1. (1) "Candidate" means an individual enrolled in an approved educator preparation program who is working toward completing the requirements for a Utah professional educator license.

2. (2) "Clinical experience" means a structured opportunity in which:

   1. (a) a licensed educator mentors a program candidate;
   2. (b) a school or district administrator or institution of higher education preparation program faculty member with appropriate training evaluates program candidates; and
   3. (c) a program candidate develops and demonstrates competency in the skills and knowledge necessary to be an effective educator.
3. (3) "Competency" means evidence of successful application of knowledge and skills shown through demonstration in a higher education or prek-12 classroom setting.
4. (4) "Completer" means a candidate who has completed licensure requirements and been endorsed for licensure by an approved educator preparation program.

5. (5)(a) "Educator preparation program" means a comprehensive program administered by an entity that is intended to prepare individuals to meet the requirements for a Utah professional license or license area of concentration.

   1. (b) "Educator preparation program" may include a program developed by or associated with an institution of higher education, individual LEA, a consortium of LEAs, or the Board.
6. (6) "Flexibility," for alternative preparation programs, means the process by which a program exercises local decision-making to design and implement focused options to meet program and applicant licensing needs, without adding additional requirements beyond those outlined in Board rule, and allowing a teacher to demonstrate competency where reasonably possible in lieu of coursework or other requirements, consistent with the purpose of Board licensing rules.
7. (7) "LEA" includes, for purposes of this rule, the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
8. (8) "License area" has the same meaning as set forth in Subsection R277-301-2(6).
9. (9) "Low rates of passage," as described in Subsection 53E-6-302(8) and this rule, means a university preparation program with less than a 75% passage rate of the science of reading preparation assessment for teaching candidates.
10. (10) "Mentor" means an educator with a professional license with training that may include how to advise, coach, consult, and guide the development of a new educator.
11. (11) "Professional license" means the educator license described in Section R277-301-5.

KEY: educator preparation program

Date of Last Change: November 21, 2025

Notice of Continuation: June 10, 2025

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: Art X Sec 3; 53E-3-401(4); 53E-6-201(3)(a)