CAEP visits MSU’s College of Education and Human Services

MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State University’s College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) and teacher preparation programs in the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering, and Technology, the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, and the Hutson School of Agriculture received their final site visit report from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) this year. The site visit occurred Oct. 15-17. CAEP is comparable to a quality control agency for teacher training programs, evaluating and assessing that these programs meet certain standards to prepare educators. This final site visit report indicated no "areas for improvement" and no "stipulations" in every standard for its initial and advanced programs. A CAEP accreditation committee will meet in early spring 2024 to review the site visit team's findings. The CAEP accreditation council will also meet to review the site visit team's results and the recommendations made by the committee. The accreditation council will determine the final outcome of the accreditation review. In May 2024, a letter will be sent from the president of CAEP reporting the final status of its review. The ongoing accreditation of the COEHS program will last for seven years.

Because the COEHS was reviewed concurrently by the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) site visit team, EPSB will use the CAEP report to determine its own outcomes. EPSB sets the standards for what teachers should know and be able to do while ensuring they meet these standards through licenses and certifications, maintaining the quality and professionalism of teachers in the education system. EPSB will convene a state committee in late spring or early summer to review the CAEP results and give EPSB their recommendations. By either next summer or fall, a small group of EPSB staff will meet with the COEHS to announce their findings.

The efforts to prepare for this accreditation visit have taken place over the previous two years. Both visits ensure that the COEHS provides a high standard of education in the teaching profession. The college offered 24 different sessions, which included 84 participants for the CAEP visit. There are many people involved in making these preparations successful. This includes Dr. Jessica Evans, COEHS director of assessment and accreditation, the members of the CAEP executive team, the education preparation faculty and staff in the COEHS, the Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering, and Technology, the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, and the Hutson School of Agriculture. The COEHS students are to be congratulated, as well as their many school partners. 

“This was a ‘clean’ report from the site visit team, which is the best review from a site visit team that I have experienced in my 39 years of teacher education,” said COEHS Dean, Dr. David Whaley.