(1)
Eligible organizations that wish to offer educator preparation programs in
Tennessee must complete a two (2)-step approval process:
(a) The entity must receive initial approval
by the State Board to begin serving as an EPP; and
(b) The EPP must undergo a comprehensive
review to achieve full state approval to continue serving as an EPP within five
(5) years of initial approval.
(2) Eligible organizations seeking initial
approval as an EPP in order to prepare and recommend candidates for licensure
shall participate in the initial approval process by submitting a proposal to
the Department that contains, at a minimum, the following information:
(a) Evidence that the entity has the capacity
to serve as an EPP and provide programs leading to licensure or
endorsement;
(b) Evidence for how
the EPP will address all applicable educator preparation standards approved by
the State Board, including:
1. Content and
pedagogical knowledge;
2. Clinical
partnerships and practice;
3.
Candidate quality, recruitment, and selectivity; and
4. Provider quality assurance and continuous
improvement.
(c)
Geographic area to be served and documentation of the engagement of at least
one (1) primary LEA or CMO partner;
(d) Plan for curriculum offerings including
delivery method and timeframe, clinical placements, and clinical supervision
plans;
(e) A proposal for each SAP
that, at a minimum, includes alignment to Tennessee academic standards,
candidate assessment, relevant clinical experience(s), the professional
education standards approved by the State Board, all applicable literacy
standards, and applicable specialty area standards approved by the State
Board;
(f) Evidence that the
faculty who teach courses or provide direct coaching to teacher or
instructional leader candidates possess sufficient knowledge, skills, training,
and expertise;
(g) A description of
admissions procedures, including the criteria which must be met in order for a
candidate to be fully admitted to the licensure program;
(h) Evidence of organizational and financial
stability;
(i) Applicable provider
characteristics, such as governance, control (private or public), regional
accreditation agency, and THEC authorization; and
(j) If the provider is currently operating or
has operated in Tennessee or any other state, data on program effectiveness,
including but not limited to, completer effectiveness, quality of district
partnerships, and performance on annual reports, if available.
(3) Proposals submitted for EPP
initial approval shall be reviewed by the Department. After review of the
proposal for initial approval, the Department shall recommend to the State
Board one (1) of the following:
(a) Initial
approval. If initial approval is awarded, providers may begin enrolling and
subsequently recommending candidates for licensure in approved specialty areas;
or
(b) Denial of initial approval.
If initial approval is denied, providers may not recommend candidates for
licensure or identify programs as leading to licensure. Providers may submit a
revised proposal for consideration during the next review period.
(4) EPPs shall not publicize
programs as leading to licensure prior to receiving initial approval.
(5) All EPPs that receive initial approval
shall submit annual report data to the Department.
(6) Initial approval shall expire upon an EPP
receiving full approval through the state-managed full-approval review or after
five (5) years, whichever occurs first. If an EPP with initial approval has not
received full approval within five (5) years, approval shall be revoked and the
EPP may no longer enroll or recommend candidates for licensure.
(7) An EPP may seek full approval after three
(3) years in operation under initial approval by requesting a state-managed
full-approval review.
(8) Upon
completion of the full-approval review, the Department shall recommend to the
State Board one (1) of the following:
(a) Full
approval. The EPP meets one (1) of the following statuses and may recommend
candidates for licensure:
1. Exemplary status.
The EPP exceeds expectations on a majority of the standards and meets
expectations on all other standards.
2. Full approval. The EPP meets expectations
on all standards.
3. Full approval,
minor stipulations. The EPP meets expectations on all standards, but falls
below expectations on one (1) or more components across multiple standards. The
EPP shall submit to the Department a plan for addressing the areas in need of
improvement within three (3) months of receiving full approval, minor
stipulations. The Department shall annually review the EPP's progress on the
submitted plan for improvement. If the EPP has adequately addressed the areas
in need of improvement the Department may recommend to the State Board removal
of the minor stipulations for the remainder of the approval period of the EPP.
If within a three (3)-year period the Department determines the areas in need
of improvement are not adequately addressed, the EPP may be required to
participate in an interim review.
(b) Probationary approval, major
stipulations. The EPP meets expectations on three (3) or more standards but
falls below expectation on one (1) or more standard(s). An EPP that is issued
probationary approval may recommend candidates for licensure but shall submit
to the Department an improvement plan for addressing the areas in need of
improvement within three (3) months of receiving probationary approval status
from the State Board. Each year, the EPP shall present evidence that the
provider is implementing the improvement plan and making progress toward
meeting expectations. The EPP shall also participate in a focused review within
three (3) years of receiving probationary approval from the State Board. The
EPP shall not submit SAP proposals for conditional approval until the
Department determines all deficiencies have been adequately addressed. The EPP
shall specifically report on the progress made in each area of deficiency on
their annual report for the three (3) years following the issuance of
probationary approval.
(c) Denial
of approval. The EPP falls below expectations on two (2) or more standards.
EPPs that are denied approval shall no longer enroll new candidates for
licensure and shall notify all current candidates of the denial of approval
status of its program. Denied EPPs may continue to serve candidates who can
complete the program by the end of the semester that falls twelve (12) months
after the date of the denial of approval. The EPP shall assist candidates who
are unable to complete the program within this period in transferring to
another degree program at the institution or to another approved EPP. The EPP
may not re-apply for initial approval for at least three (3) years from the
date of denial.
(9) The
State Board has final authority on all provider and program decisions related
to educator preparation.
