FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kaaryn Keller, Director of Communications
June 10, 2013 E-mail: press@caepnet.org

CAEP Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting to Consider Public Comment in Finalizing Next-Generation Accreditation Standards for Educator Preparation

(WASHINGTON) The CAEP Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting is holding its final meeting today and tomorrow to consider feedback received during the public comment period earlier this year. The Commission's final recommendations coming out of this week's meeting will be submitted to the CAEP Board of Directors for final approval later this summer, with final standards and accompanying guidance being made available January 2014.

In its continued commitment to transparency, CAEP is making available analysis conducted by McKinley Advisors as an independent third-party. More than 500 responses were collected primarily via an online survey during the public comment period, which ran from February 22, 2013 through April 5, 2013. The online survey tool was built and managed by MarketSmart.

“As the Commission finalizes its recommendations, it does so considering the invaluable feedback received from across the education spectrum,” said Camilla Benbow, Commission co-chair and Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.

“During the public comment period, we heard from education and discipline-specific faculty, alternative pathway professionals, P-12 educators, educator candidates, policymakers and agency staff, parents, association staff, and others. Our final recommendations are made stronger for the breadth and depth of input received.”

The CAEP Commission was created in May 2012 and charged with developing – for all preparation providers – the next generation of accreditation standards for educator preparation based on evidence, continuous improvement, innovation, and clinical practice. The Commission also was charged with recommending transparent CAEP public accountability reporting with multiple measures, including those directly linked to student achievement.

“CAEP is taking up its new responsibilities at a critical time of sea change in the education policy landscape,” said Terry Holliday, Commission co-chair and Commissioner of Education with the Kentucky Department of Education. “As states are undertaking new initiatives related to the educator workforce, CAEP is positioned to be an important partner as it creates standards for a new organization, and an ambitious new agenda.”

“The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation is a new kind of accrediting body that drives innovation and change, and this next generation of standards is a key part of that,” said CAEP President James G. Cibulka. “These new standards are about improving results, particularly for P-12 learners. The nation has raised the bar for our students and for our teachers. Today’s teachers must challenge and engage all learners. Now we must raise the bar for preparation programs to help the nation meet these ambitious goals.”

For more information:

Third-Party Analysis of Public Comments by McKinley Advisors

CAEP Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting
http://caepnet.org/standards/commission-on-standards

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The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (www.CAEPnet.org) advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.