VDOE details educator-preparation reviews and CAPE accreditation process; proposes improvements to program monitoring
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Summary
VDOE presenters explained the CAPE accreditation and concurrent state review process for educator-preparation programs, noted 36 EPPs and increased data-sharing through VEAC, and outlined plans to refine training, expand peer review options and improve program tracking.
Dr. Jonelle Torbert, director of the Department—s Office of Educator Preparation, briefed the board on Virginia—s educator-preparation program (EPP) oversight, CAPE accreditation and the state review process.
Torbert said Virginia has several preparation pathways (traditional EPP programs, residencies, apprenticeships, career-switcher options and reciprocity for out-of-state teachers) and that EPP reviews are conducted jointly with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAPE). Visits occur on a seven-year schedule and now are virtual post-pandemic; CAPE teams make recommendations, while the council issues final accreditation decisions, including areas for improvement and stipulations when required.
Torbert described the Virginia Education Assessment Collaborative (VEAC) as a shared data source that consolidates survey and program completer information to reduce duplication for EPPs and support accreditation evidence. She said the department receives dozens of program requests and modifications annually and conducts biennial and annual reports with thresholds (for example, an 80% pass rate target for required assessments) and corrective-action plans if programs fall short.
Recognizing capacity constraints and a heavy review semester, Torbert proposed actions to streamline reviews: expand training for volunteers, consider peer-review models to speed state endorsement reviews, develop self-assessment tools (for example, a VLA self-assessment) and improve tracking of completers into the workforce. She noted challenges in linking completers to employment records outside public Virginia school divisions and said VEAC was created to help address those gaps.
What happens next: Torbert and VDOE staff said they will return with further tools and training materials, continue VEAC collaboration, and refine the review schedule and guidance documents to clarify division vs. school responsibilities in accreditation evidence.
