WASHINGTON – The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced today that the District of Columbia joined CAEP by signing a state partnership agreement. The District of Columbia joins 30 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.”

The District of Columbia’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.

“CAEP Accreditation and national recognition of educator preparation programs in the District of Columbia ensures our providers are preparing educators with high-quality and rigorous training for our schools. These skilled educators, in turn, will provide students with exceptional educational opportunities for success in college, careers, and beyond,” said Angela Skinner, State Manager of Educator Quality and Effectiveness, Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Division of Teaching and Learning. 

“In order to meet CAEP Standards, our educator preparation programs must provide data-driven and content-based evidence of effective instructional practices delivered to their candidates. The EPPs must further link these instructional practices to their candidates’ effective request for evaluation of knowledge, skills, and research-based practices acquired that demonstrate impact and advancement of student learning,” Dr. Joelle Lastica, Educator Effectiveness/Program Approval Coordinator, OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning.

“The CAEP Standards were designed to reflect what research shows successful educators should be able to do, and provides a framework to assess the qualifications and potential of candidates entering the profession,” said Michael Feuer, Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at the George Washington University. “The decision by DCPS to partner with CAEP is a wise one, which will further advance the goals of public education in the nation’s capital.”

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 and the District of Columbia are listed below:

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.

View the DC-CAEP state partnership agreement