Educator Preparation Accreditation
Kent State University’s educator preparation programs are accredited through May 2023 by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), which has been consolidated into the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
About NCATE & CAEP
Kent State's educator preparation programs have been continuously accredited by NCATE/CAEP since 1957. NCATE and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council consolidated in July 2013 to create the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Functioning as an independent organization since 2013, CAEP is an accrediting body for both initial and advanced educator licensure preparation. Here at Kent State, CAEP accredits the educator preparation programs on a seven-year cycle. NCATE review encompassed the M.Ed level Curriculum and Instruction program, however CAEP’s scope of accreditation will not.
Kent State offers mostly initial-level programs Early, Middle, Adolescent and Multi-Age education. As of Spring 2020, we have chosen to suspend our principal, superintendent and administrative licensure programs. We offer a variety of endorsement and second-licensure opportunities.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education defines the following programs as part of our CAEP Accreditation process:
Initial licensure programs not already accredited by another CHEA-recognized accreditor; these programs are all also approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education:
- Early Childhood Education/P-5 Education (new grade band area)
- Middle Childhood Education
- Adolescent Education (Integrated Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies)
- Multi-Age Education (Physical Education, Health, TESOL, and World Languages (ASL, French, German, Latin, Spanish)
- Special Education (Deaf Education, Mild/Moderate, Moderate/Intensive, Early Childhood Intervention)
Kent State also offers licensure programs that CAEP does not specifically review because they are accredited by another CHEA-recognized accreditor; these programs are all also approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education:
- Multi-Age Education – Art (NASAD)
- Multi-Age Education – Music (NASM)
- Multi-Age Education – Dance (NASD)
- Library/Media (ALA)
- School Audiologist (ASHA)
- School Counselor (CACREP)
- School Psychology (APA)
- School Speech-Language Pathologist (ASHA)
Kent State also offers endorsements (https://www.kent.edu/ehhs/external-review-agencies-and-approvals, tab 2) and additional licensure programs in several areas (Middle Childhood Education, Special Education, Health Education). These programs have been determined by the Ohio Department of Higher Education to be outside-of-scope for CAEP accreditation purposes. These programs are reviewed and approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education.
Our Career Technical Workforce Development program is reviewed and approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and is considered out-of-scope for CAEP accreditation processes.
Our NCATE approval, which expires in 2023, encompasses the following programs:
- Early Childhood Education
- Middle Childhood Education
- Adolescent Education (Integrated Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies)
- Multi-Age Education (Physical Education, Health, TESOL, Technology Education (program closed ~2018) and World Languages (ASL, French, German, Latin, Spanish)
- Special Education (Deaf Education, Mild/Moderate, Moderate/Intensive, Early Childhood Intervention)
- School Psychology (APA)
- Educational Administration (K-12) (Principal, Superintendent, Administrative Specialist)
- All endorsement programs (https://www.kent.edu/ehhs/external-review-agencies-and-approvals, tab 2)