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(a)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; 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) 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)Continuing Entity Approval. An entity approved by the SBEC under this chapter 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 and the entity's original proposal. (c)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. (d)Addition of Certificate Fields. (1)An EPP that is rated "accredited," as provided in §229.4 of this title (relating to Determination of Accreditation Status), 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; 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 rated "accredited," as provided in §229.4 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 has been previously approved by the SBEC. An EPP that is not rated "accredited" may not apply to offer additional certificate fields or classes of certificates. (2)An EPP 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. (e)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)Contingency of Approval. Approval of an EPP 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, boards of regents, or school district boards of trustees. Continuing EPP approval is contingent upon compliance with superseding state and federal law.
The agency certifies that legal counsel has reviewed
the adoption and found it to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal
authority.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on October 7, 2014
TRD-201404677 Cristina De La Fuente-Valadez
Director, Rulemaking, Texas Education Agency
State Board for Educator Certification
Effective date: October 27, 2014
Proposal publication date: June 6, 2014
For further information, please call: (512) 475-1497
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