By Melissa Scriven

University of Alaska Anchorage is now recommending students in the School of Education consider transferring to an accredited institution.

Though the Alaska State Board of Education has approved UAA’s programs for spring and summer 2019 graduates, they are being encouraged to immediately “transfer to a fully accredited and approved program that will allow them to remain on the UAA campus to complete their courses,” according to a Feb. 6 update on the UAASOE website. https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/school-of-education/

The National Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation revoked UAA School of Education’s accreditation on Jan. 11. The decision affected UAA alone; UAS and UAF are still accredited.

The state Department of Education and Early Development will recognize licenses for 2019 spring and summer graduates so they can teach in Alaska Schools, however, “it is difficult to predict all possible impacts of loss of CAEP accreditation and related issues on employability or reciprocity for teaching in other states,” according to the website.  

UAA seniors who transfer to UAF or UAS, while remaining on the UAA campus, will have deadlines and fees waived by the university, the website states.

Students not graduating this spring or summer are being advised to transfer to an accredited institution at the end of spring semester.

On Feb. 7, representatives from UAF and UAS education programs met with UAA students in person and via distance to answer questions.

If UAA students decide to transfer to another UA campus, the UAS education program could expect an influx of students for fall 2019.