Pennsylvania Code › Title 22 - EDUCATION › Part I - State Board of Education › Subpart C - Higher Education › Chapter 49 - CERTIFICATION OF PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL › Subchapter A - GENERAL PROVISIONS › THE PROGRAM › Section 49.14 - Approval of institutions and alternative program providers

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
To be authorized to conduct programs that lead to
						  certificates for professional positions, institutions and any of their
						  off-campus centers as well as alternative program providers engaged in the
						  preparation of educators shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Be approved as a baccalaureate or
						graduate degree granting institution or alternative program provider by the
						Department.
(2) Be evaluated and
						approved as an educator preparing institution or alternative program provider
						to offer specific programs leading to certification in accordance with
						procedures established by the Department.
(3) Report to the Department, for approval,
						all planned changes in previously approved programs. This report shall be made
						90 days prior to the implementation of the planned changes.
(4) Follow Department prescribed standards
						developed from the following principles:
(i)
						Institutions and alternative program providers develop clear goals and purposes
						for each program, which shall include competencies, coursework and field
						experiences that address professional ethics, structured literacy (for programs
						that lead to certification in Early Childhood, Elementary/Middle, Special
						Education PK-12, English as a second language and Reading Specialist), and
						culturally relevant and sustaining education. The Department will identify
						these competencies and develop associated standards.
(ii) Institutions and alternative program
						providers are able to demonstrate how instructional and clinical activities
						provide educator candidates with the capacity to enable the achievement of all
						students, including diverse learners in an inclusive setting.
(iii) Institutions and alternative program
						providers are able to demonstrate that educator candidates have participated in
						instructional activities that enable the candidates to provide instruction to
						students to meet the provisions of Chapter 4 (relating to academic standards
						and assessment).
(iv) Institutions
						and alternative program providers are able to demonstrate that educator
						candidates successfully participate in sequential clinical experiences fully
						integrated within the instructional program as determined by the Secretary in
						consultation with the Board.
(v)
						Institutions and alternative program providers have clearly expressed standards
						for admission to, retention in and graduation from approved programs and can
						demonstrate recruitment and participation of students from historically
						underrepresented groups. Institutions and alternative program providers
						annually shall report on students admitted, retained, and graduated from their
						programs, including numbers from historically underrepresented
						groups.
(vi) Institutions and
						alternative program providers shall provide ongoing assessment of educator
						candidates' knowledge, skills, dispositions and performance with which to
						identify needs for further study, certification assessment assistance or
						clinical experience or dismissal from the program.
(vii) Institutions and alternative program
						providers can demonstrate how information from systematic evaluations of their
						programs, including students and educator evaluators, and achievement levels of
						candidates for certification in the Department-designed assessment program, are
						used for continual program improvement and shall develop corrective action
						steps if identified as at-risk or low performing program providers as defined
						by the Department in accordance with section 207 of the Higher Education Act of
						1965 (20 U.S.C.A. §
														1022F(A)).
(viii) Institutions and alternative program
						providers, in partnership with local education agencies, provide a school-based
						experience integrating the teacher candidates' knowledge, skills and
						dispositions in professional practice. This experience shall be fully supported
						by institutional faculty, including frequent observation, consultation with
						supervising teachers and opportunities for formative and summative
						evaluation.
(ix) Institutions and
						alternative program providers provide ongoing support for novice educators in
						partnership with local education agencies during their induction period,
						including observation, consultation and assessment.
(x) Institutions and alternative program
						providers supply evidence that an acceptable percentage of candidates applying
						for certification as determined by the Secretary and approved by the Board
						achieve at a satisfactory level on all assessments appropriate to initial
						certification in each program for which they are approved.