Accreditation, Approval & Memberships

Grace College School of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and by the Indiana Department of Education.

Link to CAEP Accreditation Action Report

Accreditation is quality assurance through external peer review. When an institution or specialized program is accredited, it has demonstrated that it meets standards set by organizations representing the academic community, professionals, and other stakeholders. To maintain accreditation the institution or program must undergo a similar review on a regular basis. Typically, reviews are conducted every 7 to 10 years.

Why It Matters

Educator accreditation is a seal of approval that assures quality in educator preparation. Accreditation makes sure that educator programs prepare new teachers to know their subjects, their students, and have the clinical training that allows them to enter the classroom ready to teach effectively.

Accreditation provides a framework that has pushed educator preparation programs to continually self-assess and conduct evidence-based analysis of their programs and their efficacy. These evidence-based shifts, rooted in continuous improvement, are helping to ensure that preparation programs are more likely to produce successful educators.

Accreditation matters to:

• P-12 Learners – outcomes-based evidence means all learners are at the center of determining effectiveness of educators
• Teacher Educators – since the process is infused with research and development, the knowledge base of effective practice will grow
• State education agencies – provides a strong partner for quality assurance, helps connect the national consensus on preparation to state-level policy and provide support for a state’s own authorization/accountability system
• Education Professionals – rigorous standards elevate the profession

The School of Education offers programs in elementary education, dual licensure in elementary education and special education, and has oversight of six secondary education programs. All programs are aligned to the teacher preparation standards of their corresponding specialty licensure areas and are reviewed by their affiliated Specialized Professional Associations or through a state-review process. As a result of program review, the English Education, Foreign Languages Education, Math Education, Social Studies Education, and Special Education Programs have achieved National Recognition status through their corresponding specialized professional associations.