1. Welcome to CAEP Visitor Training!
Webinar #1
This session is being recorded
This webinar will last approx minutes

2. WELCOME! Your Presenters Are…
David Tjaden
Accreditation Associate
Nate Thomas
Accreditation Associate

3. WebEx Functions / Webinar Etiquette
Chat / Raise Your Hand function
Great way to ask questions
We will keep a close eye on the ‘hands’ and chat box
Live Polling Questions
Example
‘Mute’ / ‘Unmute’
Please stay on task! 

4. Overview of Webinar #1 Overview of CAEP / Accreditation Process
Review CAEP Visitor training process
Take care of ‘housekeeping’ questions
Using the Accreditation Center for Excellence (ACE)
Introduction to CAEP Accreditation Manual and Evidence Guide
Answer your questions!

5. What is Accreditation?
Accreditation is a process of external quality review
Non-governmental
Peer-review process
Federal and state government authorities consider accreditation to be a reliable authority on academic quality
Encourages confidence that an institution’s or program’s presentation of the education it provides is fair and accurate, including the description of services available to students and the accomplishments of its graduates.
Assures that a neutral, external party (the accrediting organization) has reviewed the quality of education provided and has found it to be satisfactory, based upon appropriate peer expertise.
Signals prospective employers that an educational program has met widely accepted educational standards.
Accrediting agencies include – regional (accredit entire institutions) and specialized accreditors (accredit specific programs, schools, and specialized schools)
CAEP is a specialized accreditor that reviews programs that prepare professionals for P-12 schools

6. History of CAEP TEAC NCATE CAEP Founded 1954 Founded 1997 Founded 2013
Accredited 700 institutions
Founded 1997
Accredited 213 programs in 164 institutions
Founded 2013
NCATE & TEAC merged
Only accreditor for educator preparation in the US
TEAC and NCATE will continue to operate legacy processes until Spring 2016, while part of the single umbrella organization of CAEP
NCATE and TEAC have their own unique process and standards
Beginning July 2016, all accreditation for educator preparation programs will be CAEP-only and will use the CAEP Standards approved in 2013
As a learning organization CAEP continues to learn from the process of implementing a new accreditation system and unifying the two legacy organizations
Part of this process is training volunteers to implement this new system and process
CAEP is an approved accreditor by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, which allows it to operate as a US accreditor

7. CAEP Mission & Levers for Change
Mission: CAEP advances excellent educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.
Five Levers for Change:
CAEP requires evidence of effective clinical preparation that incorporates partnerships with P-12 schools
CAEP ensures the selection of capable and diverse candidates, and assures stakeholders of candidate quality
The scope of CAEP accreditation includes all providers and encourages innovation
The impact of teachers on P-12 student learning and development is the ultimate test of the effectiveness
CAEP will encourage and help providers build the capacity for data- driven, continuous improvement

8. Who does CAEP accredit?
The CAEP review includes all specialty areas that prepare candidates to work in preschool through grade 12 settings and lead to a professional license, certificate, or endorsement; graduate and non-certification programs for licensed educators; and programs that lead to endorsements, add-ons, or their equivalent
Any program that prepares an individual to work in a P-12 school setting
Initial preparation programs (initial teacher certification)
Advanced preparation level (non-certification programs, add-ons, programs for other school professionals)
NCATE previously had partnership agreements with 50 states and territories (including Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and Guam); some which require accreditation in order for a provider to operate and recommend teachers for licensure
13 international providers from 9 countries have undergone or in the process of pursuing accreditation through CAEP or a legacy organization

9. Key Terms
Educator preparation provider (EPP) - The entity responsible for the preparation of educators
Visitor – Evaluators who review educator preparation providers (EPPs) that submit a self-study for one of CAEP’s accreditation pathways
Self-Study Report - The process and document that an Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) creates/undergoes to evaluate its practices against CAEP standards.
Site Visit - The two-to-three days in which site visitors conduct their summative review of a self-study report and evidence on location at the EPP’s campus or organizational headquarters.

10. Accreditation Pathways
CAEP offers three accreditation pathways
Inquiry Brief Pathway
Selected Improvement Pathway
Transformation Initiative Pathway
Each pathway provides a distinctive framework for accomplishing the work of accreditation
All providers are expected to meet the CAEP Standards, regardless of pathway
Emphasis of CAEP process is to assess the quality of preparation programs and impact of provider alumni on P-12 student achievement
All providers must show impact on P-12 student achievement and that they use data or innovation to continuously improve their program and practices
The accreditation pathway is the vehicle to showcasing evidence of meeting the CAEP Standards

11. Accreditation Pathway Features
Inquiry Brief
Emphasizes study of candidate and completer outcomes.
EPPs make claims about these outcomes and investigate the extent to which the claims are met.
Describe and probe the functioning of its quality assurance system through an internal audit
Selected Improvement
Presents evidence-based case for each CAEP standard
Emphasizes study of the EPP’s program design
EPPs identify focal area(s) in its preparation program to develop an operational plan, called a Selected Improvement Plan (SIP)
Transformation Initiative
Research and Development (R&D) approach to accreditation emphasizes study of an innovation in the field
EPPs develop and conduct research on an aspect of educator preparation, described in a Transformation Initiative Plan (TIP), that will contribute to the research base and lead to stronger practices in preparation

12. Overview of Accreditation Process
CAEP process — 7 year continuous process
EPP Annual Report (yearly)
Program Review (3 years prior to visit)
State-only review;
Specialized Professional Accreditor (SPA) review; and or
Program Review with Feedback
Self-Study Report (at least 8 months prior to visit)
Formative process (at least 6 months prior to visit)
Site visit (onsite visit)
Accreditation Council Decision (semester after visit)
Accreditation is for seven years; providers spend a great deal of time and preparation to engage in the accreditation process
Providers provide updates, substantive changes, and report common data in the Annual Report (required to maintain accreditation)
States will outline the review options for individual programs which must be completed 3 years prior to the scheduled visit (state review, specialized professional accreditor (SPA), or program review with feedback) – site visitors will review the results of these individual program reviews during the visit
Self-Study Report – the document site visitors use to provide evidence of meeting the CAEP Standards; specific to their chosen accreditation pathway
Formative process – visit team reviews the Self-Study Report, analyzes the evidence and data, provides initial feedback to the provider
Site visit – scheduled during the spring (January – May) or fall (September – December) academic semester; interview faculty, candidates, alumni, and P-12 school partners to validate evidence and pursue evidence trails; team writes an analysis report at the end of the visit for the Accreditation Council
Accreditation Council – meets in April and October and will make accreditation decisions

13. Role of CAEP Visitors Off-site review / formative feedback
Assess evidence
Team discussion
Formative Feedback Report
On-site visit
Validate evidence
Identify strengths / areas for improvement
Develop report for Accreditation Council
Onsite report / Case analysis

14. Overview of CAEP Visitor Training
Who you are…
Postsecondary, Gov’t agencies, P-12, public
How about another poll question…
Wide spectrum of accreditation experience
Unique and exciting dynamic
‘Training’ probably isn’t the right descriptor
Building a professional learning community

15. Learning Objectives for CAEP Volunteers
Effective use of technology
Basic data and assessment literacy
Application of CAEP standards and processes
Complex communication skills
Effective CAEP representation
Guiding principles that drove the development of the training materials

16. Promoting Continuous Improvement
Trainings developed based on feedback
‘Critical Advisors’
Feedback on Content and Delivery
Assessment Experts
Will review formative assessments and Qualifying Assessment
Specialized trainings will be developed to meet volunteer needs
The other driver of our training program, feedback and continuous improvement

17. Overview of CAEP Visitor Training
Hybrid Online / Face-to-Face model
Six webinars / formative assessments
2.5 day Face-to-Face training
June – Louisville, KY
3 additional regional trainings this year
4 regional trainings in 2016
Webinars on Pathways to Accreditation
Final Qualifying Assessment
Questions?

18. Housekeeping / Updates / Louisville, KY
Start: Monday, June 15, 1:00PM
End: Wednesday, June 17, 2:00PM
Book hotel by May 15
Book flights ASAP to avoid higher fees
Get your flight/airfare booked
Need to book hotel on your own

19. The Accreditation Center for Excellence
Use your AIMS Login credentials
You will all be sent your AIMS / ACE login credentials tonight!
After each webinar, complete formative assessment and evaluation

20. Accreditation Manual
Purpose: Guides educator preparation providers through the accreditation process Part 1: Introduction – goals, purpose, context of accreditation (pp. 5-12) Part II: CAEP Standards & Evidence Guide (pp ) Part III: The Accreditation Process (pp ) Part IV: Pathway Specific Processes (pp ) Appendices: Evidence Phase-In Schedule Glossary (pp )
Overviews process from application and assessment to self-study reports, the Visitor Team review process, annual reporting, and decisions of the CAEP Commissions and Accreditation Council (Part III)
Written for the context of the provider preparing for an accreditation visit
The manual is a guide to the process and recommendations based on policies, but is not policy itself
Will be a main resource for site visitor training and site visitor qualifying assessments
Updated annually based on feedback from providers and visit teams
Latest version released in February 2015
Site Visitor Training Points of Interest:
Part I – Introduction: review before training
Part II – CAEP Standards & Evidence: basis for standard specific webinars (recommend reviewing standard section prior to each webinar and onsite training)
Part III – Accreditation Process: review for onsite training but should become familiar with the process to understand the full context
Glossary – excellent resource to become familiar with CAEP terminology you may encounter
Part IV – Pathway-specific processes, rubrics, & timelines: review for onsite training - site visitors will be trained to conduct visits across all three pathways, but should decide which ones they want to specialize and become experts on that pathway process
Phase-In Schedule – Some data may not be collected, so providers are expected to provide detailed plans for evidence that was not required previously; site visitors will then evaluate the plan and progress on implementing the plan

21. Evidence Guide CAEP accreditation is evidence-based:
CAEP’s culture of evidence (p. 6)
Examples of evidence (pp )
Evidence Table (pp )
Common evidence expectations for each standard
Guidelines for offsite review of evidence (Column C)
Guidelines for onsite review of evidence (Column C)
Recommend becoming familiar with these expectations and guidelines for each standard prior to each standard webinar
Can use this guide in training tasks to analyze data tasks and during the accreditation review
This is only guidance, need to use professional judgment as well and is not all inclusive of every type of evidence that may be present
-How to utilize this document for the training
-How to utilize this document during the review process
-Specific points of interest that should be noted
-CAEP’s culture of evidence
-Principles of ‘good evidence’

22. Webinar #1 Formative Assessment
20 questions over the Accreditation Manual and Evidence Guide
Please use these two documents to find the answers
Documents can be found in ACE ‘Resources’ section
Also provided to you in previous s
This test will be unique to the ones that follow

23. Next Steps… Log into ACE using your AIMS credentials
caepsite.org/ACE
Credentials will be sent in an later tonight
Use the Accreditation Manual and Evidence Guide (found under the ‘resources’ tab) to complete Assessment #1 before the next webinar
Next webinar:
Tuesday, May 12, 1:00pm Eastern
Reviewing and Evaluating Assessments
Stevie Chepko, CAEP Senior VP, Accreditation
Please also complete the evaluation.
THANK YOU!!!
Questions?

25. Next Steps… Log into ACE using your AIMS credentials
caepsite.org/ACE
Use the Accreditation Manual and Evidence Guide (found under the ‘resources’ tab) to complete Assessment #1 before the next webinar
Next webinar:
Tuesday, May 12, 1:00pm Eastern
Reviewing and Evaluating Assessments
Stevie Chepko, CAEP Senior VP, Accreditation
THANK YOU!!!
Questions?