Texas Register

TITLE 19 EDUCATION
PART 7STATE BOARD FOR EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION
CHAPTER 228REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS
RULE §228.10Approval Process
ISSUE 06/06/2014
ACTION Proposed
Preamble No Rule Available

[(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.]

(a) [(b)] New Entity Approval. An entity seeking initial approval to deliver an educator preparation program (EPP) shall submit an application and proposal 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). 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 EPP [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 by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) [TEA ] staff and a pre-approval site visit will be conducted. The TEA staff shall recommend to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) whether the entity should be approved.

(b) [(c)] Continuing Entity Approval. An entity 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 EPPs [ 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.]

[(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.]

(c) [(e)] Addition of Certificate Fields.

  (1)An EPP [educator preparation program] that is rated "accredited," as provided in §229.4 [§229.3 ] of this title (relating to Determination of Accreditation Status [The Accreditation Process]), may request additional certificate fields be approved by TEA staff, by submitting the curriculum matrix; a description of how the standards for Texas educators are incorporated into the EPP [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. 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 EPP [educator preparation program] rated "accredited," as provided in §229.4 [§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 EPP [educator preparation program] has been previously approved by the SBEC. An EPP [educator preparation program] that is not rated "accredited" may not apply to offer additional certificate fields or classes of certificates.

  (2)An EPP [educator preparation program] that is rated "accredited" may request the addition of certificate fields in a class of certificates that has not been previously approved by the SBEC, but must present a full proposal for consideration and approval by the SBEC.

(d)Addition of Program Locations. An EPP that is rated "accredited," as provided in §229.4 of this title, may open additional locations, provided the program informs the SBEC of any additional locations at which the program is providing educator preparation 60 days prior to providing educator preparation at the location. Additional program locations must operate in accordance with the program components under which the program has been approved to operate.

[(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. The educator preparation program will be notified in writing of its proposal approval or denial within 60 days following a determination by the SBEC. If an educator preparation program has already added additional locations or is already providing educator preparation in locations different from that contained in its original approved proposal as of January 1, 2009, the additional locations are not required to be presented to or approved by the SBEC. However, the educator preparation program shall inform the SBEC of the existence of the additional locations at which the program is providing educator preparation within 60 days of the adoption of this subsection.]

(e) [(g)] Contingency of Approval. Approval of an EPP [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 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board [THECB], boards of regents, or school district boards of trustees. Continuing EPP [educator preparation program] approval is contingent upon compliance with superseding state and federal law.

The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed the proposal and found it to be within the state agency's legal authority to adopt.

Filed with the Office of the Secretary of State on May 23, 2014

TRD-201402442

Cristina De La Fuente-Valadez

Director, Rulemaking, Texas Education Agency

State Board for Educator Certification

Earliest possible date of adoption: July 6, 2014

For further information, please call: (512) 475-1497



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