Research On The Accreditation Of Council For The Accreditation Of Educator Preparation(CAEP)

With the teacher education in China having entered the era of university education and the reform of the teacher education system having been deepened continuously,a large number of teachers have been trained by the teacher education institution.However,the quality of colleges and universities is uneven,and the quality of teacher training cannot meet people's demand for high-quality teachers.To solve this problem from the external security level,our country issued “the measures for the accreditation of normal majors in common universities and colleges(provisional)” in 2017.In 2018,the ministry of education issued “the cultivation of good teacher in powerful country-the guidelines for accreditation of normal majors in common universities and colleges(trial)”.It's the beginning to undertake accreditation to normal majors in our country formally.However,due to the initial stage of the accreditation for normal majors,there are many problems in the accreditation of normal majors.The accreditation standards are not perfect and the accreditation process is not flexible enough,moreover,the guarantee of accreditation is insufficient.The Accreditation of Teacher Education programs in the United States has undergone a development of more than a century,and now it's mature.Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation is merged by “National Council for Teacher Education” and “Teacher Education Accreditation Council”.CAEP inherits the advantages of the two accreditation institutions and overcomes the shortcomings of the two accreditation institutions.It appears when the accreditation for teacher education programs in the United States improves continuously.The CAEP accreditation standards,accreditation process,accreditation function and accreditation guarantee are worthy of our reference.There are six parts in this paper.The introduction part elaborates the origin of this study and relevant concepts and definitions,and analyzes the research situation of research objects at home and abroad,and expounds the design of this study.The purpose of this study is to provide inspiration for the improvement of normal majoraccreditation in China.The research content includes the formation of CAEP accreditation,the accreditation of CAEP,specific cases of CAEP accreditation,the analysis of CAEP accreditation characteristics,and the enlightenment.The theoretical basis of this study includes educational equity theory,formative evaluation theory and the theory of professional accountability for teacher quality.Research methods include historical method,comparative method,documentary method and case method.The research steps are sorting out its formation,elaborating the accreditation of CAEP and the implementation process of CAEP,then analyzing the characteristics and the referential value,finally,coming up with suggestions to improve the accreditation of normal majors in China.The main body consists of five parts.The first part divides the development stage into germination stage,development stage and improvement stage,according to the historical clues of the development of teacher education program accreditation in the United States.The origin of CAEP accreditation is sorted out from a historical perspective,that is,how CAEP's accreditation develops step by step.The second part describes CAEP accreditation from the aspects of the organization management of CAEP accreditation,accreditation objectives,accreditation standards,accreditation functions,accreditation procedures,accreditation scope and assurance.CAEP is managed by the board of directors,together with CAEP's staff,partners(including professional associations)and other government entities.CAEP plays a leading role in the ongoing efforts to enhance the professionalism of the certification industry.CAEP is committed to the continuous improvement of teacher education programs,to ensure the quality of accreditation,to enhance the credibility of accreditation,to pursue educational equity,and to strengthen its own foundation.The accreditation standard includes content and pedagogical knowledge;clinical partnerships and practice;candidate quality,recruitment,selectivity;program impact;provider quality assurance and continuous improvement.Its certification accreditation is to guarantee the quality of teacher education,to establish the credibility of teacher education institutions,and to promote educational equity.Its procedure includes application and eligibility;optional early assessment evaluation;determination of accreditation pathway;Self-evaluation;the self-study process;accreditation decisions and feedback.The scope of its accreditation is pre-service teacher education programs,including the accreditation of educator preparation providers having programs leadingto certification/licensure,bachelor's,master's,post-baccalaureate,and doctoral degrees in the United States and internationally.The guarantee of CAEP certification mainly comes from organizational guarantee,personnel guarantee and financial guarantee.The third part describes the specific implementation of CAEP on “the accreditation of Central Michigan University's teacher education program” from three aspects:accreditation preparation,accreditation process and accreditation result.Michigan state has entered into a partnership agreement with CAEP to provide state accreditation for Central Michigan University's teacher education program accreditation,and CAEP establishes accreditation policies prior to its accreditation and conducts training for members of the accreditation panel.The accreditation process starts with the application of the teacher education programs by Central Michigan University.After CAEP reviews the application,the teacher education programs of the Central Michigan University enters the qualification candidate stage.And then Central Michigan University selects the accreditation pathway,and prepares evidence according to the selected accreditation pathway,and the evidence is presented in the form of self-study report.CAEP conducts a preliminary electronic review of evidence for Central Michigan University's teacher education programs,and then organizes an on-site examination.After the on-site inspection,the board organizes a preliminary review panel and a joint review panel to review Central Michigan University's teacher education programs.After the review,the final decision is made and the feedback is given.If Central Michigan University disagrees with the accreditation decision,it can apply for reconsideration and appeal.The fourth part analyzes the characteristics of CAEP accreditation firstly.The accreditation standards focus on fairness and professionalism.The accreditation standards focus on the development of weak schools and emphasize the improvement of teachers' professional ability.The accreditation process emphasizes flexibility and diversity.In the accreditation process,there are multiple ways to choose and multiple evaluation tools to be used.Accreditation is fair and transparent,accreditation panel members are not allowed to have any contact with teacher education program providers.Besides,accreditation results and annual reports are posted on the website.Secondly,the reasons for the uniqueness of CAEP are analyzed.Finally,it analyzes the reference of CAEP accreditation.The fifth part is enlightenment.CAEP's accreditation has enlightenment to the improvement of normal major accreditation in our country,including paying attention toweak schools in the accreditation standards.The accreditation function attaches importance to promoting educational equity.Establishing flexible accreditation procedure during the process of accreditation.Establishing a professional normal major accreditation institution.