The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) recently announced that the Mississippi Valley State University Teacher Education Program is one of 60 providers from 26 states to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs.
The Spring 2021 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 60 newly accredited EPPs, bringing the total to 423 providers approved under the CAEP Accreditation Standards – rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.
Dr. Theresa Dumas, Acting Chair of the Teacher Education Department, expressed that the department's primary mission is to prepare teachers for the public schools in Mississippi and beyond.
“This mission is achieved by offering a well-balanced general education program selected from the sciences and liberal arts, specialized education, and professional education. The aim of teacher education programs at Mississippi Valley State University is to produce teachers who are holistic transformers: scholars, facilitators, and reflective thinkers, and responsible professionals,” said Dumas.
CAEP President Dr. Christopher A. Koch said, “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.” Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”
The CAEP Board of Directors updated the educator preparation standards in 2020 as part of its commitment to reviewing the standards at least every seven years. The changes to the CAEP standards reflect the Board’s commitment to equity and diversity and emphasize the importance of technology in preparing future educators.
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 was created by consolidating 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 700 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 of the CAEP standards based on two principles: 1. Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and 2. 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.
If a program fails to meet one of the 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.
Our students and instructors should be very proud of the work they are doing. We've set a very high bar for our teacher prep program, and CAEP Accreditation validates the hard work we are doing," said Dumas.
“The vision for the College of Education is to become a key producer of classroom teachers and, therefore, as a critical agent of economic growth, hope, and change for the Mississippi Delta region. Ideally, MVSU envisions itself as being the key producer of classroom teachers who are capable of not only teaching all students but also serving as change agents by helping children to grow and giving them hope,” she added.