Accreditation
The University of West Florida School of Education continues to be recognized as a highly effective educator preparation unit producing caring, competent, and qualified educators.
Through the School of Education programs, candidates acquire KNOWLEDGE in their coursework, refine pedagogical techniques through ACTION, and demonstrate LEADERSHIP skills in their educational environment. School of Education graduates make a difference!
The School of Education is a member of the UWF Professional Education Unit. The Unit includes educator preparation programs from the School of Education (TeacherReady®), Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering (Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics), Usha Kundu, MD College of Health (Department of Movement Sciences and Health), and College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (Dr. Grier Williams School of Music).

Professional Education Unit Accreditation
The Professional Education Unit at the University of West Florida is accredited based on the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) through Spring 2025. CAEP is the only CHEA recognized national accreditor for educator preparation. This accreditation covers initial teacher certification preparation programs (traditional and alternative) and advanced educator certification preparation programs at the Pensacola and online campuses. However, the accreditation does not include individual education courses that the institution offers to P-12 educators for professional development, relicensure, or other purposes.
The Professional Education Unit includes the following programs:
- Elementary Education, B.A.
- Exceptional Student/Elementary Education, B.A.
- Educational Leadership, M.Ed.
- Physical Education Teacher Education, B.S.
- Reading Education, M.Ed.
- TeacherReady
- UWF-Teach
UWF Educator Preparation Programs Approved by the Florida DOE
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
CAEP is the only national accreditor for educator preparation recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
Vision: Excellence in educator preparation accreditation.
Mission: CAEP advances equity and excellence in educator preparation through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P-12 student learning.
Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement.
CAEP contact information:
1140 19th St NW, Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202) 223-0077
University of West Florida Institutional Accreditation
CAEP Accountability Measures
UWF teacher education programs understand the importance of regularly monitoring and analyzing data trends for the accountability measures and to share these measures with not only our stakeholders, but also the public.
Please view Accountability Measures 1 - 4 on the CAEP Accountability Measures Tableau Report. Once the Tableau report is open, click on each measure/tab to view information supporting that respective measure.
Please view the following PDF files for additional information in support of Accountability Measures 1, 2 and 4:
- Measure 1: Completer Impact and Effectiveness by Program (PDF)
- Measure 1: Statewide VAM Scores by Program (PDF)
- Measure 2: EDL Employer Survey (PDF)
- Measure 2: Initial Programs Employer Survey (PDF)
- Measure 2: REA Employer Survey (PDF)
- Measure 4: Placement Rate Analysis (PDF)
Supporting Documentation
The Professional Education Unit (Unit) monitors candidate performance throughout a student’s program and following program completion. Assessing candidate performance enables the Unit to identify practices we are doing well and areas that can be improved upon. A continuous improvement model guides the Unit’s review, assessment, and accreditation processes. Examples of candidate performance data include student Florida Teacher Certification Examinations scores, candidate Grade Point Averages, candidate and completer impact in P-12 settings, performance on the Uniform Core Curricula, and employer surveys. See links below for examples of Unit candidate performance data analyses and reports.