Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) Approved as an Additional Option for Teacher Education Program Accreditation in Virginia

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 162

August 6, 2004

INFORMATIONAL

TO:

Division Superintendents

FROM:

Jo Lynne DeMary

Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT:

Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) Approved as an Additional Option for Teacher Education Program Accreditation in Virginia

At its July 21, 2004, meeting, the Board of Education approved the acceptance of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC) as an additional option for accreditation of Virginias college and university teacher education programs. The approval will require the development of a partnership agreement between the Board of Education and TEAC.

TEAC is a relatively new system of accrediting professional education programs through an academic audit. TEACs primary work is accrediting undergraduate and graduate professional teacher education programs. TEACs accreditation process examines and verifies the evidence teacher education programs have to support their claim that they prepare competent, caring, and qualified professional educators.

To be accredited, an eligible program submits a research monograph, called an Inquiry Brief. TEAC accredits the program based on an audit and evaluation of evidence supporting the Inquiry Brief. The Inquiry Brief is divided into five main sections (i.e., Introduction; Claims and Rationale; Methods; Results; Discussion; and Plan) and four appendices designed to provide program faculty with a way to efficiently and effectively document the programs adherence to TEACs goal, standards, and quality principles.

Approximately seventy programs nationally have satisfied TEACs eligibility requirements and currently have candidate status in TEAC. Seven programs have been accredited nationally. The University of Virginia is currently the only institution nationally to have accreditation from both TEAC and National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

TEAC is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and by the U. S. Department of Education (USDOE). It is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditation (ASPA) and the American Council on Education (ACE). Additionally, the following higher education organizations endorsed TEACs recognition by USDOE:

Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)

American Association of Universities (AAU)

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)

National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC)

American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

The Regulations Governing Approved Programs for Institutions of Higher Education in Virginia, July 1, 1998, require colleges and universities that offer programs for the preparation of teachers and school leaders to obtain program approval from a national accrediting agency or the Board of Education. Additionally, the 1998 Session of the Virginia General Assembly, amended current legislation mandating that persons seeking initial licensure who graduate from Virginia institutions of higher education shall, on or after July 1, 2002, only be licensed as instructional personnel by the Board of Education if the endorsement areas offered at such institution have been assessed by a national accrediting agency or by a state approval process, with final accreditation by the Board of Education.

Accreditation means a process for assessing and enhancing academic and educational quality through voluntary peer review. This process informs the public that an institution has a professional education unit or department that has met standards of educational quality. The regulations governing approved programs define the standards that must be met and the review procedures that must be followed to obtain and maintain board approval. The regulations currently provide two options for the review of teacher education programs: 1) the state review process for which the college or university must meet the standards established by Board of Education regulations, and 2) the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) process for which the college or university must meet the NCATE standards and the Boards teaching area requirements. In both, the institution hosts an on-site visit by a team of trained reviewers who develop a report of findings in which a recommendation is made with regard to the status of the program as approval for continued full accreditation, approval with stipulations, or program denial.

If you have questions regarding TEAC, please contact Dr. Thomas A. Elliott, assistant superintendent, Division of Teacher Education and Licensure, telliott@pen.k12.va.us, (804) 371-2522, or Dr. JoAnne Y. Carver, director of teacher education, Division of Teacher Education and Licensure, jcarver@mail.vak12ed.edu, (804) 371-2475.

JLD/jyc