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Teacher Education Program at CSU Awarded Accreditation Status

Posted Thursday, May 27, 2010

Colorado State University's School of Teacher Education and Principal Preparation – called STEPP – was nationally accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council this spring. The council is an accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Only a small number of the nation's college and university teacher education programs and programs for professional educators in the United States are nationally accredited, according to the council.

To be accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council, a program must have solid, independently verifiable evidence of its graduates' competence. The program must show that its graduates understand subject matter they are certified to teach and the process of learning and teaching, as well as possess teaching skills that lead students to appropriate levels of achievement. The program also must have an ongoing process for reviewing and improving itself, and must demonstrate that it has the capacity to offer quality education.

Colorado State University's teacher licensure program prepares students within 17 different content areas. About 225 students graduate from the teacher licensure program every year and the program is one of three of Colorado's largest preparers of teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math – called STEM.

Auditors recognized the CSU licensure program nationally for its partnership work with the Poudre, Thompson and Adams County 14 school districts.

"This accreditation recognizes the structure and relationship of district partners in the ongoing challenges of preparing the best educators for every child. We are proud of the recognition by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council for the teacher licensure program at Colorado State University and look forward to the continual improvement of what is recognized as a top tier educational program," said Donna Cooner, director of STEPP.

The CSU School of Teacher Education and Principal Preparation in the College of Applied Human Sciences uses the professional development school model, which provides CSU students with the opportunity to work with administrators, master teachers and students within real classrooms throughout the majority of their program.

"We feel privileged in working in an environment that places a premium on education. The long-standing, deep, rich partnerships we enjoy with local school districts are what make our program so successful," said Rod Lucero, associate director of STEPP. "And in the spirit of the model, we and our partners continue working to identify, design, apply and refine practices which promote student achievement and educator development."

"We believe this accreditation reflects the quality of the teacher licensure program at Colorado State and is evidence of the strong school partnerships that have been built over many years," said Nancy Hartley, interim dean of the College of Applied Human Sciences.

Learn more about education programs offered at a distance available from CSU Continuing Education.

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