01/13/2025
In December, SUNY Cortland’s School of Education was accredited by the American Association for Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) to keep the largest comprehensive teacher education program in the SUNY system — and one of the largest in the U.S. — at the head of innovation.
All New York state teacher preparation programs are currently required to be nationally accredited, and SUNY Cortland has been continuously accredited since 2004. Before AAQEP, Cortland was accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
In addition, institutional accreditation by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized agency is required for all colleges and universities seeking federal funding. SUNY Cortland as an institution is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Earning recognition through a national accreditation process of any kind is an on-going, labor-intensive process, according to Andrea Lachance, dean of Cortland’s School of Education.
“If you're offering programs that you claim are going to prepare candidates for the teaching profession, you need outside folks looking at those programs and asking if those programs really do what they intend to do,” Lachance said. How are the program’s candidates prepared to teach? What do graduates and their employers think of their preparation? What impact do graduates have on their student’s learning?
“The process of external review ensures programs remain current, up to date and responsive to the needs of our candidates and our school partners. Earning national accreditation in teacher preparation signals to all our stakeholders – particularly school partners - that Cortland’s teacher preparation programs are of the highest quality.”
AAQEP's model for accreditation takes a collegial approach sensitive to the context a school operates in rather than requiring strict compliance with set standards, according to its website. It incorporates both traditional features and new ones that offer flexibility and encourage innovation.
Aside from its recent completion of the AAQEP accreditation process, Lachance noted other efforts to make sure Cortland’s teacher preparation programs keep their place as a top choice for education majors. Grants from both the SUNY system’s Transformation Fund and the New York State Department of Labor will help build pathways for non-traditional students to become teachers through alternative programming.
Lachance said there is added demand right now for special education, English as a second language and math and science teachers, along with a general need for more educators in high-need areas.
“We're working right now with folks on campus, our regional BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services) partners and colleagues at TC3 (Tompkins Cortland Community College) to help build ways for non-traditional students to access teaching credentials and degrees,” Lachance said. “This is exciting and innovative work in our region, and we’re looking forward to seeing its impact.”