Section 40. Standards for biennial approval of education programs

Part IV. Standards for Biennial Approval of Education Programs

Approved education programs in Virginia shall have national accreditation or be accredited by a process approved by the Board of Education and demonstrate achievement biennially of the following accountability measures:

1. Candidate progress and performance on prescribed Board of Education licensure assessments. Candidate passing rates, reported by percentages, shall not fall below 70% biennially for individuals completing and exiting the program. Achievement of an 80% biennial passing rate shall be required by July 1, 2010. Candidates completing a program shall have successfully completed all coursework, required assessments, including those prescribed by the Board of Education, and supervised student teaching or internship. Candidates exiting a program shall have successfully completed all coursework, regardless of whether the individuals attempted, passed, or failed required assessments, including those prescribed by the Board of Education, and/or who may not have completed supervised student teaching or required internship.

2. Candidate progress and performance on an assessment of basic skills as prescribed by the Board of Education for individuals seeking entry into an approved education preparation program. Indicators of the achievement of this standard shall include the following:

a. Results on Board of Education prescribed entry-level assessments; and

b. Documentation that candidates enrolled in the program who fail to achieve a minimum score established by the Board of Education have the opportunity to address any deficiencies.

3. Structured and integrated field experiences to include student teaching requirements. Indicators of the achievement of this standard shall include the following:

a. Evidence that candidates receive quality structured and integrated field experiences that prepare them to work in diverse educational environments; and

b. Evidence that at least 300 clock hours of field experiences for initial programs (including early exposure to preK-12 classroom experiences) to include a minimum of 150 clock hours of directed student teaching requirements are provided. Programs in administration and supervision shall provide field experiences with a minimum of 320 clock hours as part of a deliberately structured internship over the duration of a preparation program. The majority of the school level supervised experience shall take place during the school day in concentrated blocks of time when preK-12 students are present.

4. Evidence of opportunities for candidates to participate in diverse school settings that provide experiences with populations that include racial, economic, linguistic, and ethnic diversity throughout the program experiences. The indicator of the achievement of this standard shall include evidence that the professional education programs provide opportunities for candidates to have program experiences in diverse school settings that provide experiences with populations that include racial, economic, linguistic, and ethnic diversity within each biennial period.

5. Evidence of contributions to preK-12 student achievement by candidates completing the program. Indicators of the achievement of this standard shall include the following:

a. Evidence to show that candidates know about, create, and use appropriate and effective assessments in teaching that shall provide dependable information about student achievement;

b. Evidence to document faculty have made provisions for evaluating effects that candidates have on preK-12 student learning in the context of teaching as they design unit assessment systems and assessments for each program; and

c. Evidence that the education program assesses candidates' mastery of exit criteria and performance proficiencies, including the ability to affect student learning, through the use of multiple sources of data such as a culminating experience, portfolios, interviews, videotaped and observed performance in schools, standardized tests, and course grades.

6. Evidence of employer job satisfaction with candidates completing the program. The indicator of the achievement of this standard shall include documentation that the education program has two years of evidence regarding candidate performance based on employer surveys.

7. Partnerships and collaborations based on preK-12 school needs. Indicators of the achievement of this standard shall include the following:

a. Documented evidence that the education program has established partnerships reflecting collaboratively designed program descriptions based on identified needs of the preK-12 community.

b. Documented evidence that the administration and supervision program collaborates with partnering schools to identify and select candidates for school leadership programs who meet local needs, demonstrate both potential for and interest in school leadership, and meet the qualifications for admission to advanced programs.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 23, Issue 25, eff. September 21, 2007.

Statutory Authority

§ 22.1-298.2 of the Code of Virginia.