Educator preparation programs offered by Indiana University of Pennsylvania have received national accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
IUP is one of only 42 institutions from 23 states and the District of Columbia to receive recognition during this current review process. Fewer than 240 universities in the nation hold CAEP accreditation for its teacher education programs, and IUP is the first institution in Pennsylvania to receive CAEP accreditation.
“It's an incredibly rigorous process, which includes a site visit by the independent reviewers and a thorough self-study of our programs and the preparation we provide to our students,” IUP Dean of the College of Education and Communications Lara Luetkehans said. “Not only did our programs receive accreditation, the reviewers had no areas for improvement—it's essentially a perfect score,” she said. “This accomplishment indicates that our programs are following best practices, that our graduates are achieving success, and that our education graduates are well prepared for the classroom today and for the future,” she said.
All of IUP's initial educator preparation programs were considered in the review.
“The IUP team, which included Dr. Sue Rieg, Dr. Lynanne Black, Dr. DeAnna Laverick, Dr. Jo-Anne Kerr, along with the chairs of the Standards Committees, did an incredible job preparing materials and working with the review team,” Luetkehans said. “Altogether, there are 50-plus IUP faculty and staff who took part in the process and the site visit, and their excellent work was critical to the success of the self-study and the site visit.”
“The mission of IUP's Educator Preparation Programs is to provide dynamic, collaborative experiences that develop reflective, deliberate 21st-century educators, who serve and lead ethically, responsibly, and professionally in educational institutions,” Dean's Associate for Educator Preparation Sue Rieg said. “Achieving national accreditation validates the work IUP's educator preparation faculty and staff, and school district partner teachers and administrators, do daily to prepare high-quality educators. The fact that our programs received a perfect rating suggests that IUP's education programs are aligned closely to the mission, and teacher candidates are prepared for the joys and challenges they face in today's diverse classrooms.”
IUP's teacher programs have been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (now the CAEP) since 1974.
The accreditation standards are designed to provide rigorous, nationally recognized standards to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.
“These institutions meet high standards so that their students receive an education that prepares them to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate,” said CAEP President Christopher Koch. “Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”
CAEP is the sole nationally recognized 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 unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. Approximately 800 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including some previously accredited through former standards.
Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review on five standards, which are based on two principles: solid evidence that the provider's graduates are competent and caring educators, and solid evidence that the provider's educator staff have the capacity to create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.
IUP's educator preparation programs include 22 initial and 11 advanced teacher education programs. Within these programs, there are numerous opportunities to practice “hands-on” learning by participating in a full range of activities offered in culturally and economically diverse urban and rural settings.
Educator preparation faculty members are fully committed to the preparation of outstanding teachers. Collaboration is modeled as university faculty, public school personnel, and education candidates work together to accomplish the goals of the IUP educator preparation programs. IUP values partnerships with local and urban school districts, and IUP's education graduates are recruited not only by local school districts, but educational institutions across the country.
IUP is accredited by the Middle States Association Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the US Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. IUP has received consecutive reaffirmations of accreditation since 1941.