Welcome to the Saint Mary's College Education Department CAEP web site.  This website will present the accreditation status of the Professional Education Unit at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana. Saint Mary's is a fully accredited Education Program Provider (EPP). The Education Department's current CAEP accreditation is valid through June 30, 2025.

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The Department of Education at Saint Mary's College is hosting an accreditation visit by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in the fall of 2024 semester on Monday November 4 through Wednesday November 6. Interested parties are invited to submit third-party comments to the evaluation team. Please note that comments must address substantive matters related to the quality of professional education programs offered and should specify the party's relationship to the provider (i.e., graduate, present or former faculty member, employer of graduates). A brief description of CAEP's current standards for initial teacher preparation are provided for your reference. CAEP accepts written comments from stakeholders up to six (6) weeks before the site visit and provides these comments to the EPP.

We invite you to submit written testimony to:

CAEP
1140 19th Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036

Or

By email to: callforcomments@caepnet.org

Such comments must be within the specified period and based on the core tenets of CAEP accreditation standards of excellence, which 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 EPP for comment prior to the review. 

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CAEP’s mission is to advance excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement. Launched in 2013, CAEP works with more than 900 educator preparation providers currently participating in its accreditation system. CAEP serves all providers previously accredited by or currently seeking accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). In addition, CAEP serves providers not previously accredited by NCATE or TEAC. The scope of CAEP’s work is the accreditation of U.S. and international educator preparation programs at the certification/licensure, bachelor’s, master’s, post-baccalaureate, and doctoral levels. CAEP seeks to increase the value of accreditation and to increase participation by providers in the accreditation system. It builds on the decades of institutional knowledge of the sector’s previous accreditors, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), founded in 1954, and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), founded in 1997, which agreed to form CAEP to advance the field of educator preparation. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) currently recognize both NCATE and TEAC. CHEA also recognizes CAEP.

The following Education Department programs have national recognition from Specialized Professional Associations (SPAS) or the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) when no national SPA recognition is availalble:

Elementary Education—Indiana Department of Education (IDOE)-CAEP K-6 Standards

Elementary Education Mild Intervention—Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

English as a New Language (ENL/TESOL)—Indiana Department of Education (IDOE)

Secondary Biology Education—Indiana Department of Education (IDOE)

Secondary Chemistry Education—Indiana Department of Education (IDOE)

Secondary Physics Education—Indiana Department of Education (IDOE)

Secondary English Education—National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)

Secondary Math Education—The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

Secondary Social Studies Education—National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

Secondary Spanish Education—American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

All of the above programs were included in Saint Mary's Education Department's most recent review resulting in full CAEP accrediation valid through June 30, 2025.

The unit's assessment system reflects the Educational Department's conceptual framework as well as alignment to Indiana. It is also aligned with InTASC professional standards as well as standards put forth by Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs).  The system is shared with College faculty through the Teacher Education Council and with its school partners through the Cooperative Council. The system includes comprehensive and integrated assessment and evaluation measures to monitor candidate performance as well as to manage and improve the unit's operations and programs. Decisions about candidate perfomance are based on multiple assessments at decision points in both the Elementary and Secondary Education programs--admission to programs, at appropriate transition points, at program completion, and after graduation. The unit has taken effective steps to eliminate bias in assessments and is working continuously to establish the fairness, accuracy, and consistency of its procedures and unit operations. It has worked closely with the Office of Institutional Research & Assessment to address this issue.

The links at the left of this page will take you to each site. 

Professional Education Unitdescribes who we are. It contains information about the programs, the unit faculty, and the unit organization. 

Unit Assessment explains the assessment processes in the unit. Included is a summary of the college-wide requirement for writing proficiency (Advanced Writing Proficiency Committee) as well as other key assessments used in the Education Department.  Through the unit assessment process the Educational Department thrives to:

  • maintain evidence of effective clinical preparation that incorporates partnerships with P- 12 schools and districts.
  • ensure the selection of capable and diverse candidates and assures stakeholders of candiate quality.
  • encourage innovation in our programs.
  • maintain evidence of completers positive impact on P-12 student learning and development.
  • embrace data-driven continuous improvement in decision-making and program development.

CAEP Accountability Measures displays the four (4) outcome and impact measures that are systematically monitored by CAEP, including state licensure test results for those who have completed the program and EPP activity with program stakeholders.  

Saint Mary’s Indiana Code Comparative Data Matrix/1388 Annual EPP Report 2023
IC 20-28-3-1 and IC 20-28-11.5-9 require the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to collect and report information from Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) annually. This information must be reported using a matrix which is to be posted to the IDOE website. While this matrix is not intended to rank or “grade” programs, it provides an opportunity for the public to interpret or compare program quality based on a variety of data points. All data points are based upon the September 1– August 31 Title II timeframe.

Conceptual Framework presents the foundational ideas and research that guide the unit. 

Saint Mary's Organizational Structure provide the hierarchical structure for governance of the college. The Board of Trustees and Presidential Structure delineates the overall organization of Saint Mary's while the Provost's Structure identifies its academic organization, including divisions and departments.