Accreditation

The vision of the U of A Teacher Education is to be a leader in the preparation of educational professionals based on essential knowledge, evolving technology, research findings, and reflective practice in a diverse and dynamic global society. The University of Arkansas graduates are prepared to become: 1) Knowledgeable, 2) Skillful, 3) Caring, and 4) Professional educators in diverse educational settings who can balance the needs and aspirations of each learner with the expectations of an increasingly complex and technological society.

Our educators are teachers, administrators, counselors, and other school professionals who value theory and research, understand that theory and practice are complementary and mutually reinforcing, and are committed to the enhancement of teaching, learning, and professional practice.

General EPP Profile

The University of Arkansas has educator preparation programs for 26 initial licensure areas including combined licensure areas such as Physics/Math, Speech/Drama, and Vocal/Instrumental Music.  The below document lists all licensure areas with their approved programs and accreditation status.

Initial Licensure Areas, Accreditation Organization and Status (Google Doc) 

Advanced-level programs are defined by CAEP as educator preparation programs at the post-baccalaureate or graduate levels leading to licensure, certification, or endorsement. Advanced-level programs are designed to develop P-12 teachers who have already completed an initial preparation program, currently licensed administrators, other certificated (or similar state language) school professionals for employment in P-12 schools/districts. The University of Arkansas currently officers advanced level programs for 17 endorsement areas.

Advanced Programs, Accreditation Organization and Status (Google Doc)

Completer Data includes the number of completers for each program and licensure area. Competers are defined as a candidate who successfully completes all program requirements of a teacher preparation program. The University of Arkansas does not exclude candidates from this count if they have not passed all licensure tests.

Initial Programs Completer Data 2021-2022 (Google Doc)

Advanced Programs Completer Data 2021-2022 (Google Doc)

 

 

CAEP Accreditation Status & Accountibility Measures

Initial and advanced level teacher education programs at the University of Arkansas were granted accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation effective Spring 2020 through Spring 2027.

CAEP logoCAEP University of Arkansas Accreditation Report 2020

CAEP Accreditation Notification Letter

 

CAEP Accountibility Measures contains information on  the following: (a) completer impact and effectiveness, (b) employer satisfaction and stakeholder involvement, (c) candidate competency at the time of program completion, and (d) ability of completers to be hired in positions for which they were prepared.

Narrative: 

Each spring our state as well as our institution collects information from our first year completers (graduates).  The purpose of these surveys is to identify novice teacher perceptions of their educator preparation experience.  For the state, they base all responses on the components from the state observation tool based on Danielson’s Frameworks for Teaching.  The university’s survey is aligned with the InTASC standards. We had a 60% return rate for the state data and 29% return rate from the university survey.  We continue to work on raising the return rate for our university survey.  Overall, the completers reported that they felt prepared or well-prepared in all aspects of education.  Both surveys identified classroom management and communication with families as challenges for novice teachers. 

Razorback Legacy Survey (includes Impact Data)
ADE Alumni Survey Data

In addition to completer effectiveness, the state of Arkansas collects Value-Added Growth Scores (VAS) for three years of completer cohorts.  In 2021, 22 completers in ELA, 22 completers in Math, and 13 completers in Science were assessed during year 1 of employment.  For this measure, if a transformed score is greater than 80, then on average, completers’ students are exceeding expected growth.  In all subject areas, UAF completers received a score of 80.1 or higher.  

Arkansas State Value-Added Growth Scores (VAS) (Data from 2022 will be received in June 2023)

Narrative: 

Each spring our state as well as our institution collects information from employers of our first-year completers (graduates).  The purpose of these surveys is to identify supervisor/employer perceptions of the preparation of completers from our teacher education programs. For the state, they base all responses on the components from the state observation tool, Danielson’s Frameworks for Teaching.  The university’s survey is aligned with the InTASC Standards. There was an 18% return rate for the state instrument and a 55% return rate for the university survey.  Two areas that we would like to focus on concerning the data are utilizing assessments to evaluate and guide instruction (82% reported that our completers were either prepared or well-prepared).  This correlates with the state survey that found that our employers rated our students a 2.9 out of 4 in the area of 3d: using assessment in instruction.  Some caution should be exercised when interpreting this data broadly as the % return rate is lower for the state survey.

Stakeholders are involved in our EPP in the following ways:

  1. Our school partners collaborated with us to revise our Memorandums of Understanding.  Working with schools in the area, we updated the language regarding our substitute policy for our teacher candidates and developed language-related discrimination. Additionally, we strengthened language related to internship and practicum assignments ensuring that our teacher candidates could complete all assigned coursework. This was achieved through our school partner and faculty committee (The University Teacher Education Board) as well as working one-on-one with school district administration. 
  2. University Teacher Education Board (UTEB): This university committee includes representatives from every teacher education program and teachers and administrators from area schools. This committee meets monthly to vote on initiatives and approve changes to programs. 
  3.  Bi-Annual Partnership Meetings: Each semester, the university meets with representative mentor teachers, school administrators, and faculty to update and share opportunities and challenges in teacher education.  Area mentors and administrators provide feedback that shapes the topics presented during the meetings. An example of partnership meeting content can be found in a sample of notes from this year.

Arkansas Department of Education Employer Data

Employment Milestones

Employer Survey

Partnership Meeting Notes

Narrative:
Our institution tracks our candidates’ competency at program completion by tracking the passing of all required licensure exams.  Some tests are required by the state of Arkansas (Praxis II and for some programs Foundations of Reading Test) and others are required by the program (Praxis PLT and Assessment of Pedagogy).  When possible, we note test attempts, mean scores, range, and percent pass at the EPP, state, and national levels for comparison. 

For the 2022 cycle, candidates ranged from 80% - 100% passing rate. For programs with less than 5 candidates, this information was not included.  In the last three years, our institution has made great strides in supporting students preparing for licensure tests.  This is reflected in the small numbers of students needing to retake tests.  


Our institution has worked with institutions across the state to develop an alternative Assessment of Pedagogy. This has been very valuable when comparing data across institutions.  Over time the data have identified that planning and preparation has been a strength for our candidates.  Because this assessment ties closely to how our candidates are observed in the classroom, this data is confirmed over time (during practicum, internship placement, and at completion). 

Licensure Data, Analysis and Interpretation

PLT document

Narrative: 

The Graduate Employment Survey is sent every fall to find out where completers have been placed for their first job.  The questions ask whether they were employed as an educator and where they were placed. 

For the last three cycles of data, our completers reported that they are successfully finding employment as teachers (90% in 2022).  The percentage of completers staying in Arkansas hovers around 50%.  The majority of our completers receive a salary between $40,000-50,000, with 37% receiving above $50,000.  This information is an important indicator that our completers are finding successful employment. 

We have about half of our graduates moving out of the state for employment. Next to Arkansas, Texas (25%) represents the largest employer of our graduates.  This is due to a large number of students who attend the university from Texas.


Employment Data Charts for Graduates