W&L Recognized for National Excellence in Teacher Preparation The Rockbridge Teacher Education Consortium has received accreditation for its teacher preparation program.

By Drewry Sackett
December 12, 2017

“We set high expectations for the preparation of quality teachers and CAEP accreditation validates the hard work we’ve all been doing.”

The Rockbridge Teacher Education Consortium, a partnership between Washington and Lee University and Southern Virginia University, has received accreditation for its teacher preparation program by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The CAEP teacher preparation standards are 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 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.

“We set high expectations for the preparation of quality teachers and CAEP accreditation validates the hard work we’ve all been doing,” said Haley Sigler, director of teacher education and associate professor of education at W&L. “I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the Rockbridge Teacher Education Consortium and am grateful for the partnership with Southern Virginia University and with the Buena Vista, Lexington City and Rockbridge County Schools. Our faculty, students and local K-12 partners have all played a part in this accomplishment and it is incredibility gratifying for the work to be recognized nationally.”

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.

The Rockbridge Teacher Education Consortium joins 42 other providers to receive CAEP Accreditation in fall 2017. They join the 34 providers previously accredited. Overall, 101 preparation providers from 33 states and the District of Columbia have received CAEP Accreditation.