Minnesota Administrative Rules

8705.2200 CONTINUING TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM APPROVAL.

Subpart 1.

Application required.

An application for continuing approval of a program must be submitted in accordance with the timelines and procedures established and published by the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board.

Subp. 2.

Program effectiveness reports for continuing approval (PERCA).

The requirements in items A to D are necessary for seeking continuing approval of an approved licensure program offered by an approved Minnesota institution or provider.

A.

To maintain continuing approval of each licensure program, the unit leader, on behalf of the institution or program provider, shall submit to the board biennial program effectiveness reports.

B.

Program effectiveness reports must provide aggregated program data from the following:

(1)

for all licensure programs: state-adopted content knowledge exams aligned to the licensure field;

(2)

for initial licensure programs: state-adopted pedagogy assessments aligned to the scope of the licensure field, including the state-approved teacher performance assessment; and

(3)

for endorsement programs: three locally determined key assessments aligned to identified standards.

C.

Program effectiveness reports must provide evidence of continuous improvement efforts, including:

(1)

for initial licensure programs: use of first-year teacher survey data, including a summary of findings and analysis including program strengths, areas for improvement, and response rates from locally determined surveys aligned to the standards of effective practice of program completers after one year of teaching experience;

(2)

for initial licensure programs: use of school administrator survey data, including a summary of findings and analysis including program strengths, areas for improvement, and response rates from locally determined surveys aligned to the standards of effective practice of administrators employing program completers at the end of the first year of classroom teaching;

(3)

for endorsement programs: use of data from candidate performance evaluations provided by cooperating teachers;

(4)

for all programs: evidence that aggregated data from multiple assessments are regularly analyzed for program evaluation purposes, including content-specific data, licensure examinations, surveys, performance assessments, and others;

(5)

for all programs: demonstration of progress on previously reported plans and goals;

(6)

for all programs: evidence that the program has used data to further develop continuous improvement plans and goals; and

(7)

for all programs: evidence that constituent groups, including representatives from partner schools, practicing public school teachers licensed in the content field, and faculty with content expertise, combined with unit faculty, collaborate in the regular and systematic evaluation of this program.

D.

Changes to an approved licensure program must be accurately reported to the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board through the biennial reporting process. When the primary placement of a standard is changed, the program must report the revised learning and assessment opportunities. The board shall review changes to verify continued compliance with program standards.

Subp. 3.

Program effectiveness reports for continuing approval (PERCA); review procedures and approval decisions.

A.

The PRP shall make a recommendation to the board regarding whether to approve the program.

B.

Based on the findings of the PERCA submission and recommendations of the PRP as applicable, the board shall make one of the program approval decisions in subitems (1) to (4).

(1)

The board shall grant continuing approval for two years when the program report provides evidence that the program meets adopted performance standards, statutory and rule requirements, and evidences that candidates have attained competency of licensure standards.

(2)

The board may grant continuing approval with continuous improvement focus for two years when the program report revealed that one or more standards, rules, or candidate performance measures were not in compliance with board criteria. Continuing program approval status is granted with board-identified areas of focus for continuous improvement. The continuous improvement portion of the PERCA report must include evidence of progress in the identified focus areas in the subsequent reporting cycle. Based on evidence of progress specific to the focus areas, the board may grant an additional two years of continuing approval with continuous improvement focus.

(3)

The board may grant probationary approval for up to two years when a program does not demonstrate acceptable progress on focused continuous improvement plans. Probationary approval authorizes the program to continue with one year to demonstrate progress on identified unmet standards, rules, or candidate performance measures. After one year, and based on a written progress report, the board may grant a second one-year extension of probationary approval prior to discontinuing the identified program. Students enrolled in a formerly approved program that is placed on probationary approval must be notified of the program's status. Probationary status may result in federal reporting or financial aid implications or may impact other accreditations.

(4)

The board may grant discontinued program status when the board determines that required standards for program approval are unmet. The program will be discontinued and the board will establish a timeline to accommodate candidates enrolled in the program. No new students may be admitted into a discontinued program after the date the board acts to discontinue the program. The provider must submit to the board a list of candidates enrolled in the program and their expected graduation dates. The provider must individually notify those candidates in writing of the program's discontinuation and their program completion options.

Subp. 4.

Voluntary discontinuation.

A.

For a unit to voluntarily discontinue an approved licensure program, the unit leader must submit a letter signed by the unit or program provider's administration to the executive director of the board, including:

(1)

a brief rationale for dropping the program;

(2)

the last date when new candidates will be allowed to enter the program; and

(3)

a list of candidates presently enrolled with expected completion dates.

B.

Reapproval of a licensure program in item A at any point in the future will require the submission of a request for initial program approval application.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 122A.09

History:

39 SR 822; L 2017 1Sp5 art 12 s 22

Published Electronically:

August 21, 2017