CAEP Accreditation | College of Education

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

One of Only Two CAEP Accredited Institutions in Colorado

The CAEP Accreditation process is a cycle of continuous improvement and a demonstration that institutions meet the high standards of quality required to improve P-12 student learning. CAEP Accreditation includes a program and state review process, annual reporting, a self-study process, formative review, and a two- to three-day site visit to review evidence, verify data, and examine pedagogical artifacts (e.g., lesson plans, student work samples, and videos). The Visitor Team provides a written report to the institution and the Accreditation Council that includes a summary team evaluation of the completeness, quality and strength of evidence for each standard. The Accreditation Council determines the accreditation status of the educator preparation provider (EPP).

CAEP Reports

Each year providers submit annual reports to CAEP that gather common data for eight annual measures. These measures demonstrate impact around student learning, teacher effectiveness, employer and completer satisfaction, and specific outcomes and consumer information, such as graduation, licensure, employment, and student loan default rates.

Outcomes

Although not required for licensure in the state of Colorado, the UCCS College of Education has administered edTPA since 2013-2014 because it provides valid and reliable data about how teacher candidates are performing in the classroom. Our teacher candidates’ work is scored locally as well as nationally. Teacher candidates submit unedited video recordings of themselves at work in a real classroom as part of a portfolio that is scored by highly trained educators.

Continuous Improvement

UCCS is participating in the Prepared To Teach Quality, Equitable, Affordable Teacher Residency Partnerships to Strengthen the Profession project. The project, which is graciously funded by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, seeks to document how teacher education institutions are redesigning their preparation programs in partnership with districts to create residencies that can address the issue of sustainably funded candidate stipends.