School of Education graduates approved for licensure

UPDATE - Jan. 15, 2019: School of Education graduates approved for licensure

Dear UAA Community,

I have great news! The Alaska State Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) has just announced it will accept recommendations from UAA's School of Education for initial licensure through the end of summer semester 2019! Graduates this spring and summer will now be able to get licensed by the state.

Please see DEED's Facebook page for the announcement.

I want to thank you all for your patience and fortitude these past several days. I know it's been a stressful time, and hope you see this as a major positive step in returning the School back to fully accredited status. We will continue to work closely with the UA System Office, UA College of Education dean, and DEED on further resolution of our accreditation issue and will keep you informed along the way.

Thank you, Cathy Sandeen UAA Chancellor

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The University of Alaska Anchorage was informed today that its programs involving initial licensure within its School of Education are no longer accredited.

UAA has been working through the accreditation process since 2016 with the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP). CAEP is a nationally-recognized accrediting body for institutions with educator preparation degrees and programs. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that seeks to assure both quality and promotion of continuous improvement.

"Since 2016 we have been working diligently to improve in areas identified by CAEP," said UAA School of Education Interim Director Claudia Dybdahl. "We are keenly aware of the potential ramifications of this decision, and are doing everything in our power to ensure students are taken care of."

This accreditation decision is unrelated to UAA's institutional accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Undergraduate students who have previously graduated from UAA with education degrees are unaffected by the decision. The next step in this process rests with the Alaska State Board of Education, which must affirm whether UAA may still recommend its graduates for licensure. The UAA programs affected include: Early Childhood Education Bachelor of Arts and post-baccalaureate programs, Elementary Education Bachelor of Arts and post-baccalaureate programs, Secondary Education Master of Arts in teaching, and initial licensure programs in special education and early childhood special education.

Neither the University of Alaska Fairbanks or the University of Alaska Southeast are affected by this CAEP decision.

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