Provider And Program Reviews And Annual Reports

(1) In order to maintain full state approval, EPPs shall participate in a comprehensive review every seven (7) years. EPPs may elect to pursue ongoing full state approval through a state- managed comprehensive review or a comprehensive review managed by an educator preparation accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the State Board. (2) Each comprehensive review, either state-managed or managed by an educator preparation accrediting agency recognized by CHEA and the State Board, shall include, at a minimum, the following components: (a) Prior to an EPP’s comprehensive review, the Department shall evaluate data from the EPP’s three (3) most recent annual reports. (b) EPPs shall submit evidence demonstrating alignment to the educator preparation provider standards, the professional education standards, all applicable literacy standards, and all applicable specialty area standards approved by the State Board. (c) A trained comprehensive review team shall be appointed for each EPP undergoing comprehensive review and shall be responsible for, at a minimum: 1. Reviewing all required evidence submitted by the EPP that demonstrates high quality implementation of: (i) Content and pedagogical knowledge; (ii) Clinical partnerships and practice; (iii) Candidate quality, recruitment, and selectivity; (iv) Program impact; and (v) Provider quality assurance and continuous improvement; 2. Reviewing annual report data for the EPP from the applicable review cycle; 3. Conducting an on-site visit; and 4. Recommending an approval status to the Department. (d) An Advisory Committee on Educator Preparation (ACEP) shall be appointed to review the recommendation of the review team and shall provide a preliminary recommendation for approval status to the Department. (3) Following each comprehensive review, the Department shall recommend to the State Board one (1) of the following: (a) Full approval. The EPP meets expectations on one (1) of the following statuses and may recommend candidates for licensure: 1. Full approval, exemplary status. The EPP exceeds expectations on a majority of the standards and meets expectations on all other standards and components. 2. Full approval. The EPP meets expectations on all standards. EDUCATOR PREPARATION CHAPTER 0520-02-04 3. Full approval, minor stipulations. The EPP meets expectations on all standards, but falls below expectations on one (1) or more components across multiple standards. The EPP must submit to the Department a plan for addressing the areas in need of improvement within three (3) months of receiving full approval, minor stipulations. The Department shall annually review the EPP’s progress on the submitted plan for improvement. If the EPP has adequately addressed the areas in need of improvement the Department may recommend to the State Board removal of the minor stipulations for the remainder of the approval period of the EPP. If within a three (3)-year period the Department determines the areas in need of improvement are not adequately addressed, then the EPP may be required to participate in an interim review. (b) Probationary approval, major stipulations. The EPP meets expectations on three (3) or more standards but falls below expectation on one (1) or more standard(s). An EPP that is issued probationary approval may recommend candidates for licensure but shall submit to the Department an improvement plan for addressing the areas in need of improvement within three (3) months of receiving probationary approval status from the State Board. Each year, the EPP shall present evidence that the provider is implementing the improvement plan and making progress toward meeting expectations. The EPP shall also participate in a focused review within three (3) years of receiving probationary approval from the State Board. The EPP shall not submit SAP proposals for conditional approval until the Department determines all deficiencies have been adequately addressed. The EPP shall specifically report on the progress made in each area of deficiency on their annual report for the three (3) years following the issuance of probationary approval. (c) Denial of approval. The EPP falls below expectations on two (2) or more standards. EPPs that are denied approval shall no longer enroll new candidates for licensure and shall notify all current candidates of the denial of approval status of its program. Denied EPPs may continue to serve candidates who can complete the program by the end of the semester that falls twelve (12) months after the date of the denial of approval. The EPP shall assist candidates who are unable to complete the program within this period in transferring to another degree program at the institution or to another approved EPP. The EPP may not re-apply for conditional approval for at least three (3) years from the date of denial. (4) The Department shall manage an interim review process for EPPs or individual SAPs that have been identified as performing below expectations on the annual report for a minimum of two (2) consecutive years at any point. The Department may manage an interim review process for EPPs with initial approval that perform below expectations as reported on the annual report at any point during the initial approval period. Following an interim review, the Department may make a recommendation for approval status change, including denial of approval, to the State Board. (5) The Department shall manage a focused review process for EPPs or individual SAPs that receive probationary approval based on the comprehensive review. The Department shall appoint a review team responsible for reviewing the EPP’s progress on implementation of the required improvement plan. As a result of a focused review, the Department may make an approval status change recommendation, including denial of approval, to the State Board. (6) If an EPP refuses to participate in any required review, the Department may make a recommendation for approval status change, including denial of approval, to the State Board. (7) EPPs shall annually submit to the Department the following: EDUCATOR PREPARATION CHAPTER 0520-02-04 (a) Any substantial changes to the approved EPP or SAP(s), including changes to accreditation status, parent organization, primary partnerships, the requirements for selection, structure of the program of study, clinical requirements, or candidate assessment systems; (b) Contact information, including primary contact information and verification of the designated head of the EPP and approved certification or licensure officers; and (c) Progress reports addressing any stipulations, including all required focused or interim reviews, identified in the most recent comprehensive review, if applicable. (8) Each EPP shall annually verify or submit all information identified by the Department for inclusion in an annual report. Annual reports provide evidence of performance of the provider and SAP or clusters of SAPs and shall include, at a minimum, the following: (a) Metrics related to recruitment and selection of candidates, such as selectivity characteristics; (b) Goals related to the recruitment and program retention of candidates from underrepresented demographics including race, ethnicity, and sex; (c) Information on completer and job-embedded candidate employment in qualifying positions in Tennessee public schools; (d) Completer and job-embedded candidate retention in Tennessee public schools following initial employment; (e) Results from a program completer satisfaction survey; (f) Results from an employer satisfaction survey administered to all primary partner LEAs and/or CMOs and any LEA or CMO employing more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the program completer cohort; (g) Completer outcomes including, but not limited to, program completion rates and pass rates on required licensure assessments; (h) Job-embedded candidate outcomes, if applicable, including but not limited to pass rates on required licensure assessments; and (i) Completer and job-embedded candidate impact as measured by components of an approved Tennessee educator evaluation model including, but not limited to, overall levels of effectiveness, observation scores, and individual growth scores. (9) EPPs with approved instructional leader preparation programs shall annually verify or submit all information identified by the Department for inclusion in the annual report. The Department shall, at a minimum, include the following ILPP metrics in the annual report: (a) Metrics related to recruitment and selection; (b) Information on employment and retention, including the percentage of completers employed in a qualifying instructional leadership position and the percentage of completers retained in a qualifying instructional leadership position after initial employment as a leader; (c) Results from a program completer satisfaction survey; EDUCATOR PREPARATION CHAPTER 0520-02-04 (d) Results from an employer satisfaction survey administered to all primary partner LEAs and/or CMOs; (e) Completer outcomes including, but not limited to, program completion rates and pass rates on required licensure assessments; and (f) Completer impact as measured by components of an approved Tennessee educator evaluation model.