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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, Chapter 227 of this title
(relating to Provisions for Educator Preparation Candidates), Chapter
229 of this title (relating to Accountability System for Educator
Preparation Programs), and Chapter 230 of this title (relating to
Professional Educator Preparation and Certification). 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. A post-approval site visit will be conducted after the
first year of the EPP's operation.
(1)The proposal shall include the following program
approval components:
(A)ownership and governance of the EPP;
(B)criteria for admission to the EPP;
(C)EPP curriculum;
(D)EPP coursework and/or training, including ongoing
support during clinical teaching, internship, and practicum experiences;
(E)certification procedures;
(F)assessment and evaluation of candidates for certification
and EPP improvement;
(G)professional conduct of EPP staff and candidates;
(H)EPP complaint procedures; and
(I)required submissions of information, surveys, and
other accountability data.
(2)The proposal shall also include identification
of the classes and categories of certificates proposed to be offered
by the entity.
(b)Continuing entity approval. An entity approved
by the SBEC under this chapter shall be reviewed at least once every
five years; however, a review may be conducted at any time at the
discretion of the TEA staff.
(1)At the time of the review, the entity shall submit
to the TEA staff a status report regarding its compliance with existing
standards and requirements for EPPs. An EPP is responsible for establishing
procedures and practices sufficient to ensure the security of information
against unauthorized or accidental access, disclosure, modification,
destruction, or misuse prior to the expiration of the retention period.
Evidence of compliance is described in the figure provided in this
paragraph.
Attached Graphic
(2)Unless specified otherwise, the entity must retain
evidence of compliance described in the figure in paragraph (1) of
this subsection for a period of five years.
(3)TEA staff shall, at the minimum, use the following
risk factors to determine the need for discretionary reviews and the
type of five-year reviews:
(A)a history of the program's compliance with state
law and board rules, standards, and procedures, with consideration
given to:
(i)the seriousness of any violation of a rule, standard,
or procedure;
(ii)whether the violation resulted in an action being
taken against the program;
(iii)whether the violation was promptly remedied by
the program;
(iv)the number of alleged violations; and
(v)any other matter considered to be appropriate in
evaluating the program's compliance history;
(B)whether the program meets the accountability standards
under Texas Education Code, §21.045; and
(C)whether a program is accredited by other organizations.
(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 on an application in a form developed by the TEA
staff that shall include, at a minimum:
(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 cooperating teachers;
(4)description of support and communication between
candidates, cooperating teachers, and the alternative certification
program;
(5)description of program supervision; and
(6)description of how candidates are evaluated.
(d)Addition of certificate categories and classes.
(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 categories
be approved by TEA staff, by submitting an application in a form developed
by the TEA staff that shall include, at a minimum, 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 category 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.
(2)An EPP rated "accredited " and currently
approved to offer a certificate for which the SBEC is changing the
grade level of the certificate may request to offer the preapproved
category at different grade levels by submitting an application in
a form developed by the TEA staff that shall include, at a minimum,
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 categories
must be within the classes of certificates for which the EPP has been
previously approved by the SBEC.
(3)An EPP that is not rated "accredited"
may not apply to offer additional certificate categories or classes
of certificates.
(4)An EPP that is rated "accredited" may
request the addition of a certificate class that has not been previously
approved by the SBEC, but must present a full proposal on an application
in a form developed by the TEA staff for consideration and approval
by the SBEC.
(e)Addition of program locations. An EPP that is rated "accredited,"
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, including each specific certificate class and category,
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 December 7, 2016
TRD-201606372 Cristina De La Fuente-Valadez
Director, Rulemaking, Texas Education
Agency
State Board for Educator Certification
Effective date: December 27, 2016
Proposal publication date: August 26, 2016
For further information, please call: (512) 475-1497
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