Current through September 24, 2024
(1) In
order to maintain full state approval, EPPs shall participate in a
comprehensive review every seven (7) years. EPPs may elect to pursue ongoing
full state approval through a state-managed comprehensive review or a
comprehensive review managed by an educator preparation accrediting agency
recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the
State Board.
(2) Each comprehensive
review, either state-managed or managed by an educator preparation accrediting
agency recognized by CHEA and the State Board, shall include, at a minimum, the
following components:
(a) Prior to an EPP's
comprehensive review, the Department shall evaluate data from the EPP's three
(3) most recent annual reports.
(b)
EPPs shall submit evidence demonstrating alignment to the educator preparation
provider standards, the professional education standards, all applicable
literacy standards, and all applicable specialty area standards approved by the
State Board.
(c) A trained
comprehensive review team shall be appointed for each EPP undergoing
comprehensive review and shall be responsible for, at a minimum:
1. Reviewing all required evidence submitted
by the EPP that demonstrates high quality implementation of:
(i) Content and pedagogical
knowledge;
(ii) Clinical
partnerships and practice;
(iii)
Candidate quality, recruitment, and selectivity;
(iv) Program impact; and
(v) Provider quality assurance and continuous
improvement;
2. Reviewing
annual report data for the EPP from the applicable review cycle;
3. Conducting an on-site visit; and
4. Recommending an approval status to the
Department.
(d) An
Advisory Committee on Educator Preparation (ACEP) shall be appointed to review
the recommendation of the review team and shall provide a preliminary
recommendation for approval status to the Department.
(3) Following each comprehensive review, the
Department shall recommend to the State Board one (1) of the following:
(a) Full approval. The EPP meets expectations
on one (1) of the following statuses and may recommend candidates for
licensure:
1. Full approval, exemplary status.
The EPP exceeds expectations on a majority of the standards and meets
expectations on all other standards and components.
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 must 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, then 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 conditional approval for at least three (3) years from the
date of denial.
(4) The
Department shall manage an interim review process for EPPs or individual SAPs
that have been identified as performing below expectations on the annual report
for a minimum of two (2) consecutive years at any point. The Department may
manage an interim review process for EPPs with initial approval that perform
below expectations as reported on the annual report at any point during the
initial approval period. Following an interim review, the Department may make a
recommendation for approval status change, including denial of approval, to the
State Board.
(5) The Department
shall manage a focused review process for EPPs or individual SAPs that receive
probationary approval based on the comprehensive review. The Department shall
appoint a review team responsible for reviewing the EPP's progress on
implementation of the required improvement plan. As a result of a focused
review, the Department may make an approval status change recommendation,
including denial of approval, to the State Board.
(6) If an EPP refuses to participate in any
required review, the Department may make a recommendation for approval status
change, including denial of approval, to the State Board.
(7) EPPs shall annually submit to the
Department the following:
(a) Any substantial
changes to the approved EPP or SAP(s), including changes to accreditation
status, parent organization, primary partnerships, the requirements for
selection, structure of the program of study, clinical requirements, or
candidate assessment systems;
(b)
Contact information, including primary contact information and verification of
the designated head of the EPP and approved certification or licensure
officers; and
(c) Progress reports
addressing any stipulations, including all required focused or interim reviews,
identified in the most recent comprehensive review, if applicable.
(8) Each EPP shall annually verify
or submit all information identified by the Department for inclusion in an
annual report. Annual reports provide evidence of performance of the provider
and SAP or clusters of SAPs and shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(a) Metrics related to recruitment and
selection of candidates, such as selectivity characteristics;
(b) Goals related to the recruitment and
program retention of candidates from underrepresented demographics including
race, ethnicity, and sex;
(c)
Information on completer and job-embedded candidate employment in qualifying
positions in Tennessee public schools;
(d) Completer and job-embedded candidate
retention in Tennessee public schools following initial employment;
(e) Results from a program completer
satisfaction survey;
(f) Results
from an employer satisfaction survey administered to all primary partner LEAs
and/or CMOs and any LEA or CMO employing more than twenty-five percent (25%) of
the program completer cohort;
(g)
Completer outcomes including, but not limited to, program completion rates and
pass rates on required licensure assessments;
(h) Job-embedded candidate outcomes, if
applicable, including but not limited to pass rates on required licensure
assessments; and
(i) Completer and
job-embedded candidate impact as measured by components of an approved
Tennessee educator evaluation model including, but not limited to, overall
levels of effectiveness, observation scores, and individual growth
scores.
(9) EPPs with
approved instructional leader preparation programs shall annually verify or
submit all information identified by the Department for inclusion in the annual
report. The Department shall, at a minimum, include the following ILPP metrics
in the annual report:
(a) Metrics related to
recruitment and selection;
(b)
Information on employment and retention, including the percentage of completers
employed in a qualifying instructional leadership position and the percentage
of completers retained in a qualifying instructional leadership position after
initial employment as a leader;
(c)
Results from a program completer satisfaction survey;
(d) Results from an employer satisfaction
survey administered to all primary partner LEAs and/or CMOs;
(e) Completer outcomes including, but not
limited to, program completion rates and pass rates on required licensure
assessments; and
(f) Completer
impact as measured by components of an approved Tennessee educator evaluation
model.
Authority: T.C.A. §§
49-1-302,
49-5-101,
49-5-108, and
49-5-5619 and Public Chapter No.
535 - Education Improvement Act.
