What is an accreditation?

Ever notice how planes are always checked for safety before you fly? Just like airlines have high standards to keep you safe, colleges also work to meet certain requirements to help take your education to new heights.

When it comes time to take off, pilots follow a checklist to make sure that they’re ready to go — and colleges follow a checklist to make sure they’re teaching at the highest level. That means accreditation. You'll want to look for a school who aced their ‘test,’ so you can go to class knowing you’ll receive the best education.

What types of accreditations should I look for in an education degree?

Finding a school that’s got that A+ grade (aka a solid accreditation) is important for you to get that teaching certification from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). That’s because you’ll need to complete an Approved Educator Program to get your certification. Finishing your education bachelor’s degree from an accredited program (like Texas Wesleyan) can check that off your list.

What if I want to teach at a private school?

Private schools aren’t governed by the TEA, and don’t have to have any accreditations, licensing or approval through the state. Instead, many private schools opt to become accredited by another source, like The Texas Private School Accreditation Commission or the International Association for Learner Driven Schools (IALDS).

If you’re thinking about teaching at a private school in Texas, it’s good to know what you need to meet their requirements. Some private schools don’t require the Texas State Certification while others do. They are allowed to make their own standards, so check with the school to make sure you have everything you need to get into that classroom.

What other things do I need to look for in an education program?

Teachers must navigate a few tests to get certified. And once you’ve aced those certification exams, you can go from test-taker to test-maker.

Finding an approved education program with accreditation is important — but so is checking to see the program’s certification rate of teachers. This will tell you what percentage of students completing the program passed their certification exams. High certification rates means that the program is successfully prepping their students to go from learning in the classroom to teaching in one.

Texas Wesleyan’s School of Education has received recognition for its high first-test pass rate from the Texas State Board for Educator Certification. Certification candidates who took their first exams between September 2018 and August 2019 had a 95% pass rate. This means that almost all our students passed their certification exam the first time they took it.

With the approved accreditations and a high certification rate, Texas Wesleyan’s Smaller. Smarter. education programs set you up to not only nail that certification exam, but fly high in your career — in the classroom and beyond.