SOE achieves a new CAEP accreditation term

The VCU Educator Preparation Program (EPP) recently achieved a new seven-year term of accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), for promoting and maintaining excellence in preparing educators and school professionals.

Eighteen professional education programs at the initial and advanced licensure levels received full CAEP accreditation, including 14 in the School of Education, three in the School of the Arts, and one offered jointly by the College of Humanities and Sciences and the School of Education.

Headshot of Angela P. Wetzel (tall format) for the directory.
Angela P. Wetzel, Ph.D.

The effort was led by Joan B. Johnson, Ph.D., executive director of licensure and accreditation at the School of Education during the review process, and Angela P. Wetzel, Ph.D., director of assessment. The school’s assessment and accreditation teams worked for several years preparing a self-study report to tell the story of educator preparation at VCU, followed by a three-day accreditation site visit in April, and culminating in a review and accreditation decision by the CAEP Accreditation Council in October.

"We are extremely honored and proud of this achievement," said Andrew P. Daire, Ph.D., dean of the school. "The review was a very rigorous process, and one that we welcome given our commitment to continuous quality improvement. Special congratulations go to Joan and Angie for their leadership, and to the larger team for their unwavering support and work."

During the site visit, which was conducted virtually, the CAEP team validated the self-study report that described all aspects of the EPP: candidate knowledge, skills and dispositions; clinical partnerships and practice; candidate quality and selectivity; program impact with K-12 learners; completer and employer satisfaction; how we ensure quality; and how we are moving forward with our continuous improvement aspirations.

Members of the CAEP and Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) joint team interviewed nearly 260 people – from area principals and student teachers, to the university provost and our own dean – during this process. Johnson, who is now assistant superintendent in VDOE’s Department of Teacher Education and Licensure, said that the results demonstrate the hard work of a much larger team.

“This achievement is a testament to the work of the entire community – staff, faculty, students, alumni and community friends,” said Johnson. “It is very satisfying to see everyone’s work recognized by the site visitors and Council.”

“We accomplished this successful review thanks to the thoughtful engagement, and commitment to excellence, of many at VCU and in our P12 and alumni community,” said Wetzel. “We’re well positioned to build on this success as we continue to serve the diverse needs of Virginia’s schools.”

CAEP is a professional accreditor of both initial- and advanced-licensure preparation programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It advances equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen PreK-12 student learning.