UVA EHD Achieves National Recognition and a New CAEP Accreditation Term

The School of Education and Human Development (EHD) recently achieved a new seven-year term of accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for promoting and maintaining excellence in preparing educators and school professionals.

Five professional education programs at the initial and advanced licensure levels received full CAEP accreditation, including initial teacher education programs (B.S.Ed. and M.T.) and advanced programs in administration and supervision (M.Ed.), curriculum and instruction-reading education (M.Ed.), counselor education (M.Ed.), and clinical and school psychology (Ph.D.).

“I am extremely proud of this achievement,” said Stephanie J. Rowley, dean of the school. “We’ve set a very high bar for our educator preparation programs and CAEP Accreditation validates the expertise, passion, and dedication of our faculty, staff, and students.

The effort was led by Jillian McGraw, director of teacher education, and Amanda Turner, former director of assessment, accountability, and accreditation, with support from countless faculty, staff, students, and school partners. The school’s assessment and accreditation team under the leadership of Catherine Brighton, senior associate dean for academic programs and student affairs, worked for several years preparing a self-study report to tell the story of the programs at EHD, including planning, data collection, stakeholder engagement, reporting, analysis, and a virtual site visit last fall.

"The review was a very rigorous process, and one that we welcome given our commitment to continuous quality improvement,” said Joel Hanel, director of assessment, accountability, and accreditation. “Special thanks go to the current students, recent graduates, school principals, clinical mentors, clinical coaches, and school division leadership for their engagement and partnership in the preparation of future educators. Their perspectives and participation in the accreditation process ensure a mutual and shared commitment to all students in Virginia.”

During the site visit, which was conducted virtually, the CAEP team validated the self-study report that described all aspects of the programs: candidate knowledge, skills and dispositions; clinical partnerships and practice; candidate quality and selectivity; program impact with preK-12 learners; completer and employer satisfaction; quality assurance and continuous improvement.

“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 Christopher A. Koch. “Seeking CAEP accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”

CAEP is a professional accreditor of both initial- and advanced-licensure preparation programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It advances equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen preK-12 student learning. EHD joins 40 other providers receiving accreditation, bringing the total number to 541 CAEP-accredited providers from 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Bahrain, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.