Connecticut joins CAEP in Commitment to National Excellence in Educator Preparation
30 States in Partnership to Better Serve K-12 Students through Enhanced Teacher Perparation
WASHINGTON – The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced today that Connecticut joined CAEP by signing a state partnership agreement. Connecticut joins 29 other states committed to the rigorous CAEP educator preparation standards, designed by deans, higher education faculty members, teachers, and K-12 administrators from throughout the country.
“States partnering with CAEP establish and enhance the public’s confidence that future teachers and educational leaders from teacher preparation programs meet challenging standards and are prepared to lead K-12 schools and classrooms successfully,” said CAEP President Dr. Christopher A. Koch. “CAEP Standards and processes were developed and agreed upon by professionals in the field. The rigor embedded in these standards focuses on ensuring high-quality strategies are part of successfully preparing caring and competent teachers ready to serve in the diverse classrooms in the United States.”
Connecticut’s state agreement with CAEP provides a formal process for accreditation through ongoing evaluation and program improvement. CAEP Accreditation ensures public accountability because an accredited educator preparation provider presents evidence that the program produces strong outcomes for candidates, completers, and the students served by the teachers.
“Professions have standards,” said Mike Alfano, Dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Central Connecticut State University. “The arrival of CAEP in Connecticut solidifies our state’s commitment to ensuring that those who enter the teaching profession are held to rigorous standards developed by the profession itself. Consistent with the state’s adoption of edTPA, we now have a multiple-measures system for ensuring the quality of teachers entering the profession.”
“The CAEP Standards and edTPA constructs reflect what research shows successful educators do and provides a framework to qualify a candidate entering the profession,” said Mel Horton, Associate Dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies at Central Connecticut State University. “CAEP Standards ensure that all accredited education programs are meeting the same high standards in order to provide quality K-12 professionals for our state and nation.”
CAEP is the sole national 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 uniform accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all providers focused on educator preparation. Currently, more than 900 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP accreditation system, including many previously accredited under former standards.
CAEP is recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), providing states and consumers quality assurance. It is the only national accreditor with a governing body that includes professionals who prepare teachers, state licensing authorities, those who hire teachers, and teachers themselves. CAEP has more than 750 trained volunteers. The 30 states that partner with CAEP are listed below:
| Alabama |
Louisiana |
North Dakota |
| Arkansas |
Maine |
Ohio |
| Arizona |
Massachusetts |
Oklahoma |
| California |
Michigan |
Oregon |
| Connecticut |
Mississippi |
South Carolina |
| Delaware |
Montana |
South Dakota |
| Idaho |
Nebraska |
Virginia |
| Indiana |
New Hampshire |
Washington |
| Kansas |
New Jersey |
West Virginia |
| Kentucky |
North Carolina |
Wyoming |
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.