Align rule language to s. 1012.562, F.S., Public Accountability and State Approval of School Leader Preparation Programs, that was enacted by the 2016 Florida Legislature. The revised rule provides additional specificity for the initial and ...

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

State Board of Education

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

6A-5.081Approval of School Leadership Programs

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: Align rule language to s. 1012.562, F.S., Public Accountability and State Approval of School Leader Preparation Programs, that was enacted by the 2016 Florida Legislature. The revised rule provides additional specificity for the initial and continued approval of two types of school leader preparation programs.

SUMMARY: The proposed rule addresses significant changes to current processes, including: (1) Establishment of a public accountability system; (2) Specific criteria and guidelines for initial and continued approval of both Level I (conducted in postsecondary institutions and school districts) and Level II (conducted only in school districts) school leadership preparation programs; (3) Level I programs: Partnership with at least one school district; Program admission requirements to include a candidate’s instructional expertise and leadership potential; Evaluation of candidate performance aligned with the partnering district’s evaluation system; Two-year “graduate guarantee” for Level I program completers; and (4) Level II program admission to include requirement for earning an effective or highly effective rating on the district personnel evaluation system.

SUMMARY OF STATEMENT OF ESTIMATED REGULATORY COSTS AND LEGISLATIVE RATIFICATION: The Agency has determined that this will not have an adverse impact on small business or likely increase directly or indirectly regulatory costs in excess of $200,000 in the aggregate within one year after the implementation of the rule. A SERC has not been prepared by the Agency.

The Agency has determined that the proposed rule is not expected to require legislative ratification based on the statement of estimated regulatory costs or if no SERC is required, the information expressly relied upon and described herein: Based on past agency experience with approval of educator preparation programs, the adverse impact or regulatory cost, if any, do not exceed, nor would be expected to exceed, any one of the economic analysis criteria set forth in Section 120.541(2)(a), Florida Statues, because the proposed rule is anticipated to be implemented with existing staff and technology. No new or increased regulatory costs are imposed in the proposed rule. Improved leadership preparation programs will increase the competitiveness of program completers.

Any person who wishes to provide information regarding a statement of estimated regulatory costs, or provide a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative must do so in writing within 21 days of this notice.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY: 1001.02, 1012.562, 1012.986, FS.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1012.562, FS.

A HEARING WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:

DATE AND TIME: November 16, 2016, 9:00 a.m.

PLACE: Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate, 1500 Masters Blvd., Royal Dublin, Championsgate, Florida 33896

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Jason Graham, Senior Educational Program Director, Educator Recruitment, Development and Retention, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, Florida, 32399-0400, [phone]

 

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

 

Rule 6A-5.081 is substantially rewritten to read (see Florida Administrative Code for present text):

6A-5.081 Approval of School Leadership Programs.

This rule sets forth the requirements and implementation of the approval process for each type of school leadership program offered by a Florida postsecondary institution or public school district.

(1) Definitions. For the purposes of this rule, the following definitions apply.

(a) “Academic year” means the period of time during which program candidates attend or complete a state-approved school leader preparation program. This includes summer term, fall term and spring term, usually mid-May to mid-May of each calendar year.

(b) “Competencies and Skills Required for Certification in Educational Leadership in Florida” mean those practices described in rule 6A-4.00821, F.A.C., which is incorporated herein by reference (DOS link). A copy of rule 6A-4.00821, F.A.C., may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(c) “Competency-based” means that participants in school leader preparation programs must demonstrate the skill sets and knowledge bases outlined in the Florida Principal Leadership Standards.

(d) “Continued approval” means that subsequent to an initial approval, a school leadership program has been granted the authority to operate for a five-year period. The basis for continued approval is outlined in the documents entitled Florida Department of Education Continued Program Approval Standards for Educational Leadership (EL) Programs, Form EL CAS-2016; and Florida Department of Education Continued Program Approval Standards for School Principal (SP) Programs, Form SP CAS-2016.

(e) “eIPEP” or “electronic Institutional Program Evaluation Plan” means a Department-maintained web-based tool that serves as a data repository, data collection and reporting tool for both program performance data as well as a repository of continued approval goals and strategies for state-approved school leadership programs from Florida postsecondary institutions and school districts.

(f) “Field experiences” mean activities conducted in a variety of prekindergarten through grade 12 settings that are designed to give the aspiring instructional leader the ability to practice and demonstrate the core expectations of effective school administrators outlined in the Florida Principal Leadership Standards.

(g) “Florida Principal Leadership Standards” mean those practices described in subsection 6A-5.080(2), F.A.C., which is incorporated herein by reference (DOS link). A copy of rule 6A-5.080, F.A.C., may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(h) “Initial approval” means that a new school leadership program has been granted the authority to operate for a five-year period. The basis for initial approval is outlined in the documents entitled Florida Department of Education Initial Program Approval Standards for Educational Leadership (EL) Programs, Form EL IAS-2016; and Florida Department of Education Initial Program Approval Standards for School Leader (SP) Programs, Form SP IAS-2016.

(i) “Institutional Program Evaluation Plan” or “IPEP” means the annual plan developed by each approved educational leadership or school principal program to describe its review and analysis of program candidate and program completer data and how the results will impact continuous program improvements as part of its continued approval process.

(j) “Instructional expertise” means documented successful demonstration of the core standards for effective educators outlined in the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs) and a documented track record of achieving student gains. Acceptable documentation of instructional expertise must include a rating of “effective” or higher on the “Performance of Students” and “Instructional Practice” sections of the candidate’s two most recent performance evaluations per section 1012.34, F.S. For candidates who are not employed by a Florida public school district, a postsecondary institution or school district may accept alternative equivalent documentation demonstrating two years of effective instruction with a record of student learning gains.

(k) “Leadership potential” means the critical skills and dispositions that a candidate must demonstrate prior to entering the program. At a minimum, these qualifications must include an analysis of the candidate’s relentless focus on improving student achievement in their own classrooms and contributing to the demonstrable improvement of teaching effectiveness in the classrooms of colleagues. 

(l) “Partner” means to develop and maintain a collaborative professional relationship with agreed upon goals and outcomes. Partnerships must include evidence that the institution and a school district(s) work together to:

1. Determine program admission standards, and identify and select candidates;

2. Provide job-embedded field experiences for program candidates; and

3. Identify strategies for continuous improvement of the program based upon a review of the performance of program candidates and the performance of program completers using aggregate data from performance evaluations.

(m) “Placement rate” means the number of program completers reported annually by each program to the Department who are identified by the Department’s Staff Information System, as prescribed in section 1008.385(2), F.S., as employed in a full-time or part-time school administrator position in a Florida public school district, including charter schools, within three years of program completion. If a program provides documentation of a program completer’s death or disability, the number of program completers included in the calculation will be adjusted.

(n) “Program admission standards” mean the minimum requirements an applicant must meet to be considered for entry into an educational leadership preparation program. The program admission standards for all programs must define (1) candidate grade point average (GPA) requirements, (2) candidate professional qualifications, to include minimum “instructional expertise” and “leadership potential” standards, and (3) candidate selection processes used to determine admission status.

(o) “Program candidate” means an individual who has been admitted into and is currently enrolled in, but has not yet completed an educational leadership or school principal program approved under this rule.

(p) “Program completer” means an individual who has satisfied all educational leadership or school principal program requirements approved under this rule.

(q) “School leadership positions” mean the administrative personnel positions that are defined in section 1012.01(3)(c), F.S.

(2) Requirements and processes for initial request and approval of educational leadership programs and school principal programs.

(a) Requirements for approval of educational leadership programs:

1. Postsecondary institutional programs shall employ faculty who are qualified to teach courses required in the program. Faculty and staff who supervise field experiences shall document annual onsite participation in activities in prekindergarten through grade 12 school settings.

2. A postsecondary institutional program shall provide evidence of its partnership with at least one school district as approved under this rule.

3. A postsecondary institutional program may include a modified version of its approved program to individuals who hold a master’s or higher degree, provided the instittution has a means to document that the completer of the modified program has met all program requirements.

4. Postsecondary institutional programs and school districts shall describe the qualifications used for admission and admit only candidates that demonstrate instructional expertise and leadership potential as approved under this rule.

5. Postsecondary institutional programs and school districts shall describe how competency-based training is aligned to the Florida Principal Leadership Standards.

6. Postsecondary institutional programs and school districts shall describe how training shall be aligned to the personnel evaluation criteria under section 1012.34, F.S.

7. Postsecondary institutions and school districts shall only endorse as program completers candidates who demonstrate all of the Florida Principal Leadership Standards at the initial certification level and earn passing scores on all portions of the Florida Educational Leadership Examination required in section 1012.56, F.S.

8. School districts shall offer its approved professional development program in educational leadership only to its employees who hold a master’s degree from an accredited or approved institution as described in Rule 6A-4.003, F.A.C. Programs may provide for admission of candidates without this degree, provided that the district’s program documentation includes a process of formally notifying such candidates that they are not eligible to complete the program without official documentation of the master’s degree.

(b) Processes for submission of an educational leadership program for initial approval:

1. The president or chief executive officer of a Florida post-secondary institution or a public school district superintendent who seeks approval to offer an educational leadership program or school principal program, shall submit a written request which is further described in the documents, Florida Department of Education Request to Submit Form-Educational Leadership, Form RTS-EL 2016, and Florida Department of Education Request to Submit Form-School Principal, Form RTS-SP 2016 within 30 business days prior to January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15. The Department will inform the institution or district superintendent in writing of the receipt of a fully completed request within five (5) business days.

2. Upon written verification by the Department of a fully completed request, the institution or district superintendent shall submit to the Department an electronic folio, which is further described in the documents, Florida Department of Education Initial Program Approval Standards for Educational Leadership, Form EL IAS-2016, and Florida Department of Education Initial Program Approval Standards for School Principal, Form SP IAS 2016 by January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15.

3. The Department shall conduct a review of the electronic folio submitted in support of the request for initial approval within ninety (90) days of receipt of the portfolio. The Department shall notify the institution or school district in writing of the following:

a. Receipt of the electronic folio.

b. Missing or deficient elements and provide a period of ten (10) business days for the program to submit supplemental information or documentation to address the deficit(s).

c. Approval or denial of approval for each program included in the request. A denial of approval shall identify the reason(s) for the denial and the deficiencies. A program that receives a denial of approval may reapply for initial approval.

(c) Requirements for approval of school principal programs:

1. The school district shall only admit candidates who hold a valid Florida Educator’s Certificate in the area of educational leadership, education administration, or administration and supervision pursuant to requirements of rule 6A-4.0083, F.A.C., and who are employed in a public school within the district in a school leadership position through which the candidate can fully demonstrate the competencies associated with the Florida Principal Leadership Standards.

2. The school district shall only admit candidates who have earned a highly effective or effective evaluation rating under section 1012.34, F.S.,

3. The school district shall describe how it provides individualized instruction using a customized learning plan for each candidate, and the competency-based training that is aligned to its school administrator evaluation criteria under section 1012.34, F.S., and the William Cecil Golden Professional Development Program for School Leaders under section 1012.986, F.S.

4. School districts shall ensure individuals who are designated as program completers have satisfactorily performed instructional leadership responsibilities as measured by the school district’s school administrator evaluation system under section 1012.34, F.S.

(3) Requirements and processes for continued approval of educational leadership programs and school principal programs.

(a) Reporting processes for continued approval are as follows:

1. Each institution or school district shall annually submit program candidate and completer data to the Department’s secure management information system.

2. By November 15 of each year, each institution or school district shall submit via the Department’s eIPEP platform located at https://www.florida-eipep.org/, a program evaluation plan in accordance with Florida Department of Education Continued Program Approval Standards, Form EL CAS-2015 for educational leadership programs; or Form SP CAS-2016 for school principal programs.

3. During the final year of the program approval period, the Department shall conduct a continued approval site visit that will include a review of each approved program. The purpose of the site visit shall be to review evidence of the program’s implementation of the continued approval standards described in the document, Florida Department of Education Continued Program Approval Standards, Form EL CAS-2016 or Form SP CAS-2016. The site visit shall also include a review of the annual program evaluation plans described in subparagraph (3)(a)2. of this rule. At the end of the site visit, a summative rating score shall be calculated based on criteria outlined in the forms: Form EL CAS-2016 for educational leadership programs or Form SP CAS-2016 for school principal programs.

4. A program that has three (3) consecutive years within the continued approval period with no completers shall not receive a continued approval site visit, or a summative rating score.

(b) At the end of the continued approval period, the Department shall examine the summary findings with summative rating score from the site visit review. The Commissioner shall grant continued approval or denial of approval for each state-approved educational leadership or school principal program based on the continued approval summative rating scale and shall notify the institution or school district in writing of the decision. The continued approval summative rating scale is as follows:

1. Full Approval with Distinction rating: the program has earned “Acceptable” for all indicators of Standards 1, 2 and 3.

2. Full Approval rating: the program has earned “Acceptable” for each indicator of Standard 3, and indicators 1.2 and 1.3 of Standard 1, and no score of “Unacceptable” in any indicator of Standards 1 and 2.

3. Denial of Approval rating: the program has earned “Needs Improvement” for one or more indicators of Standard 3, or indicators 1.2 and 1.3 of Standard 1, or “Unacceptable” on any indicator of Standards 1, 2 and 3. A program that receives a denial of approval rating may reapply for initial approval as specified in subsection (2) of this rule.

(4) Pursuant to section 1012.562(2)(c), F.S., a Level I program must guarantee the high quality of personnel who complete the program for the first two (2) years after program completion or the person’s initial certification as a school leader, whichever occurs first. If a person who completed the program is evaluated in a school leadership position at less than highly effective or effective under section 1012.34, F.S., and the person’s employer requests additional training, the Level I program must provide additional training at no cost to the person or his or her employer.

(5) The following forms are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule. Copies may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(a) Florida Department of Education Initial Program Approval Standards for Educational Leadership (EL) Programs, Form EL IAS-2016 (insert link), effective December 2016.

(b) Florida Department of Education Initial Program Approval Standards for School Principal (SP), Form SP IAS-2016 (insert link), effective December 2016.

(c) Florida Department of Education Continued Program Approval Standards for Educational Leadership (EL) Programs, Form EL CAS-2016 (insert link) December 2016.

(d) Florida Department of Education Continued Program Approval Standards for School Principal (SP), Form SP CAS-2016 (insert link), effective December 2016.

(e) Florida Department of Education Request to Submit Form-Educational Leadership, Form RTS-EL 2016 (insert link), effective December 2016.

(f) Florida Department of Education Request to Submit Form-School Principal, Form RTS-SP 2016 (insert link), effective December 2016.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02, 1012.562, 1012.986 FS. Law Implemented 1012.562 FS. History–New 6-20-07, Amended___.

 

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Hershel Lyons, Chancellor, K-12 Public Schools

NAME OF AGENCY HEAD WHO APPROVED THE PROPOSED RULE: Pam Stewart, Commissioner, Department of Education

DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: October 17, 2016

DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAR: September 8, 2016