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Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)

The School of Arts, Sciences and Education at Southern New Hampshire University is granted accreditation at the initial licensure level by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (1140 19th St NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036; 202-223-0077). The following programs are included in the accreditation cycle: EPP Approved Programs

CAEP advances equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning. Accreditation makes sure that educator programs prepare new teachers to know their subjects, their students and have the clinical training that allows them to enter the classroom ready to teach effectively.

CAEP has four annual reporting measures that are used to provide information to the public on completer effectiveness, satisfaction of employers and stakeholder involvement, candidate competency at completion and ability of completers to be hired. These measures support all parts of SNHU’s accreditation process for initial educator preparation programs and CAEP standard components R3.3, R4.1, R4.2 and R5.3 for initial programs.

The Mission of Education Programs at SNHU

Southern New Hampshire University is committed to educating teachers who are prepared to provide quality education for all students and to sustain meaningful professional growth. Graduates of our education programs possess the breadth of academic knowledge and dedication to excellence that they will need to meet the changing needs of students, schools, and educational policy. Our programs provide a foundation for a rewarding career and a lifelong devotion to learning. 

Teacher Education Programs at Southern New Hampshire University emphasize practitioner-oriented curricula that connect education theory to classroom application. We believe that today’s teachers must be prepared (a) to integrate innovative resources and technology with time-tested approaches; (b) to understand how students with special needs and diverse backgrounds enrich schools and how to support their learning; (c) to use curriculum standards and grade level competencies/expectations as a criterion to plan instruction and measure achievement. 

Our education faculty believes that successful teachers draw on strong values and principles to enhance professional practice, change and growth. To help each student define a personal philosophy of education, our programs provide theoretical, practical, and research-based foundations along with the expectation of developing personal reflection skills to improve future teaching strategies.

CAEP Accountability Measures

CAEP has four annual accountability measures that are used to provide information to students and stakeholders regarding Southern New Hampshire University’s undergraduate and graduate education programs. These measures support all parts of SNHU’s accreditation process for initial educator preparation programs.

Following is the list of the CAEP accountability measures with links to data tables that provide supporting evidence for each component:

CAEP Accountability Measures (for CHEA Requirements)

  • Measure 1 (Initial): Completer effectiveness. (R4.1) Data must address: (a) completer impact in contributing to P-12 student-learning growth AND (b) completer effectiveness in applying professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions.

SNHU has developed a case study approach to review each EPP program by the end of a 7 year cycle before the next accreditation site visit. Three to four case studies will be conducted each Academic Year. A trained University Supervisor will work with a completer and a building administrator to conduct an observation and complete formal evaluations to help demonstrate completer effectiveness.

CASE STUDY

  • Measure 2 (Initial and Advanced): Satisfaction of employers and stakeholder involvement. (R4.2 | R5.3) Data provided should be collected on employers’ satisfaction with program completers.

Each year, representatives from the Office of Educator Preparation (OEP) collect data from the school administrators supervising teachers who are in the first three years of teaching in the state of New Hampshire. This survey provides data relative to their satisfaction with educators who completed a Southern New Hampshire University’s education preparation program. This data is collected annually for initial licensure programs and shared internally and externally.

The Initial Licensure Advisory Board is comprised of EPP faculty, representatives from the Office of Educator Preparation and P-12 partners. The roles of the P-12 partners include both administrators and teachers. The Board meets a minimum of twice a year, while subsets of this group meet periodically throughout the year as the need arises. This group reviews performance data from the previous year, evaluation tools, and feedback collected from candidates and school district partners. They also review the structure and content of clinical experiences and suggest any potential revisions to curriculum or clinical experiences to the EPP faculty.

  • Measure 3 (Initial): Candidate competency at completion. (R3.3) Data provided should relate to measures the EPP is using to determine if candidates are meeting program expectations and ready to be recommended for licensure. (e.g.: EPP’s Title II report, data that reflect the ability of EPP candidates to meet licensing and state requirements or other measures the EPP uses to determine candidate competency at completion.)

The Office of Educator Preparation (OEP) reviews all candidate’s competencies at completion to ensure all university program requirements have been met before recommending them to the New Hampshire Department of Education for licensure. Gateways: Undergraduate and Graduate.

Comprehensive Clinical Inventory (CCI): The CCI has been designed to provide feedback on the progress of individual teaching candidates who are completing their clinical practice/student teaching experience in their teacher preparation program. This performance-based assessment measures key competencies aligned to the 2022 revised CAEP standards, the 2011 InTASC standards, and the New Hampshire standards that are required of all teaching candidates prior to being recommended for certification. This standards-based observational instrument specifies the defining set of competencies that pre-service teachers should demonstrate before being recommended for certification in their states. 

Comprehensive Clinical Inventory (CCI)

NH Teacher Candidate Assessment of Performance (NH TCAP): The capstone critical task for all candidates for initial licensure is the NH Teacher Candidate Assessment of Performance (NH TCAP). This is completed during a candidate’s culminating clinical experience. This summative performance assessment aligns with all four InTASC categories and provides evidence of a candidate’s ability to demonstrate those required competencies.

NH Teacher Candidate Assessment of Performance (NH TCAP)

Title II Reports: Title II of the Higher Education Act requires education preparation programs to submit annual reports on the quality of teacher preparation in initial teacher licensure programs.

  • Measure 4 (Initial): Ability of completers to be hired (in positions for which they have prepared.)

Each year, representatives from the Office of Education Preparation (OEP) provide data based on the number of completers by program for the Title II requirement of the Higher Education Act.