Accreditation is a process by which a third-party organization applies standards of quality to evaluate an academic program or institution. The review process may take into account a number of criteria including faculty and staff, facilities and student resources, admissions procedures, institutional finances and budget, academic content, degree requirements, and more. The goal is to accredit only those programs that meet established standards.
Accreditation is especially important to American higher education, because colleges and universities in the U.S. are not overseen by a centralized authority. With considerable freedom and variation among colleges, their programs, and their faculty, institutions of higher education seek accreditation to demonstrate that they offer a high standard of instruction.
Why Accreditation Is Important to Prospective Students
Prospective students choosing between academic institutions can use a school’s accreditation, or lack thereof, to help guide their decisions. They can be sure accredited schools have been evaluated by an independent body, are respected in their fields, and have a commitment to continual improvement.
In most professional fields, a degree from accredited schools is held in high regard by colleagues and employers. Accredited schools may also offer program candidates avenues to prepare for licensing exams or professional certifications.
Why Choose a CAEP-Accredited School
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) was founded on a straightforward mission: excellence in educator preparation education. Through its evidence-based accreditation process and standards, CAEP works toward equity and excellence in educator preparation that creates improvements in pre-K through 12th-grade student learning.
To achieve accreditation, educational institutions must meet several criteria, collectively called CAEP Standards. Areas for assessment include:
- Content and Pedagogical Knowledge: A school must ensure its students possess a deep understanding of the critical concepts and principles of their discipline and that, by graduation, they are able to use them to advance the college- and career-ready learning of their own classroom students.
- Clinical Partnerships and Practice: A school must provide its students effective partnerships and high-quality clinical practice to prepare them for a career serving all pre-K through 12th-grade students.
- Candidate Quality, Recruitment, and Selectivity: A school must demonstrate a commitment to attracting, teaching and graduating the highest-quality students with the goal that all be recommended for certification and equipped to teach effectively.
- Program Impact: A school must show that its graduates contribute to their students’ learning growth, and that they are satisfied with the level of preparation and training they received. Further, a school must show that employers of its graduates feel those individuals are well-prepared to carry out their professional responsibilities.
- Provider Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement: A school must gather and track valid, varied data about its students’ and graduates’ impacts on pre-K through 12th-grade student learning and development as part of a quality-assurance program. This evidence must be used to inform constant efforts toward program improvement and quality maintenance.
Professionals in the education field should consider a CAEP-accredited provider to gain the industry-leading training they’ll need to distinguish themselves and advance in their field. CAEP accreditation ensures that a university’s programs prepare educators with the theoretical and hands-on training to confidently meet the needs of their schools and classrooms after graduation.
The College of Education and Behavioral Science at Arkansas State University is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). As of December 2019, it was one of just 281 institutions in the United States with such a distinction.
Learn more about A-State’s Graduate Education Programs online.
Sources:
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP): 2019 Annual Report
CAEP: Vision, Mission, and Goals
U.S. Department of Education: Accreditation in the United States
U.S. Department of Education: History and Context of Accreditation in the United States