CAEP Accreditation
The College of Education represents the Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) at Southern Connecticut State University. The EPP consists of 45 programs at the initial and advanced levels and is run by departments of the College of Education, the College of Arts & Sciences, and the College of Health & Human Services.
**The EPP programs are accredited by the Council of Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) through 12/30/2028.
This accreditation ensures that our educator preparation 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. Learn more.
The EPP programs are offered on campus, in person, or in a hybrid format. To accommodate and support candidates who are teachers or staff members in our partnering districts, we offer the Sixth Year Certificate - Intermediate Administrator program at the following Auxiliary locations: Cheshire, East Haven, Waterbury, and Waterford.
View the Full List of EPP Programs
CAEP Accountability Measures
CAEP requires every Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) to report and prominently display data on its website relating to four accountability measures established by CAEP.
Connecticut legislation explicitly prohibits the linking of any state student-testing database with state educator databases, thereby precluding the use of value-added methodologies for the evaluation of teacher performance based on student achievement. Our Educator Preparation Program (EPP) continues to assess the effectiveness of its initial preparation programs through active collaborations with several of our local school districts and regional education service centers. We employ a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods to gather feedback and insights.
In 2024, the EPP made a strategic shift from utilizing traditional surveys to employing focus group methodology for collecting feedback from our program completers and their employers. We anticipate that this new approach will yield more comprehensive and nuanced data, which will better inform our ongoing practices and program enhancements.
Over the next five years, our goal is to complete focus group sessions with a representative sample of our program completers. This effort will help us continuously refine and improve the effectiveness of our preparation programs.
Summary of the work completed in 2024
Methodology: We reached out to all completers for whom we have personal email addresses through a general survey asking about work experience. We consider data collected from this survey as a form of self-reporting to complement our data set for measure 4. In the same survey, we invited completers to participate in the focus groups. Our goal is to conduct these focus groups annually, targeting completers from the last seven years who have at least one year of experience in the field.
Results: Between June and July 2024, we conducted six sessions of focus groups for completers of our Initial Preparation programs. Participants included individuals who had completed either an undergraduate program or the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. Each participant was provided with a list of questions ahead of the session. Prior to discussing with the group, participants were polled on these questions to gather individual responses. A summary of their answers is provided in the table below.
Limitations: Our outreach is limited to completers who provided us with their personal email addresses. Several completers expressed interest in participating in the focus groups but were unable to attend the scheduled sessions due to scheduling conflicts.
While the focus group methodology provides invaluable data and feedback, it is important to recognize the small size of the sample at this early stage. We plan to combine the data collected over the next five years into one comprehensive report, which will offer a more robust and representative set of insights.
TEAM Data
The TEAM (Teacher Education And Mentoring) Program is a process of continuous professional growth designed around five professional growth modules aligned to the Common Core of Teaching (CCT). It is an iterative process that deeply engages teachers in the work of analyzing student needs, assessing their knowledge and skills, attaining new learning to develop strategies to address weaknesses and strengths, implementing new strategies and practices, and reflecting on the impact of specific practices on student learning.
The TEAM program is composed of 5 modules:
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Classroom environment
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Planning
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Instruction
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Assessment
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Professional responsibility
Starting in spring 2021, we began collecting data on completers who started the TEAM program from our partnering districts. We compiled this data over the course of a seven-year cycle. With the switch to the focus group methodology, we are now collecting this data while verifying employment and scheduling focus group sessions. Each district is represented once in the compiled data.
It is our view that our completers’ participation in the TEAM training provides enough evidence of the positive impact that they have on their students’ learning, since that is the core aspect of the reflection in which they engage for each of the modules.
The table below summarizes data submitted from six districts about 108 program completers who completed all or some of the TEAM modules. Overall, completers completed each of the modules with ease more than 83% of the time. Module 5 is the one that all completers have so far completed with ease, and on which none required any support.
Our Educator Preparation Program (EPP) remains committed to gathering valuable feedback from employers through strong partnerships with local school districts and regional education service centers. We use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to collect insights and assess satisfaction.
In 2024, the EPP made a strategic shift from relying on traditional surveys to employing focus group methodology for gathering feedback from district partners. We anticipate that this new approach will yield more comprehensive and nuanced data, which will better inform our ongoing practices and program enhancements.
Over the next five years, our goal is to conduct focus group sessions with our key district partners who participate in our advisory board. This initiative will allow us to continuously refine and strengthen the effectiveness of our preparation programs, ensuring that we are meeting the needs of both our students and the communities we serve.
Focus Group - Summary
Members of our advisory board selected the academic term that best aligned with their district’s schedule to participate in the focus group process. The first step for each participating district was to verify employment data for our program completers. We provided each district with a list compiled through our tracking efforts and self-reported data. District representatives were asked to confirm the accuracy of this information, verify retention rates, report any awards or recognitions received by completers, and update the list to include any individuals whose names we may have omitted.
The second step for district representatives involved providing us with TEAM (Teacher Education And Mentoring) data, which we incorporated into our Measure 1 reporting.
The primary task, however, was participation in the focus group sessions. Depending on the number and type of completers who are employed in a district, multiple sessions were scheduled. These include sessions for those who have evaluated or supervised teachers holding initial teacher preparation certificates; separate sessions for those supervising school counselors, school psychologists, and reading specialists; and a third set of sessions for supervisors of principals and administrators.
As of 2024, we have successfully completed this process with one district.
Results
Each participant was provided with a list of questions ahead of the session, and a list of SCSU completers employed in their district to keep in mind while answering and discussing each of the questions. Prior to discussing with the group, participants were polled on these questions to gather individual responses. A summary of their answers is provided in the tables below.
Limitations: While the focus group methodology provides invaluable data and feedback, it is important to recognize the small size of the sample at this early stage. We plan to combine the data collected over the next five years into one comprehensive report, which will offer a more robust and representative set of insights.
Awards for Teachers, Counselors, and Principals of the Year
We are proud of the achievements and recognitions of completers. These awards serve as a testament to the dedication and excellence of our graduates, providing strong evidence of the quality of their preparation.
Retention Rate for Initial Programs (UG & MAT)
Cohorts are defined as the total number of students admitted to the College of Education and who began their program during an academic year (Fall, Spring or Summer).
For the Undergraduate programs (UG), it would be during sophomore year. For the MAT programs, it will be their admission to the program.
Retention Rate for Advanced Programs
Cohorts are defined as the total number of students admitted to one of the graduate advanced programs in the College of Education, and who began their program during an academic year (Fall, Spring or Summer).
Licensure Exams Pass Rates – Initial Programs
For the initial preparation program, we share the pass rates for program completers, as reported by Title 2. The full report is available on this link (hyperlink to Title 2 report 2025).
For the advanced programs, the State of Connecticut does not provide official reports for the advanced licensure exams. The pass rates below are calculated based on the scores of program completers that we received from ETS and Pearson.
Licensure Exam Pass Rate-Advanced
Title II Reports
Our Educator Preparation Program (EPP) recognizes the importance of tracking its program completers to ensure accountability and drive continuous improvement. To monitor the career trajectories of completers, the EPP employs both informal and formal methods, including alumni self-reporting and data from the public dashboard maintained by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE).
Employment Rate for Initial Programs
To become eligible to work in CT public schools, candidates must have taken and successfully completed their licensure exams and earned CT certification. To calculate the employment rate, we track our completers who are certified in CT and eligible to work with their initial license.
The table below shows the employment data for completers eligible to work in CT (earned their CT license no later than August 2024) and who are employed in CT public schools as of August 2024.
N = Number of completers certified and eligible to work in CT with their initial certification
Employed = Number of candidates employed in CT public schools in their field of certification area
Note that completers who graduated in Spring 2024 and who were hired on or after September 1, 2024 are not reflected in the table above. Additionally, it is important to note that the employment data collected does not include positions in private schools within Connecticut, nor employment in other States.
Employment Rate for Advanced Programs
Several advanced certification programs require candidates to hold an active initial CT certification and teaching experience. As such, most completers hold one or more active CT certifications. Consequently, we are not able to access data indicating under which certification these completers are currently working. As with the completers for initial programs, it is important to note that the employment data collected do not include positions in private schools within Connecticut, nor employment in other States.
N = Number of completers certified and eligible to work in CT with their advanced certification
Employed = Number of candidates employed in CT public schools
Note that completers who graduated in Spring 2024 and who were hired on or after September 1, 2024 are not reflected in the table above.
Employment in High-Needs Districts – Initial Teacher Prep
The EPP utilizes the CSDE dashboard to access valuable data on the district-level hiring of completers. Note that the CSDE dashboard only tracks completers who secured a job in a CT public school within 1 year of program completion.
https://public-edsight.ct.gov/educators/educator-preparation-provider-quality-measures-report
Retention on the Job – Initial Teacher Prep
The EPP utilizes the CSDE dashboard to access valuable data on the district-level hiring of completers, and their retention on the job. Note that the CSDE dashboard only tracks completers who secured a job in a CT public school within 1 year of program completion.
https://public-edsight.ct.gov/educators/educator-preparation-provider-quality-measures-report
