1. (a) The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) is responsible for establishing standards to govern the continuing accountability of all educator preparation programs. This chapter governs the accreditation of entities that prepare individuals for educator certification.
2. (b) The purpose of the accountability system for educator preparation is to assure that entities are held accountable for the readiness for certification of individuals completing the programs. An educator preparation program is defined as an entity approved by the State Board for Educator Certification to recommend candidates for certification in one or more certification fields. At a minimum, accreditation is based on the performance of candidates for certification on examinations prescribed under Texas Education Code (TEC) §21.048(a) and beginning educators' performance on the appraisal system for beginning teachers adopted by the Board under TEC §21.045(a). The Board may adopt additional measures. Each entity is required to file an annual report of performance indicators. An entity will receive commendations for success in areas identified by the Board.

3. (c) The ASEP Advisory Committee is established under TEC §21.040(3) (relating to general powers and duties of Board), §21.041(a) (relating to rules and fees), and §21.045 (relating to accountability system for educator preparation programs) and Government Code Chapter 2110 (relating to advisory committees) for the purpose of providing advice to the Board and executive director and to fulfill duties specified in this chapter.

   1. (1) The advisory committee shall be appointed by the Board and comprise a balanced representation of educator preparation entities, other organizations, and the public, as appropriate.
   2. (2) The executive director shall convene the advisory committee, or a subcommittee thereof, as necessary to complete assigned tasks and to provide ongoing advice concerning accountability and related issues. Members of a subcommittee formed to fulfill duties specified in this chapter shall be appointed by the advisory committee by vote of the committee. After completing an assigned task, the committee shall report to the Board and the executive director within a reasonable time but in no case later than the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board, unless the executive director grants an extension.
   3. (3) The executive director or a designee shall annually evaluate the advisory committee's work, usefulness, and costs and appropriately report the findings of the evaluation under Government Code Chapter 2110 (relating to advisory committees).
   4. (4) The advisory committee shall be abolished on January 1, 2006, unless continued by amendment providing a different abolishment date.
4. (d) The standard procedures by which the executive director may sanction an educator preparation program that fails to comply with the provisions of the chapter, up to and including a reduction in the accreditation rating, are described in the "ASEP User's Manual," published May 2000 by the agency, and "Texas Title II Reporting Manual," published May 2001 by the agency.
5. (e) The following effective dates apply to the implementation of this chapter. Section 229.1 is effective beginning February 1, 2002. Sections 229.2-7 are effective beginning September 1, 2002. Sections 229.8-12 are effective beginning February 1, 2002, and expire August 31, 2002.

Source Note:The provisions of this §229.1 adopted to be effective February 3, 2002, 27 TexReg 603.