Site Visits to Return to Campus This Fall |
AAQEP has resumed offering in-person workshops and consulting, and beginning in fall 2022, we will return to in-person site visits for our quality assurance reviews! We also continue to serve and support members virtually through monthly cohort meetings, online workshops, and webinar series.
While we are delighted by the return to in-person engagement, we continue to prioritize the health and safety of individuals and communities and will respond accordingly to individual needs and changing COVID-19 developments and policy recommendations.
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A Season of Collaborative Learning |
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A note from Mark LaCelle-Peterson, President and CEO
One of AAQEP's core aims is to foster the sharing of lessons from quality assurance and improvement, expanding the circle of learning around accreditation activities. The monthly meetings of AAQEP member cohorts are a steady reminder of the value of this kind of collaborative learning, but I've also had the good fortune to experience it in several other settings this winter. Now the month of March is blossoming into a celebration of that commitment, with our Quality Assurance Symposium right around the corner.
One opportunity our staff enjoyed was attending the annual conference of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in Washington, DC. It was a pleasure to be back in person for this international conversation about quality assurance. We learned that AAQEP's pandemic-related adjustments and lessons are similar to those experienced by other programmatic and institutional accreditors, and it was enriching to meet with and learn from other accreditors as well as to hear about relevant developments in the U.S. Department of Education and Congress.
Then at AACTE's Annual Meeting earlier this month, we attended two exciting sessions featuring AAQEP members' quality assurance work. A shared presentation by California State University-Bakersfield, Fresno State University, and the University of Massachusetts-Global (formerly known as Brandman University) highlighted their parallel and mutually supported journeys through the AAQEP accreditation process. Another session by Meg Gardner of Colgate University considered how evidence-gathering can inform both scholarship and quality assurance. While we were in New Orleans, AAQEP staff also presented to AILACTE, to AACTE's All Things Accreditation Topical Action Group, and to TECSCU, affording us an opportunity to further broaden the circle of learning.
Next week's fifth (can you believe it?) AAQEP Quality Assurance Symposium will engage hundreds of you in collaborative learning. The whole AAQEP staff looks forward to listening to the intriguing variety of peer-reviewed sessions and to engaging in conversations around your work as well as the work of our organization. (And the symposium learning stretches across not only the 3 official days of the event, but also the next 4 weeks—registrants will be able to view recordings of virtually all the content through April 22.)
I look forward to seeing you next week and at our other spring events. The calendar holds many more opportunities for us to share and learn together!
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Next Week: Quality Assurance Symposium |
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A note from Jennifer Hsu, Event Planner
It's the most wonderful time of the year: time for the annual AAQEP Quality Assurance Symposium! We'll convene this year's conference next week, March 22-24, as a fully online event. Please join me in thanking our generous sponsors and the hard-working presenters who will share their work with us.
All registrants can now log in to the Whova event platform to set up their profile and create a personalized agenda. See this web page for instructions for signing in to Whova.
Still need to register? We're happy to have you join us! Sign up at aaqep.org/conferences. Registration is just $205 for AAQEP members and $255 for nonmembers.
P.S. Next year we plan to return to an in-person symposium. Look for the call for proposals to come out in April!
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Special Online Meetings for Members |
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Collaborative Conversation:
Assessing Candidate Dispositions Throughout Their Program
April 19, 1-2 p.m. EDT
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Using Data to Support Candidate Success
April 26, 1-2 p.m. EDT
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Join a Workshop at Clarkson University |
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How can you use data to tell your program's story and engage stakeholders in continuous improvement? And what can leaders do to establish a culture of evidence and support the improvement process?
Being able to navigate and use data effectively isn't just essential for accreditation. It's also a healthy habit for strengthening your program's quality and partnerships on an ongoing basis.
AAQEP's workshops help you chart the course and build competency for leading this journey using improvement and implementation science. Join us on the Clarkson University campus in Schenectady, New York:
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Using Data to
Sustain Improvement
March 31
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
$325 per person (AAQEP member)
$375 per person (nonmember)
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Quality
Implementation
April 1
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
$325 per person (AAQEP member)
$375 per person (nonmember)
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Emerging Leaders Seminar – Save the Date |
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A note from Christine DeGregory,
Director of Professional Learning
Leading accreditation work is rewarding, but the early days at the helm can be challenging. If you are new to the role of leading the accreditation work at your institution, consider saving the dates of September 22-23 for AAQEP’s inaugural seminar for emerging leaders, to be held in Kansas City, MO. AAQEP staff is refining plans for the event based on enthusiastic and thoughtful responses from members’ primary contacts to our survey on the value of such an event. Be on the lookout for details and registration information next month. Thanks to everyone who provided input on this new offering!
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NEW! Accreditation Proposal Samples
This month, we've refreshed the member resource page for Accreditation Proposals. For each of the four sections of the AAQEP proposal, you'll find new sample excerpts and brief annotations highlighting things to look for in each sample.
How to Access Proposal Resources
Many thanks to all who've agreed to share their work with other members!
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Reminder: Turn In Accreditation Proposals by May 1 |
May 1 is the next quarterly match date for staff to assign peer reviewers to Accreditation Proposals. C ontact Karen Lowenstein with any questions at k.lowenstein@aaqep.org.
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A note from Sara Hiller, Director of Accreditation Services
We're excited to be going back on site in the fall! Thank you to all of our peer reviewers and providers who've patiently adjusted to online reviews over the past 2 years.
Here’s a quick overview of where the action is in the current AAQEP accreditation cycles:
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Fall 2021 (14 site visits): The fall 2021 accreditation decision meetings are complete. Congratulations to our newly accredited members! To see the Accreditation Commission’s action record, click here.
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Spring 2022 (22 site visits): All spring reviews are now underway (and still virtual). This semester's accreditation decision meetings will begin in late April.
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Fall 2022 (23 site visits): If your review is this fall, I will be reaching out to schedule logistics calls soon. Friendly reminder: Quality Assurance Reports and local practitioner selection are due 6 months before your scheduled visit date.
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Spring 2023 (26 site visits): If your review is next spring, I’ve contacted you to start the process to choose your site visit dates. If you have not filled out the site visit dates and QAR information form already, please do so as soon as possible.
For an overview of the AAQEP accreditation timeline and other member resources, visit this web page. If you have any questions about the next step in your review, contact me at s.hiller@aaqep.org.
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Congratulations on Your Accreditation |
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Congratulations to the educator preparation providers that earned AAQEP accreditation in the past 2 months:
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Cazenovia College (NY)
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Corban University (OR)
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Northcentral University (CA)
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Salisbury University (MD)
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Sarah Lawrence College (NY)
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University at Buffalo (NY)
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University of the Incarnate Word (TX)
These seven institutions join 50 other providers that have now achieved AAQEP accreditation (see the full list here). Kudos to all!
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Please give a warm welcome to the new members that joined AAQEP in the past 2 months:
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Inter American University of Puerto Rico system (affiliate member)
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Kean University (affiliate member)
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Nevada Department of Education (state member)
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Texas Tech University (regular member)
AAQEP now has 173 EPP members and 12 state members (see our State Collaboration web page for links to the state cooperation agreements.) |
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A note from Sungti Hsu, Chief Relationship Officer
Did you know that AAQEP hosts a monthly call with representatives from state agencies? Just like the cohort meetings for regular members, the "Cross-State Conversation" is designed to be a professional learning community for state representatives to discuss current issues and share practices related to quality assurance and improvement.
Participants have been generating questions from their daily practices to share with the group. The group has discussed topics such as:
- What are states doing around eliminating barriers, creating additional pathways to certification, and elevating early childhood education?
- How can states address educator shortages by supporting candidates' momentum after completing a preparation program?
- What are states thinking regarding allowing multiple options for licensure assessments?
- What has and has not worked in creating state-wide mentoring and induction for new teachers in local-control states?
Over the last 6 months, we've had an average of 15 states represented in each month's meeting. A total of 28 states now have sent representatives to be part of the conversation. Please feel free to share information about this cross-state conversation with your state representatives or refer them to me at s.hsu@aaqep.org or Karen Lowenstein at k.lowenstein@aaqep.org. We welcome all to join us! |
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Recent back issues of this Member Update newsletter:
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Questions? Suggestions? Please reach out at any time to your AAQEP liaison or contact Karen Lowenstein, director of member services, at k.lowenstein@aaqep.org.
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AAQEP — Always improving together |
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