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May 2022
Welcome New Members
Please give a warm welcome to the educator preparation providers that joined AAQEP in the past 2 months!
Regular Members
Benchmark Education (Egypt)
Loyola University Maryland
Mount Saint Mary College (NY)
Texas A&M University-Central TX
University of Charleston (WV)
Affiliate Members
Chapman University (CA)
Franklin College (IN)
University of Phoenix (AZ)
University of San Diego (CA)
AAQEP now has 182 EPP members and 12 state members (see our State Collaboration web page for links to the state cooperation agreements).
Inaugural AAQEP Institute Now Enrolling
This fall, AAQEP is coming to Kansas City with two tracks of professional learning seminars for accreditation and assessment leaders:

  • Emerging Leaders Seminar - New to a leadership role in accreditation? Get a deep grounding in how to “do accreditation” and begin building your professional network.
  • Quality Improvement Seminar - Take an in-depth look into the use of data, the understanding of data, and how to build and sustain a culture of continuous improvement through the lens of improvement science.

Both AAQEP members and nonmembers will benefit from these seminars. Space is limited–first come, first served.

Save when you register by the June 22 early bird deadline!
Congratulations on Your Accreditation
Congratulations to the first two AAQEP members to receive accreditation this spring:

  • Colgate University (NY)
  • University of Houston (TX)

In total, 59 providers now have AAQEP-accredited programs. Another 15 providers are completing their quality assurance reviews this semester. Kudos to all!
AAQEP Standards Renewal Begins
A note from Mark LaCelle-Peterson, President and CEO

Standards are at the heart of the accreditation process, and it’s critical that they be revisited regularly to ensure they reflect the profession’s best thinking and evolving context (especially in a dynamic field like educator preparation). That’s why AAQEP’s system is built around a 7-year renewal cycle for the expectations framework. As the current standards were adopted in January 2018, they must be renewed in or before January 2025—and that work is now under way!

In accordance with the AAQEP bylaws, the standards-review process is overseen by a Quality Expectations Committee appointed by the Board of Directors. This group includes both Directors and Accreditation Commissioners:

  • Cochair: Katia González, Wagner College (NY)
  • Cochair: Tim Wall, Northwest Missouri State University
  • Doretha Allen, Dallas Independent School District (TX)
  • Kathlene Holmes Campbell, University of St. Thomas (MN)
  • Virginia Goatley, University at Albany, SUNY (NY)
  • Joe Lubig, Northern Michigan University
  • Reyes Quezada, University of San Diego (CA)

Since its appointment last summer, this committee has been meeting monthly to develop and begin enacting a work plan for reviewing AAQEP’s standards, their aspects, and associated evidence requirements and priorities. In broad strokes, the work plan looks like this:
2021-2022: Design work plan; begin surveying accredited members
2022-2023: Gather input from a range of perspectives
2023-2024: Draft and circulate renewed expectations framework for feedback
Fall 2024: Revise draft and circulate for final comment
January 2025: Publish expectations framework
The details of this plan and of the transition period that follows are yet to be determined, but be assured that we will work with members to ensure that no one is disadvantaged in the transition. For the immediate future, all members can continue to use any version of the Guide to AAQEP Accreditation published within 4 years of their site visit.
 
The committee will provide periodic updates and continue to share information and opportunities on AAQEP’s website at https://aaqep.org/2025. Stay tuned for member surveys and calls for comment in the coming months—the most important ingredient of this renewal process is your input! 
Cohort Updates
A note from Karen Lowenstein, Director of Member Services

Final 2021-22 Cohort Meetings

The final official cohort meetings of the 2021-22 academic year will take place June 14-16. Come celebrate the end of the academic year with your peers! Staff will have a survey for your input on what went well over the year with your cohort and what ideas you have for the future. We wouldn’t be AAQEP without continual improvement.
 
Summer Options

During the summer cohort hiatus, AAQEP will offer two mixed-cohort meeting opportunities for members looking to connect with peers and staff. Members are invited to attend one or both meetings. To receive the Zoom links, just click below to register. 

  • Tuesday, July 12, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern - Register
  • Wednesday, August 10, 4:00-5:00 p.m. Eastern - Register

As always, members are welcome to reach out to their staff liaison with questions or needs at any time.
 
2022-23 Cohorts

AAQEP continues to build on learning from current cohorts to purposefully design structures that support members’ accreditation work. Thanks to those members who participated in a 90-minute cohort structure this past academic year to work in small groups on their data quality, measures, quality assurance reports, and site visit plans. For the coming academic year, AAQEP is offering a “Small-Group Cohort” option to those members with accreditation site visits in fall 2023, spring 2024, and fall 2024. As a reminder, if you received this invitation, please respond by June 1 to help staff complete planning.

Primary contacts for all other regular members will receive a short questionnaire in June for input on what matters to them when being placed in a cohort. This input will guide cohort placements for the 2022-23 academic year. Cohorts will meet from September 2022 through June 2023 on a monthly basis, generally on the Tuesdays through Thursdays of the second full week of each month.
 
Please feel free to contact me at k.lowenstein@aaqep.org with any questions or needs related to cohorts or other member services. Happy summer to all!
AAQEP Partners With ISTE
A note from Sungti Hsu, Chief Relationship Officer

AAQEP is honored to partner with the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) to support educator preparation providers in preparing teachers to thrive in digital classrooms of a post-COVID world.

AAQEP and ISTE, the premier professional organization and standard-setter for technology in education at all levels, invite AAQEP members and other providers to focus on:
  • Accelerating innovation in educator preparation
  • Supporting collaboration between school districts and educator preparation programs
  • Preparing new teachers with the foundational skills needed to use technology to be successful in in-person, online, and blended learning environments
For 2022, programs can participate in this work by committing to the EPP Digital Equity and Transformation Pledge. Learn more about the pledge and how you can get involved here.
Summer Webinars for Members
Supporting Milestones in the Accreditation Cycle
Site Visits & Logistics
A note from Sara Hiller, Director of Accreditation Services

Summer may be upon us, but AAQEP continues to support you through your accreditation cycles. If you're at a point where a webinar would be helpful, see the schedule and links above for details. Meanwhile, here’s a quick overview of where the action is for the next few semesters:

  • Spring 2022 (22 site visits): Spring reviews are almost complete (and still virtual). This semester's accreditation decision meetings started in April and run through the summer. To see the Accreditation Commission’s action record, click here. 
  • Fall 2022 (22 site visits): Logistics calls for fall are under way. Next, I will be confirming your Quality Review Teams. Friendly reminder: Quality Assurance Reports and local practitioner selection are due 6 months before your scheduled visit date.
  • Spring 2023 (23 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.
Summer is a great time for an ONLINE workshop
Quality Implementation
June 8 & 9
How can you leverage improvement science and adult-learning principles to engage your stakeholders in continuous improvement? Learn how to use an implementation science framework in realistic applications to identify and adopt a culture of improvement, and explore the key leadership aspects that support collaborative processes. 
Making the Case for Quality
July 13 & 14
Planning or drafting your self-study? Just getting started with AAQEP? This workshop lays the foundation for all of your work! Join us for an intensive introduction to the AAQEP standards and evidence expectations, and begin building an action plan for the next stages of your accreditation work.
Or join us in Utah to experience all 4 AAQEP workshops IN PERSON
May 31
Making the Case for Quality
June 1
Ensuring Data Quality and Equity
June 2
Using Data to Sustain Improvement
June 3
Quality Implementation
Member Engagement Survey Coming Soon

AAQEP's annual summer survey will be going out to all members in the next couple of weeks. We look forward to hearing from each of you to help us improve!
Call for Volunteers: Events Committee
Do you have experience planning professional conferences? Want to work behind the scenes on designing and peer-reviewing content for AAQEP's annual Quality Assurance Symposium?

Then you sound like an excellent candidate for the Events Committee! 

Apply by June 1 for appointment to a 3-year term that starts July 1.
Calendar
Recent back issues of this e-newsletter:
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.
AAQEP — Always improving together