Publications & Forms

General Candidate Info

• Candidate Handbook
• Student Complaint Process
• Licensure Exams Requirements
• Licensure FAQ
• UNC Asheville Field Experience Hours
• Clinical Practice Handbook

Candidate Assessment

• Candidate Professional Dispositions Checklist (EDA)
• Assessment Tasks Flow Chart for Teacher Candidates
• edTPA Information and Resources
• Field Placement Evaluation Form
  (To be completed by Clinical Faculty)

Collaboration with P-12 School Districts

One of the main keys to the success of UNC Asheville’s teacher education program (EPP) is strong collaborative relationships with P-12 partners.  Formal collaborations between the EPP and area P-12 school districts were established in the early 1990s, and continue to thrive today under an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  Under the MOU, the EPP and its official P-12 partner school districts work together on teacher education initiatives which are of mutual interest.  EPP candidates complete field experiences and Clinical Practice exclusively in the official P-12 partner school districts.

The goals of the collaborative are to:

• Develop and maintain high quality, early, frequent, and focused field experiences and Clinical Practice in public schools for EPP candidates
• Collaborate on EPP planning, program development, and assessment
• Coordinate efforts to develop and retain quality teachers
• Provide mutually planned and implemented professional development opportunities for P-12 personnel and candidates.
• Increase communication and collaboration between the EPP and P-12 school districts

Mission and EPP Goals

The mission of the Department of Education is to prepare candidates for a North Carolina Standard Professional I Teaching license with a liberal arts foundation. The Department of Education prepares highly qualified teachers who will contribute to the teaching profession and who will positively impact students in the public school system. Our graduates are teachers who have broad perspectives, who think critically, reflectively and creatively; who are humane and committed to meeting the learning needs of all students; and who guide students using active inquiry to become effective and productive citizens in the 21st century.

Overarching Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) Goals

EPP Operations Goals

• Meet national standards for the EPP.
• Ensure the excellence of all licensure programs in the EPP.
• Respond to the needs of the regional and state-wide teaching community.

EPP Program Goals

• Meet the state and national standards relevant to the various programs.
• Meet the EPP Goals for candidates through the various programs.

EPP Candidate Goals

• Candidates demonstrate knowledge of the depth, breadth, and interdisciplinary connections inherent in the specialty area discipline studied.
• Candidates apply state and national standards, research-verified best practices, critical thinking, clear and thoughtful communication, creative expression, and honest open inquiry in designing, implementing, differentiation, assessing, and reflecting on effective pedagogy.
• Candidates demonstrate professional dispositions in varied educational settings with regard to a diversity of students and all members of the school community

Program Approval and Accreditation

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction State Program Approval and CAEP National Accreditation

All UNC Asheville teacher licensure programs are approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). The NCDPI implements the State’s public school laws and State Board of Education’s policies governing pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public education.

The UNC Asheville Department of Education (EPP) has been granted continuing national accreditation for the period from Spring 2021 to Spring 2028 by:

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
1140 19th St NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 223-0077

The state program approval and national accreditation cover the following initial teacher preparation programs, which were part of the state program and accreditation review in Fall 2020:

• Elementary Education (K-6)
• Middle Grades Language Arts (6-9)
• Middle Grades Social Studies (6-9)
• Middle Grades Mathematics (6-9)
• Middle Grades Science (6-9)
• Secondary English (9-12)
• Secondary Mathematics (9-12)
• Secondary Biology (9-12)
• Secondary Chemistry (9-12)
• Secondary Comprehensive Science (9-12)
• Secondary Earth Science (9-12)
• Secondary Physics (9-12)
• Secondary Social Studies (9-12)
• Art (K-12)
• Special Education: General Curriculum (K-12)

EPP faculty and staff members take pride in providing high quality teacher preparation programs, which is accomplished through an assessment system grounded in continuous improvement according to the EPP’s Mission and Goals. Numerous reporting and data measures generated by or about the EPP are analyzed to accomplish successful continuous improvement.

Four CAEP Accountability Measures shape the foundation of the EPP’s continuous improvement efforts.  Data and analyses related to these measures can be viewed by clicking the link below.

State Program Approval And Accreditation