AAQEP Accreditation

The School of Learning and Teaching at Pacific University is nationally accredited through the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). National accreditation assures the quality of professional preparation programs through a nongovernmental, nonregulatory process of self-study and peer review. This standards- and evidence-based process serves two broad aims: accountability and continuous improvement. The AAQEP model is also designed to honor local context and foster innovation and collaboration among institutions. AAQEP currently has members in 30 states and other jurisdictions with over 180 educator preparation providers participating in the accreditation system.

The AAQEP Commission evaluated the program’s evidence for each AAQEP standard and determined that all four standards are met. Completers of the program are prepared to work effectively as professional educators who are able to adapt to different contexts and to grow professionally. The School of Learning and Teaching maintains program quality by analyzing evidence of its effectiveness and making strategic revisions to benefit candidates, applying national standards through the lens of its institutional mission to implement a meaningful continuous improvement process. The program engages deeply with stakeholders and partners to strengthen the P-20 education system in communities across the Willamette Valley.

After reviewing the evidence collected through a process of self-study and peer review, the AAQEP Accreditation Commission awarded full 7-year accreditation (through June 30, 2029) to the educator licensure programs at Pacific University.

AAQEP EPP Annual Report - Academic Year 2023-2024

Annual Reports provide a regular opportunity for all AAQEP members to update their program data and for accredited members to show that program quality is being maintained or enhanced and that AAQEP standards continue to be met. In the process, Annual Reports also provide information on common indicators and transparency to stakeholders and the public.

The EPP Annual Report is available by clicking here.

Continuous Improvement Plan

It is important to us that we have a reliable sense of how effective our graduates are as teachers as well as how satisfied employers and our graduates are with our teacher preparation programs. In order for us to have a comprehensive understanding of effectiveness and satisfaction, we have designed a quality assurance system that surveys employers and our graduates, analyzes statewide student assessment data, and documents our graduates teaching in the field.

Continuous Improvement Instruments

The Employer/Completer Survey - The Employer/Completer survey asks our graduates how well they believe our program prepared them for their first year of teaching. The survey also asks superintendents and principals of schools that employ our graduates about their observations of our graduates' performance. The survey's objective is to help the School of Learning and Teaching determine how the program is effective at developing the essential knowledge and skills that teachers need to be successful. It also identifies areas where we can improve. The Employer/Completer survey is distributed annually.

The Employer/Completer survey asks superintendents and principals to rate our graduates using the inTASC standards as the measure for teacher effectiveness. Superintendents and principals rate our graduates in four main categories of preparation: learner and learning, content knowledge, professional responsibility, and instructional practice. Graduates are asked to rate their preparation on a 1 to 4 Likert scale with 1 meaning “Very Dissatisfied” and 4 meaning “Very Satisfied.”

P12 Student Performance on Statewide Achievement Tests - Beginning in 18-19, the Oregon Department of Education will be providing all teacher preparation programs with 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade achievement test data, disaggregated by teacher preparation program. This will enable us to track our our graduates for three years and provide one lens into how our program has contributed to their success in the classroom.

Case studies on Pacific University Teacher Effectiveness - In an effort to triangulate data from several sources, Pacific University is designing case studies to test the effectiveness of our graduates in their classrooms. Pacific intends to study p12 effectiveness in an Action Research paradigm by using a stratified random sample (program, level, content area) of our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year graduates to provide another lens onto how our program contributes to their success in the classroom. Our plan is to begin collecting this data in 18-19.

Annual Licensure Testing Pass Rates