The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) was a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 1954 and was recognized as an accreditor by the U.S. Department of Education. On July 1, 2013, NCATE merged with the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), which was also a recognized accreditor of teacher-preparation programs, to form the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).