PURPOSE: The State Board of Education is authorized to grant certificates of license to be a professional educator in any of the public schools of the state and establish requirements and qualifications for those certificates. This rule provides procedures and standards for approval and accreditation of educator preparation programs in Missouri. SECONDARY EDUCATION

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The secretary of state has determined that the publication of the entire text of the material which is incorporated by reference as a portion of this rule would be unduly cumbersome or expensive. This material as incorporated by reference in this rule shall be maintained by the agency at its headquarters and shall be made available to the public for inspection and copying at no more than the actual cost of reproduction. This note applies only to the reference material. The entire text of the rule is printed here.

1. (1) Educator preparation programs in Missouri shall be approved and accredited according to the Missouri Standards for the Preparation of Educators (MoSPE), (November 2012), and are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this rule, as published by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Educator Preparation, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480. This rule does not incorporate any subsequent amendments or additions.
2. (2) For the purpose of this rule, the official definition for all terms will be those articulated in MoSPE unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

3. (3) Initial Approval.

   1. (A) An educator preparation program seeking initial approval to offer either a traditional or an alternative professional education program shall submit a written proposal to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (department) addressing the elements discussed in this section. All such programs shall be reviewed by the department and approved by the State Board of Education (board) pursuant to MoSPE and as outlined below. Only those programs which the department determines to have merit and potential for providing quality preparation for candidate certification will be considered for approval. The proposals should include at a minimum the following elements:

      1. 1. A description of the proposed pro-

gram based upon a statement of the purpose and objectives for an area of the public school curriculum and a statement of the nature of the proposed program that is consistent with those objectives, the mission of the organization, and the conceptual framework for the educator preparation programs. These statements shall be based on analyses of current practices and trends in the identified area of the public school curriculum;

1. 2. A clearly formulated statement of the

competencies for educators in the identified area of the public school curriculum. These competencies shall include subject knowledge and professional skills based upon current research and practice and shall include the competencies for educators identified in the MoSPE adopted by the board;

1. 3. Curriculum matrix delineating the

courses and supervised field and clinical experiences prescribed to address competencies appropriate for candidates to meet state certification requirements, a description of the process by which the candidates will be prepared, and provisions for assessing candidates and keeping records of their progress through the program;

1. 4. Identification of the administrative

structure of the proposed program indicating where the responsibility is vested in the educator preparation program;

1. 5. Clearly identified resources as stipu-

lated by MoSPE to support the program. The continuing availability of the resources shall be assured for the duration of the program. Any resources not under the control of the program shall be defined and confirmed by the controlling agency; and

1. 6. A written plan for the continuing

evaluation of the proposed program that includes definition and specifications of the kinds of evidence that will be gathered and reported to the organization and the department at designated intervals. Evaluation reports shall provide information to identify areas in the program that need to be strengthened and/or to suggest new directions for program development.

1. (4) Accreditation.

   1. (A) Upon receiving initial approval, an educator preparation program must begin the process of seeking accreditation through the collection and submission of data in the form of annual reports consistent with the rules and regulations promulgated by the board.
   2. (B) Based upon this reporting, the commissioner shall recommend to the board that an approved educator preparation program be accredited, provisionally accredited, or unaccredited. The commissioner’s recommendation shall not include the removal of accreditation of programs for which the program was not afforded an opportunity for a hearing according to the provisions of Chapter 536, RSMo.
   3. (C) The commissioner shall review the Annual Performance Report and may request additional information before recommendations are made to the board.
   4. (D) The commissioner may authorize an interim review of an educator preparation program in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the board. As a result of the review, and upon the recommendation of the commissioner, the board may revoke the approval and accreditation thereby removing an educator preparation program’s authorization to recommend candidates for certification.
   5. (E) Should the board disapprove any educator preparation program and/or one (1) or more of their individual areas of certification, the commissioner shall notify the program of the decision and inform the educator preparation program with reasons for the decision.
   6. (F) Requisite conditions, guidelines, procedures, and standards, as set forth in the rules and regulations promulgated by the board, shall be followed by any educator preparation program seeking board approval.

2. (5) Alternative Program Considerations.

   1. (A) Alternative programs shall abide by and be evaluated according to the Missouri Standards for the Preparation of Educators included in rules promulgated by the board.
   2. (B) Educator preparation programs shall be authorized to recommend for Initial Professional Certification (IPC) certificates of license candidates who complete approved alternative certification programs in accordance with the rules promulgated by the board.

   3. (C) An individual may become a candidate in an alternative certification program upon meeting the following criteria:

      1. 1. The individual shall have earned a

bachelor’s or higher degree in the content area or a closely allied field of the desired certificate of license from a regionally accredited institution and shall have a cumulative grade point average no lower than the Missouri requirements as stipulated in the MoSPE standards, which is incorporated by reference into this rule. The individual shall participate in a structured interview conducted by the educator preparation program for screening, diagnostic, and advising purposes;

1. 2. The individual shall undergo a back-

ground check conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (Highway Patrol) and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which includes submitting to the department the required information in a manner acceptable to the Highway Patrol and/or FBI and paying the required fees; and

1. 3. The candidate shall enter into a four-

(4-) party academic contract with the educator preparation program offering the alternative program, an employing Missouri school district and the department, whereupon s/he shall receive a two- (2-) year provisional certificate of license to teach and shall—

1. A. Be assigned by the school district

a mentor who is engaged in professional education work comparable to the area the candidate is seeking certification for and who will observe and work with the candidate until the candidate completes the alternative program;

1. B. Receive any additional assistance,

as determined by the educator preparation program, until the candidate completes the alternative program;

1. C. Participate in the employing school

district’s professional development programs;

1. D. Participate in the employing

school district’s performance evaluation system; and

1. E. Prior to the expiration of her/his

provisional certificate of license, the candidate must successfully complete the exit assessment(s) designated by the board for the IPC certificate of license.

AUTHORITY: sections 161.092 and 168.021, RSMo Supp. 2012, and sections 161.097 and 161.099, RSMo 2000.* Original rule filed Aug. 28, 2012, effective March 30, 2013. *Original authority: 161.092, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 2002, 2003; 161.097, RSMo 1985; 161.099, RSMo 1993; and 168.021, RSMo 1963, amended 1973, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011.