Program Requirements

(1) EPPs shall ensure that all programs that lead to licensure adequately address educator preparation standards, the professional education standards, all applicable literacy standards, and all applicable specialty area standards. (2) EPPs shall ensure completers are prepared to deliver or lead instruction that enables students to master the Tennessee Academic Standards. Programs shall ensure that candidates master the content covered in the areas for which they are prepared to teach. EPPs shall align course work, clinical experiences, and candidate assessment systems to appropriate standards for each specialty area. (3) All EPPs shall require that candidates demonstrate content knowledge in the specialty area program. (4) EPPs shall provide training to support candidates’ readiness to deliver or lead instruction informed by Response to Instruction and Intervention Framework (RTI²). Teacher candidates not seeking endorsement in Special Education shall be prepared to deliver instruction and intervention at the Tier I and II levels. (5) EPPs shall provide training to support candidates’ understanding of the state-approved educator evaluation framework. (6) EPPs shall provide candidates training on the teacher code of ethics outlined in T.C.A. §§ 49- 5-1001 through 49-5-1005 and the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification’s (NASDTEC) Model Code of Ethics for Educators. (7) Pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-5-513, EPPs shall provide candidates with instruction on what is constitutionally permissible with teaching religious content and strategies for dealing with religious content in curriculum that are educationally sound, fair, neutral, and objective.