The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) announced Dec. 3 that Trine University's Franks School of Education is one of 52 providers from 27 states and Puerto Rico to receive accreditation for their educator preparation programs.

Anthony Kline, Ph.D., dean of the Franks School of Education, said the accrediting team from CAEP had many positive comments about the education programs at Trine.

"Earning this national accreditation reinforces what we know to be true: Our teacher candidates are receiving teacher education training that meets the highest of standards," said Kline. "Not only did we earn full accreditation, we are among the smallest schools in the state to have done so. This is a reflection of our dynamic faculty, excellent area school partners and our determined teacher candidates."

The fall 2018 review by the CAEP Accreditation Council resulted in 52 newly accredited EPPs, bringing the total to 196 providers approved under the CAEP Teacher Preparation 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 the sole nationally recognized accrediting body for educator preparation. 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 unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation. Currently, more than 800 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP Accreditation system, including many previously accredited through former standards.

Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review on five 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 five 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.

The accreditation granted to the Franks School is effective until fall 2024.

One of the fastest-growing teacher education programs in Indiana, Trine's Franks School of Education is guided by highly respected former teachers, administrators and department chairs. The school has a 100 percent employment rate for its graduates over the past six years, with recent licensed graduates achieving a 100 percent pass rate on the Core Academic Skills Assessment, Content Area Assessment and Developmental Assessment tests.

Trine University joins 51 other providers to receive accreditation this fall, bringing the total number to 196 CAEP-accredited providers from 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.