Higher Education Accreditation
Kansas ensures that all new teachers are well-prepared through a strict education program accreditation approval process.
Approved Teacher Education Programs
Colleges and universities with teacher education programs must get approval from the Kansas State Board of Education. The Kansas State Board of Education has the authority, under the Kansas Constitution (Article 6, Section 2(a)), to authorize and oversee these programs.
Once a program is approved:
- Every graduate from that program is eligible for a Kansas teaching license.
- This applies to all grade levels elementary, middle, and high school.
- Graduates must still meet any state regulatory requirements (like passing exams or completing student teaching).
What Approval Ensures:
- Higher Standards – Programs must prove they equip future teachers with the knowledge and skills Kansas students need.
- License Readiness – Graduates aren’t just eligible—they’re ready to meet all Kansas teaching standards.
- Consistency – Teachers across the state receive the same high-quality preparation, regardless of where they were trained.
This approach gives schools confidence in their teachers and ensures that all students in Kansas receive education from certified professionals trained to meet state standards.
KSDE Higher Education Accreditation is quality assurance through external peer review. When an institution is accredited, it has demonstrated that it meets standards set by the Kansas State Board of Education (KSBE) representing the academic community, professionals, and other stakeholders.
Accreditation makes sure that educator programs prepare new teachers to know their subjects, their students, and have the clinical training that allows them to enter the classroom ready to teach effectively
KSDE has a partnership with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This partnership is used in the accreditation of all Kansas approved educator preparation programs.
All approved educator preparation programs must be accredited by KSBE and have the option to also be accredited by CAEP.
The Kansas State Department of Education has adopted the CAEP standards as the state standards for educator preparation provider accreditation. Educator preparation providers (EPPs) are encouraged to consult the CAEP resources for preparing and hosting an accreditation visit, as well as the Kansas-CAEP agreement (available on the KSDE and CAEP websites and as Appendix O), which details negotiated Kansas-specific modifications to the CAEP accreditation process.
These modifications include:
- The use of Kansas regulations and standards in cases of a conflict between current Kansas regulations and standards and CAEP standards.
- Required state program review by trained state evaluators eighteen months prior to an onsite accreditation visit.
- Joint KSDE/CAEP visit teams with joint leadership by CAEP and state co-leads.
- Initial and full visits of up to four days and focused visits of up to three days.
or - At the institution’s preference, using the regular CAEP visit schedule.
