Compilation of Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia › Department 505 - PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMISSION › Chapter 505-3 - EDUCATOR PREPARATION RULES › Rule 505-3-.01 - Requirements and Standards for Approving Educator Preparation Providers and Educator Preparation Programs

Current through Rules and Regulations filed through
			 June 27, 2024
(1)
Purpose.
This rule states requirements and standards for the
			 approval of educator preparation providers (EPPs) and programs for the initial
			 and continuing preparation of educators in Georgia.
(2)
Definitions.
(a)
Accreditation
:
			 (1) A process for assessing and enhancing academic and educational quality
			 through external, often voluntary, peer review. (2) A decision awarded and
			 process certified by an accrediting organization. For the purposes of educator
			 preparation provider (EPP) and program approval, GaPSC recognizes three (3)
			 types of accreditation: Regional Accreditation, National Accreditation, and
			 Specialized Accreditation. Each type of accreditation is defined in subsequent
			 definitions.
(b)
Administrative Approval
: A process used in lieu of the
			 Developmental Approval Review exclusively for endorsement programs and
			 available only to GaPSC-approved EPPs. Administrative approval involves a staff
			 review of an approval application and a curriculum map in which key assessments
			 are described and mapped to program content standards. After an endorsement
			 program is administratively approved, it will be reviewed against all
			 applicable standards in the EPP's next Continuing Approval Review.
(c)
Advanced
			 Preparation/Degree-Only Program
: An educator preparation program
			 at the post-baccalaureate level for the continuing education of educators who
			 have previously completed initial preparation and are certified in the
			 program's subject area or field of certification. Advanced
			 preparation/degree-only programs commonly award graduate credit and include
			 masters, specialist, and doctoral degree programs.
(d)
Approval
: A
			 process for assessing and enhancing academic and educational quality through
			 peer review, to assure the public that an educator preparation provider (EPP)
			 and/or program has met institutional, state, and national standards of
			 educational quality; also, a Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)
			 decision rendered when an EPP or program meets GaPSC standards and annual
			 reporting requirements.
(e)
Approval Review
: Examination of evidence and
			 interviews of stakeholders conducted by GaPSC reviewers either on-site at an
			 institution/agency, or electronically using web and telephone conferencing
			 systems as part of a Developmental, First Continuing, Continuing, Focused, or
			 Probationary Review. Although not an approval review, the Substantive Change
			 process is used when certain changes are made to the design or operations of
			 approved program (see definition aq, below).
(f)
B/P-12
: Formerly
			 P-12, the term
B/P-12
references schools serving children aged
			 birth to grade 12.
(g)
Branch Campus
: A campus that is physically detached
			 from the parent university or college and has autonomous governance. A branch
			 campus generally has full student and administrative services with a CEO and is
			 regionally accredited separately from the parent campus. For approval purposes,
			 GaPSC considers branch campuses distinct from the parent institution and
			 therefore a separate EPP. For approval purposes, a branch campus located in the
			 state of Georgia having an original, or main, campus located in another state
			 or country is considered an out-of-state institution and is therefore
			 ineligible to seek GaPSC approval as an EPP.
(h)
Candidates/Teacher
			 Candidates
: Individuals enrolled in programs for the initial or
			 advanced preparation of educators, programs for the continuing professional
			 development of educators, or programs for the preparation of other professional
			 school personnel. Candidates are distinguished from students in B/P-12 schools.
			 Candidates in programs leading to Teaching (T) certification may also be
			 referred to as Pre-service Teacher Candidates. (The term
enrolled
is used in the GaPSC approval process to mean the
			 candidate is admitted and taking classes.)
(i)
Clinical
			 Educators
: All educator preparation provider (EPP) and P-12
			 school-based individuals, including classroom teachers, who assess, support,
			 and develop a candidate's knowledge, skills, or professional dispositions at
			 some stage in the clinical experiences. The term
Clinical
			 Educators
is intended to be inclusive of the roles of Mentor Teacher,
			 B/P-12 Supervisor, and Faculty Supervisor. EPPs are expected to clearly define
			 the roles and responsibilities of all clinical educators with whom candidates
			 interact.
(j)
Clinical
			 Practice
: Culminating residency (formerly referred to as
student teaching)
or internship experiences with candidates
			 placed in classrooms for at least one (1) full semester where they experience
			 intensive and extensive practices in which they are fully immersed in the
			 learning community and provided opportunities to develop and demonstrate
			 competence in the professional roles for which they are preparing. In initial
			 preparation programs in Service (S) and Leadership (L) fields, candidates will
			 complete such culminating residency or internship experiences in placements
			 that allow the knowledge, skills, and dispositions included in the programs to
			 be practiced and applied. In non-traditional preparation programs, such as
			 GaTAPP, clinical practice is job-embedded as candidates must be hired as a
			 classroom teacher to be admitted to the program.
(k)
Content
			 Knowledge
: The central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures
			 of a discipline (Source: CAEP Glossary).
(l)
Council for the Accreditation
			 of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
: The national accreditation
			 organization formed as a result of the unification of the National Council for
			 the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education
			 Accreditation Council (TEAC). CAEP advances excellence in educator preparation
			 through evidence-based accreditation that assures quality and supports
			 continuous improvement to strengthen B/P-12 student learning. CAEP accredits
			 educator preparation providers (EPPs).
(m)
Dispositions
:
			 Moral commitments and professional attitudes, values, and beliefs that underlie
			 educator performance and are demonstrated through both verbal and non-verbal
			 behaviors as educators interact with students, families, colleagues, and
			 communities.
(n)
Distance Learning
: A formal educational process in
			 which instruction occurs when candidates and the instructor are not in the same
			 place at the same time. Distance learning can occur through virtually any media
			 including asynchronous or synchronous, electronic or printed
			 communications.
(o)
Distance Learning Program
: A program delivered
			 primarily (50% or more contact hours) through distance technology in which the
			 instructor of record and candidates lack face-to-face contact and instruction
			 is delivered asynchronously or synchronously (see definition n). These
			 preparation programs include those offered by the EPP through a contract with
			 an outside vendor or configured as a consortium with other EPPs, as well as
			 those offered solely by the provider.
(p)
Dyslexia and Other Related
			 Disorders
: Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is
			 neurological in origin, which is characterized by difficulties with accurate or
			 fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These
			 difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of
			 language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and
			 the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may
			 include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that
			 can impede the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. Other related
			 disorders include aphasia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia.
1. Aphasia: Aphasia is a condition
			 characterized by either partial or total loss of the ability to communicate
			 verbally or through written words. A person with aphasia may have difficulty
			 speaking, reading, writing, recognizing the names of objects, or understanding
			 what other people have said. The condition may be temporary or permanent and
			 shall not include speech problems caused by loss of muscle control.
2. Dyscalculia: Dyscalculia is the inability
			 to understand the meaning of numbers, the basic operations of addition and
			 subtraction, or the complex operations of multiplication and division or to
			 apply math principles to solve practical or abstract problems.
3. Dysgraphia: Dysgraphia is difficulty in
			 automatically remembering and mastering the sequence of muscle motor movements
			 needed to accurately write letters or numbers.
(q)
Educator Preparation
			 Program
: A planned sequence of courses and experiences for
			 preparing B/P-12 teachers and other professional school personnel that leads to
			 a state certification. The three (3) types of educator preparation programs are
			 described in definitions aa (Initial), s (Endorsement), and c
			 (Advanced/Degree-Only).
(r)
Educator Preparation Provider (EPP)
: The institution
			 of higher education (IHE), college, school, department, agency, or other
			 administrative body responsible for managing or coordinating all programs
			 offered for the initial and continuing preparation of teachers and other school
			 personnel, regardless of where these programs are administratively
			 housed.
(s)
Endorsement
			 Program
: A planned sequence of courses and experiences, typically
			 three (3) to four (4) courses in length, designed to provide educators with an
			 additional, specific set of knowledge and skills, or to expand and enhance
			 existing knowledge and skills. Successful completion of an endorsement program
			 results in the addition of the endorsement field to the Georgia educator
			 certificate designating expertise in the field. Endorsement programs may be
			 offered as non-credit bearing programs, or they may lead to college credit;
			 they must be approved by the GaPSC and administered by a GaPSC-approved EPP,
			 and may be offered as either a stand-alone program or, unless otherwise
			 specified in GaPSC Educator Preparation Rules
			 505-3-.82 through
			 505-3-.115, embedded in an initial
			 preparation or advanced/degree-only program. Depending on the needs of the
			 individual educator, endorsement programs may also be included as a part of an
			 educator's professional learning plan/goals. See GaPSC Rule
			 505-2-.14, ENDORSEMENTS.
(t) EPP Readiness Framework: Formerly called
Preconditions.
Fundamental requirements that undergird the
			 GaPSC standards that must be met as a first step in the approval process and
			 before an EPP is permitted to schedule a Developmental Approval
			 Review.
(u)
Field
			 Experiences
: Activities that include organized and sequenced
			 engagement of candidates in settings providing opportunities to observe,
			 practice, and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions delineated in
			 institutional, state, and national standards. The experiences must be
			 systematically designed and sequenced to increase the complexity and levels of
			 engagement with which candidates apply, reflect upon, and expand their
			 knowledge and skills. Since observation is a less rigorous method of learning,
			 emphasis should be on field experience sequences requiring active professional
			 practice or demonstration, and including substantive work with B/P-12 students
			 and B/P-12 personnel as appropriate. In non-traditional preparation programs
			 (e.g., GaTAPP), field experiences occur outside candidates' classrooms with
			 students with different learning needs and varied backgrounds in at least two
			 (2) settings during the clinical practice.
(v)
First Continuing
			 Review
: The First Continuing Review is conducted three (3) to four
			 (4) years after a Developmental Review to determine if the EPP and/or initial
			 educator preparation program(s) have evidence of meeting all applicable
			 standards.
(w)
Georgia
			 Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP)
: Georgia's
			 non-traditional preparation program for preparing career changers for
			 certification as B/P-12 teachers. See GaPSC Rule
			 505-3-.05 GEORGIA TEACHER ACADEMY FOR
			 PREPARATION AND PEDAGOGY (GaTAPP).
(x)
Grade Point Average
			 (GPA)
: A quantitative indicator of candidate achievement. Letter
			 grades are converted to numbers and averaged over a period of time.
(y)
Induction
: (1)
			 The formal act or process of placing an individual into a new job or position
			 and providing appropriate support during the first three (3) years of
			 employment. The Georgia Department of Education defines The Induction Phase
			 Teacher as any teacher who has been hired into a new permanent position in any
			 Georgia school. (2) A Georgia level of professional type educator
			 certification; for additional information see GaPSC Rule
			 505-2-.04 INDUCTION CERTIFICATE.
(z)
Information
			 Literacy
: An intellectual framework for understanding, finding,
			 evaluating, and using information - activities which may be accomplished in
			 part by fluency with information technology, in part by sound investigative
			 methods, but most importantly, through critical discernment and reasoning
			 (adopted from The Association of College and Research Libraries).
(aa)
Initial Preparation
			 Program
: A program designed to prepare candidates for their
			 initial, or first professional type certificate in a Teaching (T), Leadership
			 (L), or Service (S) field. Examples include degree programs at the
			 baccalaureate, masters, or higher levels; or post-baccalaureate programs,
			 non-degree certification-only programs, and non-traditional programs, such as
			 the Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP) or
			 Alternative Preparation for Educational Leadership program. Programs leading to
			 an educator's first certificate in a particular field are considered initial
			 preparation even if the educator is certified in one or more other
			 fields.
(ab) Local Unit of
			 Administration (LUA): 1. A local unit of administration (LUA) is a local
			 education agency or a regional educational service agency, including but not
			 limited to public, waiver, strategic waiver system, charter system or charter
			 schools and private schools (i.e., faith-based schools, early learning centers,
			 hospitals, juvenile detention centers, etc.). State agencies and public and
			 private institutions of higher education requiring certification for employment
			 purposes are included in this definition.
(ac)
Media Literacy
:
			 The ability to encode and decode the symbols transmitted via media and the
			 ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information in a variety
			 of forms, including print and non-print messages. Also known as the skillful
			 application of literacy skills to media and technology messages (adopted from
			 the National Association for Media Literacy Education).
(ad)
Mentor Teacher
:
			 A B/P-12 employed teacher and an expert practitioner who supports the
			 development of a pre-service or novice teacher by assessing and providing
			 feedback on instructional practice; interactions with students, colleagues, and
			 parents; classroom management; and professionalism. Mentor teachers are
			 typically involved with faculty supervisors in the formal supervision and
			 evaluation of pre-service clinical practice experiences (residency/internship).
			 The term
Mentor Teacher
is often used synonymously with the
			 terms
Cooperating Teacher
and
B/P-12
			 Supervisor
. The terms
B/P-12 Supervisor
and
Faculty Supervisor
are described in definition au.
(ae)
National
			 Accreditation
: National accreditation is conducted by an
			 accrediting organization which develops evaluation criteria and conducts peer
			 evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. National
			 accrediting agencies operate throughout the country and review entire
			 institutions, EPPs, or programs in specific content fields. The Southern
			 Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is an
			 example of a national accrediting organization that reviews institutions. CAEP
			 (see definition l) is an example of a national accrediting organization that
			 reviews EPPs. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an example
			 of a national accrediting organization that reviews programs in a specific
			 field.
(af)
Nationally
			 Recognized Program
: A program that has met the standards of a
			 national specialized professional association (SPA) that is a constituent
			 member of CAEP. The term
National Recognition
signifies the
			 highest level of SPA recognition awarded to programs.
(ag)
Non-traditional Teacher
			 Preparation Program (GaTAPP)
: A program designed to prepare
			 individuals who at admission hold an appropriate degree with verified content
			 knowledge through a major or its equivalent in the content field or a passing
			 score on the state-approved content assessment in the content field. If the
			 state-approved content knowledge was not required at admission, it must be
			 passed for program completion. Non-traditional teacher preparation programs
			 lead only to a certificate, not to a degree or college credit and:
1. Feature a flexible timeframe for
			 completion;
2. Are job-embedded,
			 allowing candidates to complete requirements while employed by a regionally
			 accredited local unit of administration (school district or private school), a
			 charter school approved by the Georgia State Charter School Commission, or a
			 charter school approved by the Georgia Department of Education as a classroom
			 teacher full-time or part-time for at least a half day;
3. Require that candidates are supported by a
			 Candidate Support Team;
4. Require
			 an induction component that includes coaching and supervision;
5. Provide curriculum, performance-based
			 instruction, and assessment focused on the pedagogical knowledge, skills, and
			 dispositions necessary for the candidate to teach his/her validated academic
			 content knowledge; and
6. Are
			 individualized based on the needs of each candidate with respect to content
			 knowledge, pedagogical skills, learning modalities, learning styles, interests,
			 and readiness to teach. See GaPSC Rule
			 505-3-.05 GEORGIA TEACHER ACADEMY FOR
			 PREPARATION AND PEDAGOGY (GaTAPP).
(ah)
Out-of-State
			 Institution
: An institution of higher education administratively
			 based in a state within the United States other than Georgia, or another
			 country.
(ai)
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
: A core part of content
			 knowledge for teaching that includes: core activities of teaching, such as
			 determining what students know; choosing and managing representations of ideas;
			 appraising, selecting and modifying textbooks; and deciding among alternative
			 courses of action and analyzing the subject matter knowledge and insight
			 entailed in these activities (Source: adapted from the CAEP
			 Glossary).
(aj)
Pedagogical Knowledge
: The broad principles and
			 strategies of classroom instruction, management, and organization that
			 transcend subject matter knowledge (Source: CAEP Glossary).
(ak)
Pedagogical
			 Skills
: An educator's abilities or expertise to impart the
			 specialized knowledge/content and skills of their subject area(s) (Source: CAEP
			 Glossary).
(al)
Preparation Program Effectiveness Measures (PPEMs)
: A
			 set of common measures applied to all teacher preparation programs leading to
			 initial certification in a field. Teacher Preparation Program Effectiveness
			 Measures (TPPEMs) are further defined in GaPSC Rule
			 505-3-.02 EDUCATOR PREPARATION
			 PROVIDER ANNUAL REPORTING AND EVALUATION.
(am)
Program
			 Completer
: A person who has met all the requirements of a
			 GaPSC-approved or state-approved out-of-state educator preparation program to
			 include all GaPSC requirements such as attempting all assessments required for
			 state certification.
(an)
Regional Accreditation
: Regional accreditation is
			 conducted by an accrediting organization that develops evaluation criteria and
			 conducts peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Six
			 (6) regional accreditors operate in the United States to conduct educational
			 accreditation of public, private, for-profit, and not-for-profit schools,
			 colleges, and universities in their regions. The Southern Association of
			 Colleges and Schools (SACS) is the regional accreditor for the southern region.
			 The SACS accrediting organization for P-12 schools is the Council on
			 Accreditation and School Improvement (SACSCASI), also known as Cognia. The SACS
			 accrediting organization for institutes of higher education is the Commission
			 on Colleges (SACSCOC).
(ao)
Specialized Accreditation
: Specialized accrediting
			 organizations operate throughout the country to review programs and some
			 single-purpose institutions. Like national and regional accreditors,
			 specialized accreditation organizations develop evaluation criteria and conduct
			 peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met.
(ap)
Specialized Professional
			 Association (SPA)
: A constituent member of CAEP representing a
			 particular disciplinary area that develops standards for the approval of
			 educator preparation programs in that area and reviews programs for compliance
			 with those standards.
(aq)
Substantive Change Procedure
: Process used for EPPs to
			 submit changes that are considered significant, including additional levels of
			 program offerings and changes to key assessments or leadership
			 personnel.
(ar)
Supervisor
: An individual involved in the oversight
			 and evaluation of educator preparation candidates during field and clinical
			 experiences. In most cases one or more individuals are involved in the formal
			 supervision of clinical experiences-a supervisor employed by the EPP and one or
			 more supervisors employed by the B/P-12 site hosting a pre-service educator.
			 The term
Faculty Supervisor
refers to the employee of the EPP
			 and the term
B/P-12 Supervisor
(sometimes referred to as
			 Mentor Teacher or Cooperating Teacher) refers to the school-based employee who
			 hosts a pre-service educator for the culminating residency or
			 internship.
(as)
Technology Literacy
: Using technology as a tool to
			 research, organize, evaluate, and communicate information and understanding the
			 ethical and legal issues surrounding the access and use of
			 information.
(at)
Traditional Preparation Program
: A credit-bearing
			 program designed for the preparation of educators offered by an institution of
			 higher education.
(au)
Year-long Residency
: An extended clinical practice
			 lasting the entire length of the B/P-12 school year, in the same school, in
			 which candidates have more time to practice teaching skills with students under
			 the close guidance of experienced and effective B/P-12 teachers licensed in the
			 content area the candidate is preparing to teach. Candidates fully participate
			 in the school as a member of the faculty, including faculty meetings, parent
			 conferences, and professional learning activities spanning, if feasible, the
			 beginning (e.g., pre-planning) and ending (post-planning) of the academic year.
			 (Candidates may participate in post-planning at the end of the junior year if
			 it is not possible for them to participate at the end of the senior year).
			 These extended residencies also include supervision and mentoring by a
			 representative of the preparation program who, along with the B/P-12
			 supervisor, ensures the candidate is ready for program completion and is
			 eligible for state certification.