1. A. There are three options for obtaining review and approval of credit-bearing online courses and professional development courses.

2. B. Options for Obtaining Review and Approval.

   1. (1) Departmental Review and Approval.

      1. (a) A vendor may request a Department review of an online credit-bearing course or professional development course.
      2. (b) Department review shall be conducted by a panel of at least three content experts, one of whom shall be a reviewer trained to conduct such reviews.
      3. (c) Department review shall include an assessment of the accessibility of the course.
      4. (d) A vendor seeking Department approval of an online or professional development course shall pay a nonrefundable fixed fee of $1,400 to the Department to cover the cost of a review.
      5. (e) The Department reserves the right to review previously approved courses every 3 years.
      6. (f) The Department reserves the right to determine which courses will be reviewed based on student and local education agency need.

   2. (2) Local Education Agency Review and Approval Process.

      1. (a) A vendor may request an LEA review of an online credit-bearing course or professional development course.
      2. (b) The LEA review shall be conducted by a panel of at least three content experts, one of whom must be a reviewer trained to conduct such reviews as designated by the Department.
      3. (c) The LEA review shall include an assessment of the accessibility of the course.
      4. (d) An LEA may establish a reasonable fee to cover the cost of a review.
      5. (e) After conducting the review, the LEA shall submit its review and recommendation for approval to the Department for final approval.
      6. (f) To cover the cost of the final review, the LEA shall submit to the Department 15 percent of the fee it collected from the vendor.
      7. (g) The LEA reserves the right to determine which courses will be reviewed based on student need.

   3. (3) MSDE-Approved Reviewing Program.

      1. (a) A vendor may request an MSDE-Approved Reviewing Program review of an online credit-bearing course or a professional development course that includes an assessment of the accessibility of the course.
      2. (b) After the review is completed, the MSDE-Approved Reviewing Program shall submit the review documentation to MSDE.
      3. (c) The vendor shall pay a fee of $360 to the Department to cover the cost of the final review.

Authority: Education Article, §§2-205 and 7-1002, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: April 1, 2013 (40:6 Md. R. 474)

Chapter revised effective October 28, 2013 (40:21 Md. R. 1779)