(a)Approval to Operate. A public institution of higher education must provide documentation to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) of approval to operate in Texas prior to submitting a proposal to offer an educator preparation and/or alternative certification program. (b)[(a)] New Entity Approval. An entity [Entities] seeking initial approval to deliver an educator preparation program shall submit an application and [a] proposal [in accordance with guidelines established by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff,] with evidence indicating the ability to comply with the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 227 of this title (relating to Provisions for Educator Preparation Candidates [ Students]). The proposal shall include the following program approval components: entity commitment to adequate preparation of certification candidates, program standards, and community collaboration; criteria for admission to an educator preparation program; curriculum; program delivery and evaluation; and a plan for ongoing support of the candidates. The proposal must also identify the certificates proposed to be offered by the entity and meet applicable federal statutes or regulations. The proposal will be reviewed [under procedures approved] by the TEA staff and a pre-approval site visit will be conducted. [, and the] The TEA staff shall recommend to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) whether the entity should be approved [or denied accreditation pursuant to §229.3(c) of this title (relating to The Accreditation Process)]. (c)[(b)] Continuing Entity Approval. An entity [Entities] approved by the SBEC under this chapter prior to September 1, 2008, shall be reviewed at least once every five years under procedures approved by the TEA staff; however, a review may be conducted at any time at the discretion of the TEA staff. At the time of the review, the entity shall submit to the SBEC a status report regarding its compliance with existing standards for educator preparation programs and the entity's original proposal. An entity approved by the SBEC under this chapter after August 31, 2008, shall be approved for a term of ten years and must reapply every ten years thereafter for approval by the SBEC in the same manner as a new educator preparation program seeking approval. [ Entities accredited under a Texas State Partnership Agreement with a national accrediting body shall be considered to have met the cyclical review requirements, unless the TEA staff determines that a review is appropriate.] (d)Approval of Clinical Teaching for an Alternative Certification Program. An alternative certification program seeking approval to implement a clinical teaching component shall submit a description of the following elements of the program for approval by the TEA staff: (1)general clinical teaching program description, including conditions under which clinical teaching may be implemented; (2)selection criteria for clinical teachers; (3)selection criteria for mentor teachers; (4)description of support and communication between candidates, mentors, and the alternative certification program; (5)description of program supervision; and (6)description of how candidates are evaluated. (e)[(c)] Addition of Certificate Fields. (1)An educator preparation program that is rated "accredited," as provided in §229.3 of this title (relating to The Accreditation Process), [Preparation programs which are fully accredited] may request additional certificate fields be approved by TEA staff, by submitting [appropriate documentation to meet] the curriculum matrix; a description of how the standards for Texas educators are incorporated into the educator preparation program; and documentation showing that the program has the staff knowledge and expertise to support individuals participating in each certification field being requested [and staff support criteria established by the TEA staff]. The curriculum matrix must include the standards, framework competencies, applicable Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, course and/or module names, and the benchmarks or assessments used to measure successful program progress. An educator preparation program rated "accredited," as provided in §229.3 of this title, and currently approved to offer a content area certificate for which the SBEC is changing the grade level of the certificate may request to offer the preapproved content field at different grade levels by submitting a modified curriculum matrix that includes the standards, course and/or module names, and the benchmarks or assessments used to measure successful program progress. The requested additional certificate fields must be within the classes of certificates for which the educator preparation program has [ entities have] been previously approved by the SBEC. An educator preparation program that is not rated "accredited" may not apply to offer additional certificate fields or classes of certificates. (2)An educator preparation program that is rated "accredited" [Preparation programs which are fully accredited] may request the addition of certificate fields in a class of certificates that has not been previously approved by the SBEC, but[. Under guidelines established by the TEA staff, the entity] must present a full proposal for consideration and approval by the SBEC. [(3)For purposes of this section, "TEA staff" means staff of the Texas Education Agency assigned by the commissioner of education to perform the SBEC's administrative functions and services.] (f)Addition of Program Locations. An educator preparation program that proposes to provide educator preparation in a different geographic location from that contained in its approved proposal shall present a new proposal for consideration and approval by the SBEC that includes provisions for meeting all program requirements at the new location. (g)[(d)] Contingency of Approval. Approval of all educator preparation programs by the SBEC or by the TEA staff, including each specific certificate field, is contingent upon approval by other lawfully established governing bodies, such as the THECB [Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board], boards of regents, or school district boards of trustees. Continuing educator preparation program approval is contingent upon compliance with superseding state and [or] federal law [or both]. [(e)Denial of Approval. Entities that fail to meet the requirements of this chapter; Chapter 227 of this title; or Chapter 229 of this title (relating to Accountability System for Educator Preparation), will not be approved to deliver educator preparation.]
This agency hereby certifies that the proposal has
been reviewed by legal counsel and found to be within the agency's
legal authority to adopt.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on August 11, 2008
TRD-200804279 Karen Loonam
Deputy Associate Commissioner, Educator Certification and Standards,
Texas Education Agency
State Board for Educator Certification
Earliest possible date of adoption: September 21, 2008
For further information, please call: (512) 475-1497
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