1. (a) Accountability performance indicators. The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) shall determine the accreditation status of an educator preparation program (EPP) at least annually, based on the following accountability performance indicators, disaggregated by demographic group and other requirements of this chapter and determined with the formulas and calculations included in the figure provided in §229.1(c) of this title (relating to General Provisions and Purpose of Accountability System for Educator Preparation Programs). Data will be used only if the following indicators were included in the accountability system for that academic year. Except for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years, when the data described in paragraphs (1)-(5) of this subsection will be reported to EPPs and will not be used to determine accreditation statuses, EPP accreditation statuses shall be based on:

   1. (1) the EPP candidates' performance on pedagogy tests and content pedagogy tests. The EPP candidates' performance on pedagogy tests and content pedagogy tests shall provide separate accountability performance indicators for EPPs;

      1. (A) For both pedagogy tests and content pedagogy tests, the performance standard shall be the percent of individuals admitted after December 26, 2016, who passed an examination within the first two attempts, including those examinations attempted after the individual has completed the EPP or when the EPP has not recommended the individual for a standard certificate. The pass rate is based solely on the examinations approved by the EPP. Examinations taken before admission to the EPP or specific examinations taken for pilot purposes are not included in the pass rate.
      2. (B) For pedagogy tests, the performance standard shall be a pass rate of 85%.
      3. (C) For content pedagogy tests, the performance standard shall be a pass rate of 75%.
   2. (2) the results of appraisals of first-year teachers by administrators, based on a survey in a form to be approved by the SBEC. The performance standard shall be 70% of first-year teachers from the EPP who are appraised as "sufficiently prepared" or "well prepared";
   3. (3) the growth of students taught by beginning teachers as indicated by the STAAR Annual Growth Points, determined at the student level as described in Figure: 19 TAC §97.1001(b) of Part II of this title (relating to Accountability Rating System), and aggregated at the teacher level as described in Figure: 19 TAC §229.1(c) of this title. For the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years, the performance standard shall be 60% of beginning teachers from the EPP reaching the individual performance threshold. For the 2026-2027 academic year, the performance standard shall be 65% of beginning teachers from the EPP reaching the individual performance threshold. Beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year, the performance standard shall be 70% of beginning teachers from the EPP reaching the individual performance threshold;

   4. (4) the results of data collections establishing EPP compliance with SBEC requirements regarding the frequency, duration, and quality of field supervision to candidates completing clinical teaching, residency, or an internship. The frequency and duration of field supervision shall provide one accountability performance indicator, and the quality of field supervision shall provide a separate accountability performance indicator;

      1. (A) The performance standard as to the frequency, duration, and required documentation of field supervision shall be that the EPP meets the requirements for 95% of the EPP's candidates. EPPs that do not meet the standard of 95% for the aggregated group or for any disaggregated demographic group but have only one candidate not meet the requirement in the aggregated or any disaggregated group has met the standard for that group.

         1. (i) For the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years, individuals will be evaluated against the frequency and duration requirements in Chapter 228 of this title (relating to Requirements for Educator Preparation Programs) that were effective August 31, 2024.
         2. (ii) Beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, individuals will be evaluated against the frequency and duration requirements in Chapter 228, Subchapter F, of this title that were effective beginning September 1, 2024.
      2. (B) The performance standard for quality shall be 90% of candidates rating the field supervision as "frequently" or "always or almost always" providing the components of structural guidance and ongoing support; and
   5. (5) the results from a teacher satisfaction survey, in a form approved by the SBEC, of first-year teachers administered at the end of the first year of teaching as a teacher of record. The performance standard shall be 70% of teachers responding that they were "sufficiently prepared" or "well prepared" by their EPP.

2. (b) Accreditation status assignment. All approved EPPs may be assigned an accreditation status based on their performance in the Accountability System for Educator Preparation Programs (ASEP) Index system, as described in Figure: 19 TAC §229.1(c) of this title.

   1. (1) Accredited status. An EPP shall be assigned an Accredited status if the EPP has met the standard of 85% of the possible points in the ASEP Index system as described in Figure: 19 TAC §229.1(c) of this title and has been approved by the SBEC to prepare, train, and recommend candidates for certification.

   2. (2) Accredited-Not Rated status.

      1. (A) An EPP shall be assigned Accredited-Not Rated status upon initial approval to offer educator preparation, until the EPP can be assigned a status based on the ASEP Index system as described in Figure: 19 TAC §229.1(c) of this title. An EPP is fully accredited and may recommend candidates for certification while it is in Accredited-Not Rated status.

      2. (B) An EPP shall be assigned Accredited-Not Rated status in any reporting year in which the EPP candidate group, aggregated or disaggregated by demographic group, does not meet the necessary number of individuals needed to measure against performance standards for that year, for all indicators.

         1. (i) Any sanction assigned as a result of an Accredited-Warned or Accredited-Probation status in the prior year shall continue unless the SBEC modifies the sanction as deemed necessary based on subsequent performance.
         2. (ii) If the EPP is assigned a status of Accredited-Not Rated this shall not break a count of consecutively measured years for the purpose of paragraph (5)(A) of this subsection.

   3. (3) Accredited-Warned status.

      1. (A) An EPP shall be assigned Accredited-Warned status if the EPP accumulates 80% or greater but less than 85% of the possible points in the ASEP Index system as described in Figure: 19 TAC §229.1(c) of this title.
      2. (B) An EPP may be assigned Accredited-Warned status if the SBEC determines that the EPP has violated SBEC rules, orders, and/or Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 21.

   4. (4) Accredited-Probation status.

      1. (A) An EPP shall be assigned Accredited-Probation status if the EPP accumulates less than 80% of the possible points in the ASEP Index system as described in Figure: 19 TAC §229.1(c) of this title.
      2. (B) An EPP may be assigned Accredited-Probation status if the SBEC determines that the EPP has violated SBEC rules, orders, and/or TEC, Chapter 21.

   5. (5) Not Accredited-Revoked status.

      1. (A) An EPP shall be assigned Not Accredited-Revoked status and its approval to recommend candidates for educator certification revoked if it is assigned Accredited-Probation status for three consecutively measured years.
      2. (B) An EPP may be assigned Not Accredited-Revoked status if the EPP has been on Accredited-Probation status for one year, and the SBEC determines that revoking the EPP's approval is reasonably necessary to achieve the purposes of the TEC, §21.045 and §21.0451.
      3. (C) An EPP may be assigned Not Accredited-Revoked status if the EPP fails to pay the required ASEP technology fee by the deadline set by TEA as prescribed in §229.9(7) of this title (relating to Fees for Educator Preparation Program Approval and Accountability).
      4. (D) An EPP may be assigned Not Accredited-Revoked status if the SBEC determines that the EPP has violated SBEC rules, orders, and/or TEC, Chapter 21.
      5. (E) An assignment of Not Accredited-Revoked status and revocation of EPP approval to recommend candidates for educator certification is subject to the requirements of notice, record review, and appeal as described in this chapter.
      6. (F) A revocation of an EPP approval shall be effective for a period of two years from the closure date, after which a program may reapply for approval as a new EPP pursuant to Chapter 228 of this title (relating to Requirements for Educator Preparation Programs).
      7. (G) Upon revocation of EPP approval, the EPP shall submit a letter as described in §228.21(a)(1) of this title (relating to Program Consolidation or Closure) no later than 14 days after the revocation identifying a closure date. If a letter is not submitted within 14 days after the revocation, the closure date shall be the last day of the current academic year.
      8. (H) Upon revocation of EPP approval, the EPP shall adhere to the requirements for program closure contained in §228.21 of this title.

3. (c) Small group exception.

   1. (1) For purposes of accreditation status determination, the performance of an EPP candidate group, aggregated or disaggregated by demographic group, shall be measured against performance standards described in this chapter in any one year in which the number of individuals in the group exceeds 10. The small group exception does not apply to compliance with the frequency and duration of field supervisor observations.
   2. (2) For an EPP candidate group, aggregated or disaggregated by demographic group, where the group contains 10 or fewer individuals, the group's performance shall not be counted for purposes of accreditation status determination for that academic year based on only that year's group performance.
   3. (3) If the current year's EPP candidate group, aggregated or disaggregated by demographic group, contained between one and 10 individuals, that group performance shall be combined with the group performance from the next most recent prior year subsequent to the 2020-2021 academic year for which there was at least one individual, and if the two-year cumulated group contains more than 10 individuals, then the two-year cumulated group performance must be measured against the standards in the current year. The two-year cumulated group shall not include group performance from years prior to the 2021-2022 academic year.
   4. (4) If the two-year cumulated EPP candidate group described in subsection (c)(3) of this section, aggregated or disaggregated by demographic group, contains between one and 10 individuals, then the two-year cumulated group performance shall be combined with the next most recent group performance subsequent to the 2020-2021 academic year for which there was at least one individual. The three-year cumulated group performance must be measured against the standards in the current year, regardless of how small the cumulated number of group members may be. When evaluating a three-year cumulated group of fewer than 10 individuals, the candidate group will be measured against the performance standard of the current year, or a performance standard of up to one candidate failing to meet the requirement, whichever is more favorable. The three-year cumulated group performance shall not include group performance from years prior to the 2021-2022 academic year.
   5. (5) In any reporting year in which subsection (c)(3) or (4) of this section results in an evaluation against the standard and the evaluated cumulated group does not meet the performance standard, the current year candidate group is separately evaluated against the performance standard. If the current year candidate group meets the performance standard, then the failure does not count as an additional consecutively measured year for the purposes of the ASEP Index as described in Figure: 19 TAC §229.1(c) of this title or for §229.5(c) of this title (relating to Accreditation Sanctions and Procedures). If the current year candidate group does not meet the performance standard, then the failure does count as an additional consecutively measured year for the purposes of the ASEP Index and for §229.5(c) of this title.

Source Note:The provisions of this §229.4 adopted to be effective April 18, 2010, 35 TexReg 2849; amended to be effective October 26, 2014, 39 TexReg 8395; amended to be effective March 22, 2015, 40 TexReg 1375; amended to be effective December 27, 2016, 41 TexReg 10302; amended to be effective March 6, 2019, 44 TexReg 1120; amended to be effective December 22, 2019, 44 TexReg 7689; amended to be effective December 27, 2020, 45 TexReg 9180; amended to be effective December 26, 2021, 46 TexReg 8721; amended to be effective December 29, 2022, 47 TexReg 8662; amended to be effective January 8, 2024, 49 TexReg 39; amended to be effective January 7, 2025, 50 TexReg 146; amended to be effective January 5, 2026, 51 TexReg 127.