The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced last week that the Teacher Licensure and Educational Leadership programs at the University of Utah have received full accreditation approval for their educator preparation programs. The fall 2023 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council reflects the University of Utah’s ability to meet the rigorous, nationally recognized standards for program quality that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation.
“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 A. Koch. “Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”
CAEP is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. CAEP is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. More than 600 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including some previously accredited through former standards.
Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass a peer review of the CAEP 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 can create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.
Educator and Administrator programs through the University of Utah successfully met all requirements through CAEP.
“Our students, faculty, staff, and district partners should be very proud of our accomplishments. At the University of Utah, we set a very high bar for our teacher preparation and principal preparation programs and CAEP Accreditation validates the hard work we are doing,” said Mary D. Burbank, Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Director of the Urban Institute for Teacher Education (UITE). “Our students and their families are investing in an education program that is designated as nationally accredited for teacher and principal preparation.”
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (caepnet.org) advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.