Oklahoma State University educator preparation programs receive national recognition for excellence

Friday, December 9, 2022

Media Contact: Christy Lang | Marketing and Communications Manager | 405-744-9740 | christy.lang@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University has received national accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), recognizing strength and excellence across its educator preparation degree programs.

CAEP Accreditation Standards are rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs. OSU was among 55 higher education institutions from 28 states and the United Arab Emirates in the CAEP Accreditation Council fall 2022 review.

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

OSU offers the most comprehensive educator preparation program in Oklahoma with award-winning initial teacher  certification degrees in early childhood education, elementary education and secondary education, including options in agriculture, art, English, family and consumer sciences, foreign language, mathematics, music, science and social studies. Advanced certification degrees in reading, school library media, principal, school counseling, speech pathology, superintendent and school psychology provide additional opportunities for Oklahomans to meet the needs of students and communities. OSU had previously been accredited as a National Council of Accreditation for Teacher Education (NCATE), a legacy of CAEP.

“Our faculty, staff, students and stakeholders should be very proud of the work they are doing. We’ve set a very high bar for our teacher preparation program and CAEP Accreditation validates the hard work we are doing,” said Dr. Shelbie Witte, OSU senior director of teacher education. “Our students and their families are investing in an education program that is nationally accredited for teacher preparation.”

“We are proud to partner with the Ferguson College of Agriculture and the College of Arts and Sciences to provide our teacher candidates the most comprehensive preparation available, making our graduates (and their students) successful from the start,” said Dr. Jon Pedersen, dean of the OSU College of Education and Human Sciences.

CAEP is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and is based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. CAEP is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. More than 600 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, which are based on two principles: 1) Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators; 2) 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 offered.

Visit 
www.CAEPnet.org for more information and a full list of accredited institutions.