Mississippi joins CAEP in Commitment to National Excellence in Educator Preparation
29 States in Partnership to Better Serve K-12 Students through Enhanced Teacher Preparation
WASHINGTON – The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced today that Mississippi joined CAEP by signing a state partnership agreement. Mississippi joins 28 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.”
Mississippi’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.
“We know that when programs in Mississippi receive CAEP accreditation, they meet the highest possible standards,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “CAEP accredited programs demonstrate through evidence that they are delivering programs that are intended to lead to successful teaching, content expertise, and strong outcomes for K-12 learners. Holding teachers to the highest possible standards equips them to provide students with the best chance at future success.”
“The CAEP standards reflect what research shows successful educators do and provides a framework to qualify a candidate entering the profession,” said Dr. David Rock, Dean of the School of Education at the University of Mississippi. “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 grandfathered into accreditation under former standards.
CAEP is recognized by the Council for 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 29 states that partner with CAEP are listed below: