The Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE), founded in 1995, is dedicated to improving academic degree and certificate programs for Montessori professional educators who teach and lead in schools at the Infant and Toddler through Secondary II levels and to assure the public of their quality.
MACTE accredits certification programs based on (1) the evidence they have that they prepare competent, caring, and qualified professional Montessori educators and (2) the capacity to monitor and improve their program’s quality. MACTE believes the accreditation process is the soundest way to assure the public about the quality of the Montessori teacher education programs. The Montessori teacher education program (not the college, school, department, or other administrative unit of the institution) receives MACTE accreditation.
MACTE’s approach to accreditation helps programs improve and be accountable for their quality. MACTE’s accreditation process starts with the evidence (quantitative and/or qualitative) the faculty truly relies on to convince itself that the graduates are competent beginning Montessori professionals. The program writes a scholarly monograph, called a Self-Study, which makes the case that the claims the program makes about its graduates are warranted. MACTE’s on-site visit verifies that the evidence cited in the Self-Study is accurate and trustworthy.
All accredited programs must be members of an organization, consortium, or group of independent institutions. These MACTE Recognized Organizations (MROs) include:
- American Montessori Society (AMS)
- Association Montessori International (AMI)
- Association Montessori International – USA (AMI-USA)
- Christian Montessori Fellowship (CMF)
- Independents not in a Consortium (IND)
- International Association of Progressive Montessori (IAPM)
- International Montessori Council (IMC)
- Montessori Australia (MA)
- Montessori Educational Programs International (MEPI)
- Montessori Institute of America (MIA)
- The Pan American Montessori Society (PAMS)
MACTE’s constituency represents a broad range of educational institutions and is not limited to programs/institutions operating within the United States. Licensure programs offered by non-higher education organizations, which satisfy MACTE’s requirements, may be accredited by MACTE as well as programs conducted via distance learning.
MACTE is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors and is recognized by the United States Department of Education. MACTE is one of three teacher education accreditors, the others being the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).