Trending
BETHANY -- Bethany College has received a probationary designation for its next two academic years as it works to improve assessment and improvement systems in its educator programs.
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, or CAEP, announced Monday that Bethany College is one of 59 providers from 24 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs.
The fall 2019 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 59 newly accredited EPPs, bringing the total to 281 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," CAEP President Christopher Koch said. "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 non-governmental 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.
If a program fails to meet one of the five standards, it is placed on probation for two years.
Probation may be lifted in two years if a program provides evidence that it meets the standard, and college leadership expects that Bethany will meet all appropriate requirements in that period of time.
At this time, the college does not expect any interruption in its ability to graduate certified teachers who meet all the requirements of the state of West Virginia upon graduation.
"We are both excited about the reaffirmation of our Education Program by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and mindful of the improvements that we will need to be made over the next couple of years," Provost Joe Lane said. "We are in the final stages of a national search to appoint a new Chair of Education and Director of Teacher Preparation, and we look forward to working with our new Chair to continue building on Bethany's long history of providing excellent teachers for school districts throughout West Virginia and across the country."