Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) To offer a
residency, an educator preparation program (EPP) shall provide the following
programmatic requirements for a candidate prior to issuing an enhanced standard
certificate as prescribed in §230.39 of this title (relating to Enhanced
Standard Certificates):
(1) the residency
must include a minimum of one full school year of clinical experience,
including the first and last instructional days with students, in a classroom
supervised by a host teacher in the classroom teacher assignment or assignments
that match the certification category or categories for which the candidate is
prepared by the EPP;
(2) the
residency clinical experience must meet a minimum of 750 hours in total, with a
minimum of 21 hours per week during a school week that does not include school
district or campus closures or disruptions (e.g., inclement weather, holidays).
In the event of a district or campus closure that results in the need for
reduced residency clinical experience hours during a given week, the program
must document the need for the reduced hours;
(3) the minimum may be reduced to no less
than 700 hours if the candidate is absent from the clinical assignment due to a
documented instance of parental leave, military leave, extended illness, or
bereavement; and
(4) the beginning
date of a residency clinical experience for the purpose of field supervision is
the first day of instruction with students in the school or district in which
the residency takes place.
(b) An EPP offering a residency shall ensure
that:
(1) residency candidates are assigned to
one distinct field site for the duration of the residency. EPPs may allow
exceptions with a documented process for candidates seeking certification in
more than one certification category, candidates seeking certification in Early
Childhood-Grade 12 certification categories, and candidates with reasonable
human resources concerns. The program and the district must both sign
documentation that the benefits of two placements outweigh the consequence of
not assigning one distinct field placement. Candidates who receive exceptions
shall be placed in no more than two distinct field sites;
(2) during the course of the residency, the
residency candidate shall engage in increased responsibility for student
instruction, including co-teaching and leading classroom instruction for at
least 400 hours; and
(3) a
residency candidate must experience a full range of professional
responsibilities during the residency.
(c) In addition to the benchmarks and
structured assessments required under §228.31(c) of this title(relating to
Minimum Educator Preparation Program Obligations to All Candidates), the EPP
shall manage and support candidate progression through the dimensions described
in subsection (f) of this section and determine readiness to proceed to the
next level of increased responsibility for student instruction during the
residency, including establishing performance gates with performance tasks
observed and evaluated by the field supervisor that require residency
candidates to demonstrate mastery of certain educator standards to progress to
the next level of responsibility for student instruction. Performance gates
must be conducted at least four times a year and occur at least twice per
semester.
(d) The EPP must provide
ongoing support to a candidate as described in Subchapter F of this chapter
(relating to Support for Candidates During Required Clinical Experiences) for
the full term of the residency, unless, prior to the expiration of that term:
(1) the candidate resigns or is terminated by
the school or district;
(2) the
candidate is discharged or is released from the EPP;
(3) the candidate withdraws from the EPP;
or
(4) the residency assignment
does not meet the requirements described in this
subchapter.
(e) If the
candidate leaves the residency assignment for any of the reasons identified in
subsection (d) of this section, the EPP, the campus or district personnel, and
the candidate must inform each other within one calendar week of the
candidate's last day in the assignment.
(f) A candidate participating in a residency
shall be eligible for an enhanced standard certificate by completing all of the
following:
(1) the requirements as prescribed
in §230.39(b) of this title (relating to Enhanced Standard
Certificates);
(2) programmatic
requirements under subsections (a)-(c) of this section;
(3) the requirements of the following
proficiencies in §150.1002 of Part II of this title (relating to
Assessment of Teacher Performance) for pedagogical skills that are used by the
program and approved by the state and meet the Proficient performance level
measure in each of the following dimensions:
(A) Planning Dimension 1.1: Standards and
Alignment;
(B) Planning Dimension
1.2: Data and Assessment;
(C)
Instruction Dimension 2.1: Achieving Expectations;
(D) Instruction Dimension 2.2: Content
Knowledge and Expertise;
(E)
Instruction Dimension 2.3: Communication;
(F) Learning Environment Dimension 3.1:
Classroom Environment, Routines, and Procedures;
(G) Learning Environment Dimension 3.2:
Managing Student Behavior;
(H)
Learning Environment Dimension 3.3: Classroom Culture;
(I) Professional Practices and
Responsibilities Dimension 4.1: Professional Demeanor and Ethics;
(J) Professional Practices and
Responsibilities Dimension 4.2: Goal Setting; and
(K) Professional Practices and
Responsibilities Dimension 4.3: Professional
Development.
(g) A residency is successful when the
candidate demonstrates proficiency in each of the educator standards for the
assignment and the field supervisor, host teacher, and campus supervisor
recommend to the EPP that the candidate should be recommended for a residency
certificate. If the field supervisor, host teacher, or campus supervisor do not
recommend that the candidate should be recommended for an enhanced standard
certificate, the person who does not recommend the candidate must provide
documentation (e.g., evidence of failure to demonstrate proficiency in educator
standards, evidence of failure to meet program requirements, evidence of
failure to adhere to campus policies) supporting the lack of recommendation to
the candidate and the field supervisor, the host teacher, or the campus
supervisor.
