WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Dec. 4, 2019 — The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) recently announced that West Liberty University has received accreditation for its educator preparation programs.

“These institutions meet high standards so that their students receive an education that prepares them to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms after they graduate,” said CAEP President Dr. Christopher A. Koch. “Seeking CAEP Accreditation is a significant commitment on the part of an educator preparation provider.”

“We are pleased to have this accreditation for our students. It acts as a national seal of approval and gives students the security of knowing they are enrolled in a quality program as they earn their degrees,” said Dr. Cathy Monteroso, interim dean of the College of Education and Human Performance.

“I am grateful to Dr. Sarah Schimmel, our teacher education program director, for her attention to detail that made this possible,” she added.

Established as West Liberty Academy in 1837, the preparation of teachers was WLU’s original purpose. It was chartered as the West Liberty Normal School in 1870, was renamed West Liberty State Teachers College in 1931, and was accredited in 1937 by the American Association of Teachers Colleges.

As the institution grew, it became West Liberty State College and in 2009, it earned university status. This was the same year the first master’s degree program was begun, in education.

“West Liberty has long been known for its College of Education and we are proud of our faculty and I thank them all for their work. This accreditation shows that we continue to set the highest bar for our programs,” said Monteroso.

CAEP was created by the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council and CAEP is the sole nationally recognized accrediting body for educator preparation. It is intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation.

Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review on five standards, which are based on evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and that the provider’s educator staff has the capacity to create a culture of evidence and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.

WLU joins 58 other providers to receive accreditation this fall, bringing the total number to 281 CAEP-accredited providers from 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Teacher Preparation Standards – rigorous, nationally recognized standard — were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs.

For complete information on WLU’s College Education, please contact Monteroso at cmonteroso@westliberty.edu or call 304.336.8047.