The Division of Education at the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu is one of 60 providers from 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) recently announced.
The spring 2020 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 60 newly-accredited educator preparation providers (EPPs), bringing the total to 341 providers approved under the CAEP Teacher Preparation Standards – rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed 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 Dr. Christopher A. Koch. “Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”
CAEP is the sole accrediting body for educator preparation nationally recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). 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, 720 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.
Dr. Jeffrey A.S. Moniz, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UH West Oʻahu, said this accreditation achievement is all about the high quality of UH West Oʻahu’s Education Program and is a stamp of approval from a national, professional accreditor with the reputation for having a strenuous accreditation process.
“Basically, external reviewers agreed that the evidence and outcomes show that we meet rigorous standards,” Moniz said. “This is a testament to the excellence of our faculty, students, and school partners.”
Moniz added, “National accreditation presents this powerful assurance: UH West Oʻahu provides the high quality education needed to prepare effective teachers for the learners in our communities.”
Dr. Mary F. Heller, Education Division Chair at UH West Oʻahu, said she is extremely grateful to the division’s faculty for their commitment to preparing excellent teachers for Hawaiʻi’s K-12 students.
“We are grateful for our partnership with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education, as faculty work closely with mentor teachers and principals to provide field-based experiences that bring to life the real-world challenges and joys of teaching,” Heller added.
Our teacher candidates are also to be commended for their diligence in pursuing careers in teaching, successfully achieving the high standards of excellence required by our CAEP accredited programs, Heller said.
“The CAEP accreditation team found ‘no areas for improvement’ across all programs,” Heller noted. “We nevertheless will stand by our Continuous Improvement Model, using qualitative and quantitative data to inform practice as we move forward together over the next seven year accreditation cycle.”
The CAEP advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.