Accreditation

Accreditation means that the College of Education (COE) meets the highest national standards for the preparation of teachers, administrators, and other professionals. Candidates who complete a State Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP) are eligible for licensure with the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB). COE programs are aligned with performance standards established by HTSB, the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC), and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

In June 2021, sixteen of the College of Education’s (COE) academic programs were awarded full national 7-year accreditation (through June 30, 2028) by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). AAQEP was founded by educators in 2017 to promote the preparation of effective educators in innovative, outcome-focused programs that engage education’s toughest challenges directly and in context. AAQEP’s comprehensive standards for educator preparation specify aspects of completer performance and program practice that identify effective programs and that qualify those programs for AAQEP accreditation. After reviewing the evidence collected through a process of self-study and peer review, the AAQEP Accreditation Commission issued the full accreditation decision at its June 25, 2021 meeting for the COE’s initial teacher licensure programs and advanced-level graduate programs in education and educational psychology. Full accreditation acknowledges that a program prepares effective educators who continue to grow as professionals and has demonstrated the commitment and capacity to maintain quality.

In addition, our Master of Science in Professional Athletic Training is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training (CAATE) through the 2030-21 academic year.

The COE was first awarded national accreditation in 2001 by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), with continuing national accreditation decisions in 2007/2009 and 2014.

The College earned the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) approval for our new EdD in Professional Educational Practice in 2012. Our COE programs that are not nationally accredited undergo university-led program review on a cyclical basis to ensure these programs maintain academic quality and engage in continuous improvement.

In addition, the College submits annual reports to the following:

• Hawaii Teacher Standards Board
• US News and World Report Best Graduate Schools Survey
• Title II Higher Education Opportunity Act

The following College of Education academic programs are nationally accredited:

The COE submits annual reports for our AAQEP accredited initial licensure and advanced programs. The most recent annual reports are available below:

• 2023 AAQEP Annual Report for UHM Initial Programs
• 2023 AAQEP Annual Report for UHM Advanced Programs

The Hawaiʻi Department of Education’s (HIDOE) Educator Effectiveness System (EES) measures the impact that College of Education graduates who are working as teachers in Hawaii public schools have on the learning of the students in their classrooms. The College examines the EES data on our recent graduates, when data is available from the HIDOE.  For academic year 2016-2017, 68% of our recent graduates with Student Learning Objectives (SLO) scores had an overall SLO rating of Highly Effective, and 32% had an overall SLO rating of Effective, very closely following the state trends.

Throughout each preservice preparation programs, the COE assesses teacher candidates’ knowledge, skills, dispositions, and effect on P-12 learning through a series of key assessments. These key assessments are included in our accreditation review to demonstrate how the programs and candidates meet national standards for accreditation.

For academic year 2016-2017, 99.4% of our recent graduates who had EES ratings (n=659) received an overall EES rating of “effective” or higher: 74.5% “effective” and 24.8% “highly effective.” A smaller proportion of our recent graduates were rated “highly effective” than the state overall: statewide EES Overall Rating of “highly effective” was 36%. It is important to note that the overall statewide EES ratings include veteran teachers with many years of experience; whereas our recent graduates have five or less years of experience (graduates from Fall 2012 to Summer 2017).

Indicators of teaching effectiveness are also measured in our preservice assessments.

• Mentor Teacher Ratings of Student Teachers
• Employment data from the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) as of March, 2020:
  • There are 926 COE graduates working as licensed teachers in the Hawaii Department of Education public and charter schools.
    • Teacher License Type of the 926 COE graduates:
      • Advanced: 1
      • Standard: 469
      • Provisional: 456

• Student Teacher Ratings of Program Effectiveness
• Master’s Student Ratings of Program Effectiveness

• COE Annual Productivity Data Report
  • Report includes student data on enrollment, program completion, and diversity

• Each year the U.S. Department of Education publishes cohort default rates based on the percentage of student borrowers who enter repayment on FFEL program loans during a federal fiscal year (October 1–September 30) and default before the end of the next fiscal year. The most current official cohort default rate average for the University of Hawaii at Manoa is 5.2 percent, while the national cohort default rate average is 10.8 percent. The percentage of students who borrow loans at UH Manoa is 37 percent
• Once completing an initial teacher licensure program, graduates are eligible to apply for a state license through the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board, which will allow the licensee to teach in public and charter schools in the State of Hawaii. Hawai’i also participates in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement which facilitates the mobility of educators among the states that are members of NASDTEC. UHM recommends you contact the office of certification in any state to which you may be relocating to get the most current information. See the NASDTEC website for more information.