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East Texas Baptist School of Education Receives Full Accreditation, Commendations from State Board

February 17, 2023

East Texas Baptist University School of Education received full accreditation and commendations from the State Board for Educator Certification (SEBC), announced Friday, February 10, 2023.

“East Texas Baptist University has long been known for excellence in educator preparation. The results of our accreditation are a reflection of many years of student-centered leadership and our current commitment to maintaining that level of excellence,” ETBU School of Education Dean Dr. Amber Daub said. “Over the past two years, the School of Education has increased attention to systems for collaborative curriculum development that ensure fidelity in our implementation of requirements set forth by the Texas Education Agency. We see in our daily work that the entire program has already begun to benefit from this work.”

ETBU School of Education is one of only 75 Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) in the State of Texas to be fully accredited.

Created in 1995 by the Texas Legislature, the SEBC is to recognize public school educators as professionals and grant educators the authority to govern the standards of their profession. The Board oversees all aspects of public school educators' preparation, certification, and standards of conduct.

For the first time in the history of the School of Education, ETBU received commendations in two of four categories.

ETBU was recognized for its first test pass rate in English Language Arts and Reading on the Accountability System for Educator Preparation (ASEP) annual performance standards. Through this excellence, ETBU received the “Rigorous and Robust Preparation” commendation. With numerous ETBU alumni employed in rural schools, the School of Education received the commendation for “Preparing the Educators Texas Needs.”

“ETBU's School of Education is as strong now as ever, and I am fully confident that our teacher candidates will go into their classrooms fully prepared to serve all students. Through rigorous coursework and relevant, quality field-based experiences, ETBU teachers are ready for the real-world challenges of today. We are excited about the bright future of the field of education that is clearly evident in the faces of the teachers we are preparing today,” Dr. Daub added.

Educator Preparation Program Commendations were adopted by the SEBC in October 2019 to better recognize Educator Preparation Programs throughout Texas that go above and beyond in preparing candidates for educator preparation.

For more information on Educator Preparation Programs, visit the Texas Education Agency. For more information about the ETBU School of Education, contact Dean Dr. Amber Daub at 903.923.2273 or adaub@etbu.edu.