeavor. “

“Effective family engagement is foundational to student success. It is essential for all educators to have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to build relational trust with families and to leverage those relationships as intellectual resources for teaching and learning,” Vito J. Borrello, Executive Director, National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement. “We are delighted that the revised CAEP standards recognize and call attention to the importance of preparing educators for family engagement as a pillar of content knowledge and clinical practice.”

“The revised CAEP standards are clearly focused on helping teacher preparation programs prepare profession-ready educators who can positively impact the learning and success of every student,” said Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association. “The added racial and diversity measures will help ensure our students are taught by a diverse workforce. These standards provide a strong basis for continuous improvements to and assurance of the quality preparation programs.”

 “The revisions represent sensitivity to the needs of individual EPPs while maintaining a high standard of excellence for teacher preparation,” said Larry Daniel, Dean, College of Education, The University of Texas Permian Basin, and member of TESCU. “They eliminate some of the redundancy across standards and reduce the number of components within the standards, making them more coherent and easier to understand and address.”

“All Virginia providers are required to meet CAEP standards and these revisions reflect a commitment to continuous improvement and support our state’s efforts to ensure accountability and transparency of Virginia providers,” said James Lane, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Virginia Department of Education. “All students should have a high-quality teacher in their classroom, and we believe the CAEP standards lay the groundwork for that to happen.”

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.

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The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (www.CAEPnet.org) advances equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.