To update provisions in the rule due to 2017 statutory changes to Section 1012.56(8), F.S. so that initial and continued program approval requirements for Professional Development Certification Programs\include a teacher mentorship and induction ...

 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

State Board of Education

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

6A-5.066Approval of Teacher Preparation Programs

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: To update provisions in the rule due to 2017 statutory changes to Section 1012.56(8), F.S. so that initial and continued program approval requirements for Professional Development Certification Programs\include a teacher mentorship and induction component.

SUMMARY: The proposed rule revises the requirements for the initial and continued approval standards for Professional Development Certification Programs so that the field and clinical practices component includes specified mentoring activities that must occur weekly and describes the requirements to act as a mentor and the training required for mentors. These changes are located in the incorporated documents, PDCP IAS-2015 and PDCP CAS-2015.

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 upon past agency experience with approval of these programs, the adverse criteria 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), F.S. and will not require legislative ratification because the proposed rule is anticipated to be implemented with existing staff and technology. Cost to school districts, charter schools and charter school organizations that wish to implement a professional development certification program will need to review and in some cases, revise its induction and mentoring program. However, these programs currently exist and the specific requirements for mentors included in the rule are derived directly from the statute. Further, all costs associated with calculation of scores are borne by the department.

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, 1004.04, 1004.85, 1012.56, FS.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 1004.04, 1004.85, 1012.56, FS.

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

DATE AND TIME: November 28, 2017, 9:00 a.m.

PLACE: Lake-Sumter State College, 9501 U.S. Highway 441, Leesburg, FL 34788.

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE IS: Eileen L. McDaniel, Chief, Bureau of Educator Recruitment, Development & Retention, 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399 or at [phone].

 

THE FULL TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE IS:

 

6A-5.066 Approval of Teacher Preparation Programs.

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

(1) through (h) No change.

(i) “District Program Evaluation Plan” or “DPEP” means the annual plan developed by each approved school district professional development certification 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) No change.

(k) “eIPEP” or “electronic Institutional Program Evaluation Plan” means a Department-maintained web-based tool for collection and reporting of candidate and completer performance data on state-approved teacher preparation programs from Florida postsecondary institutions, school districts and private providers.

(l) No change.

(m) “Equivalent program” means a teacher preparation program that is offered in more than one provider institution or school district that prepares candidates in the same specific educator certification subject area(s).

(n) through (v) No change.

(w) “Professional development certification program” or “PDCP” means a program in which a school district, charter school or charter management organization may provide instruction for members of its instructional staff who are non-education baccalaureate or higher degree holders under Section 1012.56(8), F.S., and results in qualification for an initial Florida Professional Educator’s Certificate.

(x) through (z) No change.

(aa) “Provider” means a Florida postsecondary institution, private provider, school district, charter school, or charter management organization.

(bb)(aa) “Reading endorsement competencies” mean those standards described in Rule 6A-4.0163, F.A.C., which is incorporated herein by reference (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-04962). A copy of Rule 6A-4.0163, F.A.C., may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(cc)(bb) “Results of program completers’ annual evaluations as specified in Section 1012.34, F.S.,” mean that scores are based on program completers from the previous three-year period who received an annual evaluation rating from the most recent academic year.

(dd)(cc) “Retention rate” means the average number of years that program completers are employed in a full-time or part-time instructional position in a Florida public school district at any point each year in a five-year period following initial employment in either of the two (2) subsequent academic years following program completion. Program completers employed in a private or out-of-state P-12 school their first or second year following program completion are also included in the calculation if data are reported by the program and have been verified. 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.

(ee)(dd) “Student performance by subgroup” means the performance of students in P-12 who are assigned to in-field program completers aggregated by student subgroup, as referenced in Sections 1004.04(4)(a)3.d., 1004.85(4)(b)4. and 1012.56(8)(c)2.c., F.S., as a measure of how well the teacher preparation program prepares instructional personnel to work with a diverse population of students in a variety of settings in Florida public schools. The score is based on in-field program completers from the previous three-year period who received a student learning growth score from the most recent academic year.

(ff)(ee)“Teacher preparation program” means a state-approved course of study, the completion of which signifies that the candidate has met all training and assessment requirements for initial certification to provide direct instructional services to P-12 students.

(gg)(ff) “Ten (10) percent waiver” means that an initial teacher preparation program (ITP) may annually waive admission requirements specified in Section 1004.04(3)(b)1.-2., F.S., for up to ten (10%) percent of the students admitted in the academic year.

(hh)(gg) “Two-year guarantee” means that an initial teacher preparation program (ITP) must provide assurance of the high quality of its program completers during the first two (2) years immediately following completion of the program or following the initial certification of the program completer, whichever occurs first, as specified in Section 1004.04(4)(d), F.S.

(ii)(hh) “Uniform Core Curricula” means the following for all state-approved teacher preparation programs, except as noted:

1. through 8. No Change.

(2) Processes for initial request and approval of teacher preparation programs.

(a) The president, or chief executive officer or superintendent of a provider of a Florida institution or qualified private provider, or the public school district superintendent who seeks approval to offer a teacher preparation program, shall submit a written request which is further described in the document, Florida Department of Education Request to Submit Form, Form RTS-2015, located at http://www.fldoe.org/profdev/ictepa.asp and http://www.fldoe.org/profdev/saacp.asp. The Department will inform the provider institution, private provider or district superintendent in writing of the receipt of a fully completed request within ten (10) business days.

(b) Upon written verification by the Department of a fully completed request, the provider institution, private provider 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, Form ITP IAS-2015 for ITP programs; Form EPI IAS-2015 for EPI programs; and Form PDCP IAS-2015 for PDCP programs.

(c) The Department shall conduct a review of the electronic folio submitted in support of the request for initial approval within ninety (90) days of January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15. The Department shall notify the provider institution, private provider or school district in writing of the following:

1. through 3. No change.

(3) Processes for continued approval of teacher preparation programs.

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

1. Each provider institution, private provider 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 provider  institution, private provider 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 ITP CAS-2015 for ITP programs; Form EPI CAS-2015 for EPI programs; or Form PDCP CAS-2015 for PDCP programs.

3. The Department shall annually provide to each provider institution, private provider or school district with a state-approved teacher preparation program an Annual Program Performance Report (APPR) that includes program completer data based on the performance metrics specified in Sections 1004.04(4)(a)3., 1004.85(4)(b) and 1012.56(8)(c)2., F.S. Data shall be based on each of the program’s completers who were employed as instructional personnel in a Florida public school district or as otherwise provided under subsection (1) of this rule. Performance metrics not applicable to a program shall not be rated.

4. through 7. No change.

8. The provider institution, private provider or school district shall have forty-five (45) business days from the date the Department transmitted the APPR data to review the APPR data on its program completers and summative rating scores, and provide the Department with documentation supporting an error or omission. The Department shall review the documentation and notify the provider institution, private provider or school district within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the supporting documentation of any change to the APPR data and scores.

9. through 10. No change.

(b) At the end of the continued approval period, the Department shall examine the annual summative rating scores for each program’s APPRs and 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 teacher preparation program based on the continued approval summative rating scale and shall notify the provider institution, private provider or school district in writing of the decision. The continued approval summative rating for each program is computed by calculating the average of all APPR summative rating scores over the continued approval period and adding it to the summative rating score for the continued approval site visit. The resulting sum is divided by two (2), yielding an overall “continued approval summative score” (CASS) of 1.0 to 4.0. The continued approval summative rating scale is as follows:

1. through (5) No change.

(6) The following forms are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule, effective February 2015. They are located at (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-04964). Copies may be obtained from the Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Room 124, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400.

(a) through (b) No change.

(c) Florida Department of Education Initial Program Approval Standards for Professional Development Certification Programs (PDCP), Form PDCP IAS-2015, effective January 2018 (DOS link).

(d) through (e) No change.

(f) Florida Department of Education Continued Program Approval Standards for Professional Development Certification Programs (PDCP), Form PDCP CAS-2015, effective January 2018 (DOS link).

(g) No change.

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02, 1004.04, 1004.85, 1012.56 FS. Law Implemented 1004.04, 1004.85, 1012.56 FS. History–New 7-2-98, Amended 8-7-00, 3-19-06, 2-17-15,_______.

 

NAME OF PERSON ORIGINATING PROPOSED RULE: Eileen McDaniel, Chief, Bureau of Educator Recruitment, Development & Retention.

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

DATE PROPOSED RULE APPROVED BY AGENCY HEAD: October 26, 2017

DATE NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED IN FAR: September 27, 2017