Gathering Together and Giving Thanks | |
Mark LaCelle-Peterson, President & CEO
Last week I had the pleasure of participating in a national accreditors forum convened by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in Washington, DC, just as the House of Representatives was voting to end the government shutdown. Although plans for participation by staff from the U.S. Department of Education and from the House and Senate education committees did not come to fruition (thanks to the shutdown), the meeting was an inspiring conclusion to the fall conference season.
It was affirming to hear CHEA Senior VP Jan Friis’ analysis of the current administration’s stance on accreditation. Jan is the most insightful analyst on these matters practicing today, and his views matched mine: While the administration has signaled big plans for accreditation, it has yet to deliver any details, and we’re eagerly awaiting the next meeting of NACIQI (the Department’s committee that recognizes accreditors) in December to see what cards get played, particularly how they address the re-recognition of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
In the meantime, the administration has announced $7 million in Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE) grants to reform accreditation, half of it to support institutions that are changing accreditors and half to support new entrants in the institutional accreditation space. This is a modest investment and presages support for efforts that are already in motion. We’ll continue to keep an eye on developments.
My biggest takeaway from the gathering of accreditors, however, is gratitude for the community’s clear commitment to working together to promote academic achievement and equitable outcomes for every student. I am thankful for this good work, getting done across the country and across specialized fields, and for the good work that AAQEP members are doing both in local communities and in broader collaboration.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
P.S. On a personal note, many of you will have seen the announcement in email or on our website: I’ll be stepping down as AAQEP’s President and CEO at the end of next summer. I am looking forward to spending more time reading and cooking, and even more to welcoming a new leader for AAQEP’s work. See below for information on the search!
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Position Announcement: AAQEP President/CEO
The AAQEP Board of Directors invites applications for the position of AAQEP President and Chief Executive Officer in anticipation of Mark LaCelle-Peterson’s planned retirement in September 2026.
AAQEP is seeking a strategic and innovative leader to guide the organization’s professional collegial community. This opportunity to lead an educator preparation accreditation organization involves maintaining high-quality accreditation expectations along with continuous improvement for participating institutions. Candidates should have extensive experience with AAQEP accreditation.
Review of applications begins December 1 and will continue until the position is filled.
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Congratulations to Accepted Symposium Presenters
Jennifer Hsu, Event Planner
This fall, the AAQEP Events Committee completed peer review of session proposals for the 2026 Quality Assurance Symposium in Irving, TX. Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals, and congratulations to the presenters of the accepted sessions and roundtables:
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Jimmy Adams
Buddy Alberson
Elizabeth Allison
Derek Anderson
Gina Anderson
Abbey Baird
Natalie Bolton
Shemeka Brathwaite
Stacie Brensilver Berman
Jeff Briske
Terri Brodeur
Stacey Brown-Hobbs
Jennifer Brown
Justin Burleson
Jen Buttars
Amanda Casto
Jeff Choppin
Kristin Conrad
Lance Cox
Joanna Crowell-Dreiling
Julienne Cuccio Slichko
Andrea Cutt
Charity Dacey
Olga DeJesus-Diaz
Jeanne DelColle
Kathy Dewsbury-White
Andria Disney
Neelie Dobbins
Sunny Duerr
Francesca Durand
Christina Ellis
Dave Ferrier
Brenda Fischer
Liana Fornarotto
Nicole Frederick
Josh Fyman
Tyler Garcia
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Lindy Gaudiano
Toni Giddens
Amy Ginsberg
Lynze Greathouse
Christine Green
Carrie Griffith
Karla Hagan
Jeremy Hayden
Danica Hays
Saurra Heide
Cassie Huckstep-Spangler
Steven Johnson
Mia Kang
Kate Kelly
Laura Kennedy
Kelsey Kling
Rosemary Knab
Stacy Knoop
Susan Koff
Alicia Kozimor
Nelly Lejter Morales
Yiran Li
Kristen Love
Lynn Lubecki
Joe Lubig
Tracey Lucas
Reino Makkonen
Elda Martinez
Michael Mary
Lisa McLachlan
Marilyn Meyers
Lynnette Michalski
Louise Moulding
Katie Newhouse
Athena Novack
Sarah Olbrantz
Natalia Ortiz
Michelle Page
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Jamar Pickreign
Carrie Pottinger
Kendra Ray
Kristin Re
Margaret Renn
Marla Robertson
Katrina Roseler
Rhet Rowley
Krista Ruggles
Erica Saldívar García
Jay Schroder
Ahmed Shahzad
Deb Shea
Jamie Simpson Steele
Jennifer Snow
Joe Spalding
Kate Spence
Denise Staudt
Kristina Sterling
Erica Stolte
Adam Tanare
Ashley Taylor Jaffee
Sherri Theaker
Megan Thompson
Malynda Tolbert
Efleda Tolentino
Katy Turpen
Joanna Beth Tweedy
Kenneth Varner
Ellen Vorenkamp
Terri Ward
David Wells
Jahnette Wilson
Nicole Wise
Christina Wright Fields
Trina Lynn Yearwood
Osnat Zaken
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Thanks to the Events Committee for devoting their time and expertise to reviewing proposals!
Want to join us in Texas? We’d love to have you! Visit aaqep.org/symposium for registration and hotel information.
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The 2025 edition of the Guide to AAQEP Accreditation is now available! Each AAQEP primary contact will receive a printed copy by mail in a few weeks, but you can download the digital version from our website right now.
This Guide presents new material that has been introduced since the prior edition—including the initial accreditation pathway, the Accreditation Management Platform, and most significantly, the new standards, aspects, and descriptors of the 2025 expectations framework. Detailed guidance, templates, and other supporting materials are available on our member resource webpages.
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Online Workshop December 3 & 4
Ensuring Data Quality and Equity
Better-quality measures in your assessment system generate better-quality decisions, and building shared professional judgment of candidates’ performance with stakeholders can lead to both deeper partnerships and better data.
This online workshop will help you ensure the validity and reliability of quantitative measures, the trustworthiness of qualitative evidence, and the fairness and freedom from bias of your entire data set.
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Please give a warm welcome to AAQEP’s newest EPP members:
- Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Education and the Peabody Institute (MD)
- Professional Innovators in Education (MI)
Visit our website for a searchable directory of all AAQEP members.
| | | Meet the Membership Committee | | | |
Linda McKee, Chief Operations Officer
I’m delighted to announce the formation of a new AAQEP program committee to help promote the value of AAQEP national accreditation through member and partner outreach. This new Membership Committee will share and support the mission and vision of AAQEP with programmatic, institutional, and national leaders in educator preparation.
Please welcome this committee’s members for 2025-26:
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Cochair: Brenda Fischer, College of St. Scholastica (MN)
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Cochair: Barbara Lucas, Westfield State University (MA)
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David Alban, Ferris State University (MI)
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Stacey Brown-Hobbs, Mount St. Mary's University (MD)
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Sunny Duerr, SUNY New Paltz
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Lynn Hammonds, National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification / Professional Educator Standards Board Association
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Sharmila Mann, Indigo Wave Consulting
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Christopher Reese, University of Kentucky
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Denise Staudt, University of the Incarnate Word (TX)
| | | Site Visits and Logistics | |
Sara Hiller, Director of Accreditation Services
Here’s a quick overview of the status of active AAQEP accreditation cycles.
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Fall 2025: Fall reviews are almost complete, and accreditation decision meetings began last week. A special thank you to our reviewers who make this all possible!
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Spring 2026: Logistics calls are underway, and I will reach out soon to schedule remaining calls. Friendly reminder, your self-studies and local practitioner nominations are due at least 6 months before your scheduled visit date. To prepare for your submission, please watch this video.
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Fall 2026: Site visit scheduling has started for next fall. If you have not yet filled out the site visit dates and self-study information form, please do so as soon as possible.
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Spring 2027: I will be reaching out early next semester to schedule your site visits.
| Visit our Member Resources web pages for guidance documents, templates, and other support for all stages of your quality assurance review, or contact me at s.hiller@aaqep.org with any questions. | | | |
REMINDER: Annual Updates & Annual Reports Due Dec. 31
2025 Annual Updates (for all regular members) and Annual Reports (for members accredited prior to January 2025) are due by year’s end. Report FAQs, templates, and guidance are posted at aaqep.org/annual-reports.
Questions? Contact Sungti Hsu
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AAQEP Partner Webinar
Components of an Equitable Assessment System for Student Learning
January 22, 2026, 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST
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Join this webinar with leaders from the Michigan Assessment Consortium (MAC) to support the preparation of educators who understand the importance of an equitable assessment system—i.e., one that supports learning with ambitious outcomes for all students through the use of a balanced, bias-free approach to assessment that honors the unique strengths, talents, and identities of all students. Presenters will walk through the comprehensive guidance in MAC’s Components of an Equitable Assessment System document and share a survey tool designed to obtain student and teacher perspectives about the presence of these necessary components in K-12 settings.
Presenters:
- Kathy Dewsbury-White, President and CEO, MAC
- Ellen Vorenkamp, Professional Learning Director, MAC
- Ed Roeber, Director of Assessment, MAC
- Steven Snead, Supervisor of Curriculum and Assessment for Oakland Schools (MI)
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Making the Case for Reaccreditation:
Leveraging Learning Throughout the Accreditation Term
January 14-15 in Honolulu
Join other AAQEP-accredited programs for a brand-new seminar hosted by our members in Hawai`i! In 2 days of in-person workshops facilitated by AAQEP’s Christine DeGregory and Karen Lowenstein, you’ll reflect on the successes and challenges of your quality assurance work, discuss ongoing improvement efforts over the 7-year accreditation cycle, and map out processes and actions en route to your next AAQEP self-study.
| | | Linda McKee (right) presented at the fall meeting of the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities in Las Vegas, where Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy and Kevin Kumashiro were keynote speakers. | Karin Sprow Forte and Linda Rhen of Penn State Harrisburg presented a session with Christine DeGregory at the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators annual assembly. | Several AAQEP staff members traveled to Orlando, FL, to celebrate Sara Hiller’s wedding. | | Sungti Hsu (left) met with John Carroll University’s new education dean, Laurie Rodgers, at the Ohio Confederation of Teacher Education Organizations fall conference in Dublin, OH. | Mark LaCelle-Peterson (left) and AAQEP Board of Directors member Jacob Easley II of Touro University participated in the fall conference of the New York State Association of Teacher Educators and New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in Saratoga Springs, NY. | | |
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