WASHINGTON – The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced today that the state of Rhode Island joined CAEP by signing a state partnership agreement. Rhode Island joins 33 other states and the District of Columbia committed to the rigorous CAEP educator preparation standards, designed by deans, higher education faculty members, teachers, and K-12 administrators from throughout the country.

“States partnering with CAEP establish and enhance the public’s confidence that future teachers and educational leaders from teacher preparation programs meet challenging standards and are prepared to lead K-12 schools and classrooms successfully,” said CAEP President Dr. Christopher A. Koch. “CAEP Standards and processes were developed and agreed upon by professionals in the field. The rigor embedded in these standards focuses on ensuring high-quality strategies are part of successfully preparing caring and competent teachers ready to serve in the diverse classrooms in the United States.” 

Rhode Island’s state agreement with CAEP provides a formal process for accreditation through ongoing evaluation and program improvement. CAEP Accreditation ensures public accountability because an accredited educator preparation provider presents evidence that the program produces strong outcomes for candidates, completers, and the students served by the teachers. 

“We talk a lot about student pathways in Rhode Island, but it is just as important that we have rigorous and innovative pathways for our educators. Building a strong pipeline of teacher talent requires high-quality teacher preparation programs, and meeting CAEP standards is one way in which we can demonstrate that our preparation programs are on the right track to meet the needs of teachers and students,” said Ken Wagner, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education at the Rhode Island Department of Education.

CAEP is the sole national accrediting body for educator preparation 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 the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. It is a uniform accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all providers focused on educator preparation. Currently, more than 850 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including many previously accredited under former standards.

CAEP is recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation, providing states and consumers quality assurance. It is the only national accreditor with a governing body that includes professionals who prepare teachers, state licensing authorities, those who hire teachers, and teachers themselves. CAEP has more than 750 trained volunteers. The 34 states that partner with CAEP and the District of Columbia are listed below: