National Accreditation & State Programs

Dickinson State University’s Teacher Education program is nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). CAEP is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the professional accrediting body for teacher preparation. CAEP advances excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning. More than 900 educator preparation providers participate in the CAEP accreditation system. The CAEP Standards for Accreditation of Educator Preparation focus on five areas:

• Content and Pedagogical Knowledge
• Clinical Partnerships and Practice
• Candidate Quality, Recruitment, and Selectivity
• Program Impact
• Provider Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement

Programs reviewed by CAEP include:

• Art Education
• Biology Education
• Business Education
• Chemistry Education
• Choral Music Education
• Composite Music Education
• Composite Science Education (Earth Track and Biology Track)
• Composite Social Science Education
• English Education
• History Education
• Instrumental Music Education
• Mathematics Education
• Physical Education
• Technology Education
• Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

Accreditation Visit

The Teacher Education program at Dickinson State University last hosted an accreditation visit by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in September 2018. The DSU Teacher Education program received full accreditation as well as a certificate of excellence for an exemplary site visit, which resulted in no stipulations and no AFI’s (areas for improvement). The next site visit from CAEP is scheduled for the fall of 2024. The core tenets of CAEP accreditation standards of excellence, recognize that:

• In CAEP's performance-based system, accreditation is based on evidence that demonstrates that teacher candidates know the subject matter and can teach it effectively so that students learn. In the CAEP system, EPPs must prove that candidates can connect theory to practice and be effective in an actual P-12 classroom.
• A professional education provider that is accredited by CAEP is expected to be involved in ongoing planning and evaluation; engaged in continuous assessment and development; ensure that faculty and programs reflect new knowledge, practice, and technologies; and be involved in continuous development in response to the evolving world of education and educational reform.
• Comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered, and should specify the respondent's relationship, if any, to the institution (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates). Copies of all correspondence received will be sent to the university for comment prior to the review. No anonymous testimony will be considered.

DSU's Teacher Education program is also approved by the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board (ESPB), which sets the standards pertaining to teacher licensure, teacher education program approval (accreditation), and professional development of educators. North Dakota Administrative Rule 67.1-02-02-02 requires all applicants for an initial teacher license to complete a minimum of a four-year bachelor’s degree from a state agency-approved teacher education program. The approved program must include a general studies component, a professional pedagogy core, and a North Dakota-recognized program area major based upon the North Dakota standards for teacher education program approval.

Completer Effectiveness: Impact on P-12 Learning and Development

• Each year, the ND Department of Public Instruction provides the EPP with data on the results of the North Dakota State Assessment in math and reading for students taught by Dickinson State University first year graduates.
  
  • DSU First Year Teacher Effect on Student Outcomes 2017-18
  • DSU First Year Teacher Effect on Student Outcomes 2018-19
  • DSU First Year Teacher Effect on Student Outcomes 2019-20 – unavailable due to COVID-19
  • DSU First Year Teacher Effect on Student Outcomes 2020-21- comparisons unavailable due to no testing in 2020 spring due to COVID
  • DSU First Year Teacher Effect on Student Outcomes 2021-22

Satisfaction of Employers and Satisfactions of Completers

• The EPP sends out an employer satisfaction survey to administrators (SS) who have hired graduates. This survey goes out at the end of each academic year to administrators who have hired completers from the previous year’s cohort group.
• The EPP sends out a survey called “Transition to Teaching Survey” (TTS) to graduates who have indicated to the EPP that they have a full-time job as a teacher (i.e., not as a paraeducator or long-term substitute).
• The EPP sends out an exit survey to candidates after student teaching is completed (Student Exit Survey).
  
  • Supervisor Satisfaction Survey, Transition to Teaching Survey, and Student Exit Surveys, 2019-20
  • Supervisor Satisfaction Survey, Transition to Teaching Survey, and Student Exit Surveys, 2020-21
  • Supervisor Satisfaction Survey, Transition to Teaching Survey, and Student Exit Surveys 2021-22

Graduation Rates

• The EPP began tracking graduation rates in 2016.
  • Completion Rates

Ability to Meet Licensing Requirements

• Completing all licensure exams for the major field(s) (i.e., the PLT for the appropriate level and the content-area Praxis exam) is required to student teach. As such, all program completers have successfully passed all licensure exams. The pass rates provided are those for Praxis I exams, which must be passed to be fully accepted into the program.

Ability of Completers to Be Hired in Education Positions for Which They Have Been Prepared

• 2019-20 completers – undergraduate, 64% obtained employment in education, 7% are in a graduate program. MAT, 78% obtained employment in education.

• 2020-21 completers- undergraduate, 83% obtained employment in education, 6% are in a graduate program, MAT, 100% obtained employment in education.

• 2021-22 completers- undergraduates, 85% obtained employment in education, 2.5% are in a graduate program; MAT, 25% obtained employment in education
• Note: Employment data is self-reported by completers. If the completer indicated a position as a paraeducator or a long-term substitute, we do not count that as employment. We assume employment to mean full-time employment as a classroom teacher, resource room teacher, intervention teacher, or other similar teaching position.

National Center for Education Statistics – Student Loan Default Rates

• Specific student loan default rate information is not tracked by the university by major. For student loan default rates, visit the NCES website here. 

• General student consumer information and policies can be found at the provided link:
  • HEA Student Consumer Information