State board grants Morningside University conditional approval for teacher prep programs with scheduled progress updates

The State Board of Education granted conditional approval to Morningside University's teacher preparation and teacher intern programs, asking the university and the department to provide progress updates during the approval period.

Department reviewers led by Miriam Bridal described a multi-stage review including a desk review and on-site visit involving 22 experts, interviews, classroom visits and surveys. The review found many strengths: an established assessment system tied to national standards, coherent clinical experiences, improved governance and curricular adjustments. Reviewers also noted recurring, correlated concerns from prior visits, primarily around faculty oversight, alignment of faculty experience with assignments, and documentation of co-teaching and monitoring practices.

Representatives from Morningside assured the board the institution has made significant improvements (noting a 65% pass rate on the Foundations of Reading exam for the first cohort that took the revised literacy requirement). The department recommended conditional approval with a requirement that Morningside return with an implementation progress report prior to December 2026.

During discussion, board members emphasized the department's intention to monitor implementation before granting full approval and asked for interim updates. Brian (board member) and others said they were optimistic but wanted evidence of sustained implementation. The board approved a motion to conditionally accredit the programs through Dec. 2026 and require at least two progress updates (spring and fall) during the monitoring period; the motion passed.

The department will schedule monitoring and require documentation demonstrating that the planned governance and faculty oversight improvements have been implemented and sustained. The board plans to revisit Morningside's status before the December 2026 meeting, when full approval will be considered if corrective actions are met.