School of Education Accreditation

On June 17, 2025 the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP) notified the Ella Cline Shear School of Education that we received initial accreditation.

AAQEP evaluates teacher preparation programs for their quality compared to national standards. All School of Education (SOE) programs went through a rigorous process of internal review resulting in an extensive self-study document. An external team of expert reviewers evaluated our self-study report and conducted a virtual site visit in April 2025. The Accreditation Commission then provided a holistic evaluation of each standard based on the evidence presented in the Initial Accreditation Report and the Quality Review Team Report and asked clarifying questions of SOE leadership. The President and CEO of AAQEP has notified President Denise Battles that the Accreditation Commission awarded initial accreditation for a nonrenewable term of 5 years to the �� educator preparation program.

The faculty, staff, students, alumni and other partners of the Ella Cline Shear School of Education worked together for more than two years in reaching this milestone. It is an honor to be so recognized.