The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced today that Bluefield University is one of 34 providers from 24 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs. The Fall 2023 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 34 educator preparation providers receiving accreditation, bringing the total to 551 providers approved under the CAEP Accreditation Standards – rigorous, nationally recognized standards that were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.
“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.”
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 is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. Approximately, 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:
- Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and
- 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 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.
Bluefield University received full CAEP accreditation for its nine Bachelor’s for teacher education as well as its Master’s of Administration and Supervision and Master’s of School Counseling. “Our students, faculty, and staff should be very proud of the work they are doing. We’ve set a very high bar for our teacher prep, educational leadership, and school counseling programs and CAEP Accreditation validates the hard work we are doing,” said Dr. Shellie Brown, Dean of the School of Education and Social Sciences. “Our students and their families are investing in teacher education, leadership, and counseling programs that are designated as nationally accredited.”
Bluefield University joins 33 other providers to receive accreditation this fall, bringing the total number to 551 CAEP-accredited providers from 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
Fall Class of 2023
Albion College—Michigan
American University—District of Columbia
Azusa Pacific University—California
Belhaven University—Mississippi
Bluefield University—Virginia
Boise State University—Idaho
Charleston Southern University—South Carolina
Coppin State University—Maryland
Dakota State University—South Dakota
Hunter College of the City University of New York
Kansas State University
Miami University—Ohio
Otterbein University—Ohio
Ouachita Baptist University—Arkansas
Queens University of Charlotte—North Carolina
Randolph-Macon College—Virginia
Regent University—Virginia
Rutgers University-Camden—New Jersey
Saginaw Valley State University—Michigan
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Southern New Hampshire University
State University of New York Brockport
The University of Alabama
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
The University of Toledo—Ohio
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Cupey Campus—Puerto Rico
University of Central Missouri
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Evansville—Indiana
University of New Orleans—Louisiana
University of Sioux Falls—South Dakota
University of Utah
William Carey University—Mississippi
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.