ARC 5330C

ARC 5330C

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT[281]

Adopted and Filed

Rule making related to educator preparation program standards

The State Board of Education hereby amends Chapter 79, "Standards for Practitioner and Administrator Preparation Programs," Iowa Administrative Code.

Legal Authority for Rule Making

This rule making is adopted under the authority provided in Iowa Code sections 256.7(3) and 256.16(3).

State or Federal Law Implemented

This rule making implements, in whole or in part, 2020 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2360 and House File 2359.

Purpose and Summary

Chapter 79 outlines the standards and program requirements that all traditional educator preparation programs must meet in order to be approved to prepare educators in Iowa. Compliance with these standards is required and is evaluated during each educator preparation program's approval review. The standards are also applied in an annual reporting system. This rule making updates the standards to remain current with national standards for educator preparation and align with Board of Educational Examiners rules for licensure. This rule making also incorporates required elements of 2020 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2360 and House File 2359.

Public Comment and Changes to Rule Making

Notice of Intended Action for this rule making was published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin on August 26, 2020, as ARC 5148C. A public hearing was held on September 15, 2020, at 4 p.m.in the ICN Room, Second Floor, Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa, with an option to participate by video conference. No one attended the public hearing.

The Department of Education received one written comment, which was largely supportive of the rule making but raised one concern. The commenter asked the purpose of specifically referencing substance use in the description of students at risk of school failure, as opposed to other types of risk.

The language referenced by the commenter is taken from the underlying statute and is illustrative and nonexhaustive. For that reason, no change is ordered at this time.

No changes from the Notice have been made.

Adoption of Rule Making

This rule making was adopted by the State Board on November 18, 2020.

Fiscal Impact

This rule making has no fiscal impact to the State of Iowa. The Department of Education estimates that practitioner candidates are estimated to save at least $250,000 per year.

Jobs Impact

After analysis and review of this rule making, no impact on jobs has been found.

Waivers

Any person who believes that the application of the discretionary provisions of this rule making would result in hardship or injustice to that person may petition the State Board for a waiver of the discretionary provisions, if any, pursuant to 281—Chapter 4.

Review by Administrative Rules Review Committee

The Administrative Rules Review Committee, a bipartisan legislative committee which oversees rule making by executive branch agencies, may, on its own motion or on written request by any individual or group, review this rule making at its regular monthly meeting or at a special meeting. The Committee's meetings are open to the public, and interested persons may be heard as provided in Iowa Code section 17A.8(6).

Effective Date

This rule making will become effective on January 20, 2021.

The following rule-making actions are adopted:

Item 1. Amend rule 281—79.2(256), definitions of "College/university supervisors" and "Unit," as follows:

"College/university supervisors" means qualified employees or individuals contracted by the college or university offering teacher educator preparation who provide guidance and supervision to teacher candidates during the candidates' clinical experiences in the schools.

"Unit" means the organizational entity within an institution with the responsibility of administering and delivering the all practitioner preparation program(s) programs.

Item 2. Rescind the definition of "ELPS" in rule 281—79.2(256).

Item 3. Amend paragraph 79.13(4)"a" as follows:

a. Entrance into the program (for teacher education, this includes a preprofessional skills test offered by a nationally recognized testing service. Institutions must deny admission to any candidate who does not successfully meet the institution's passing score requirement). If a unit chooses to use a preprofessional skills test from a nationally recognized testing service for admission into the program, the unit must report passing rates and remediation measures annually to the department.

Item 4. Amend paragraph 79.14(7)"a" as follows:

a. Includes a full-time experience for a minimum of 14 consecutive weeks in duration during the teacher candidate's final year of the teacher preparation program.

Item 5. Amend subrule 79.15(2) as follows:

79.15(2) Each teacher candidate receives dedicated coursework related to the study of human relations, cultural competency, and diverse learners, such that the candidate is prepared to work with students from diverse groups, as defined in rule 281—79.2(256). The unit shall provide evidence that teacher candidates develop the ability to identify and meet the needs of all learners, including:

a. Students from diverse ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

b. Students with disabilities. This will include preparation in developing and implementing individualized education programs and behavioral intervention plans, preparation for educating individuals in the least restrictive environment and identifying that environment, and strategies that address difficult and violent student behavior and improve academic engagement and achievement.

c. Students who are struggling with literacy, including those with dyslexia.

d. Students who are gifted and talented.

e. English language learners.

f. Students who may be at risk of not succeeding in school. This preparation will include classroom management addressing high-risk behaviors including, but not limited to, behaviors related to substance abuse.

Item 6. Amend rule 281—79.16(256) as follows:

281—79.16(256) Administrator preparation clinical practice standard. The unit and its school partners shall provide clinical experiences that assist candidates in becoming successful school administrators in accordance with the following provisions.

79.16(1) The unit ensures that clinical experiences occurring in all locations are well-sequenced, purposeful, supervised by appropriately qualified personnel, monitored by the unit, and integrated into unit standards. These expectations are shared with candidates, supervisors and cooperating administrators.:

a. Principal candidates successfully complete clinical experiences that provide candidates with opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in subrule 79.17(2) in ways that approximate the full range of responsibilities required of building-level leaders and enable them to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult in their school.

b. Superintendent candidates successfully complete clinical experiences that provide candidates opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in subrule 79.17(3) in ways that approximate the full range of responsibilities required of district-level leaders and enable them to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult in their district.

79.16(2) The unit ensures that clinical experiences occurring in all locations are coherent, authentic, sustained, and purposeful opportunities that are monitored by the unit. These expectations are shared with candidates, supervisors and cooperating administrators.

79.16(2) 79.16(3) Candidates are supervised by knowledgeable and qualified practitioners. The PK-12 school and the unit share responsibility for selecting, preparing, evaluating, supporting, evaluating, and retaining both:

a. High‐quality college/university supervisors, and

b. High-quality cooperating administrators.

79.16(3) 79.16(4) Cooperating administrators and college/university supervisors share responsibility for evaluating the candidate's achievement of unit standards. Clinical experiences are structured to have multiple performance‐based assessments at key points within the program to demonstrate candidates' attainment of unit standards.

79.16(4) 79.16(5) Clinical experiences include all of the following criteria:

a. A minimum of 400 hours during the candidate's preparation program.

b. Take place with appropriately licensed cooperating administrators in state-approved schools or educational facilities.

c. Take place in multiple high-quality educational settings that include diverse populations and students of different age groups.

d. Include minimum documented expectations and responsibilities for cooperating administrators, school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, or AEAs and for higher education supervising faculty members.

e. Include prescribed minimum expectations and responsibilities of the candidate for ethical performance of both leadership and management tasks. Provide opportunities for candidates to apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions identified in subrules 79.17(2) and 79.17(3).

f. The involvement of the administrator candidate in relevant responsibilities to include demonstration of the capacity to facilitate the use of assessment data in affecting student learning.

g. Involve the candidate in professional meetings and other school-based activities directed toward the improvement of teaching and learning.

h. Involve the candidate in communication and interaction with parents or guardians, community members, faculty and staff, and cooperating administrators in the school.

79.16(5) 79.16(6) The institution annually delivers one or more professional development opportunities for cooperating administrators to define the objectives of the field experience, review the responsibilities of the cooperating administrator, build skills in coaching and mentoring, and provide the cooperating administrator other information and assistance the institution deems necessary. The professional development opportunities incorporate feedback from participants and utilize appropriate delivery strategies.

79.16(6) 79.16(7) The institution shall enter into a written contract with the cooperating school districts that provide field experiences for administrator candidates.

Item 7. Amend rule 281—79.17(256) as follows:

281—79.17(256) Administrator knowledge, skills, and dispositions standard. Administrator candidates shall demonstrate the content, pedagogical, and professional knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to help all students learn in accordance with the following provisions.

79.17(1) Each educational administrator program shall define program standards (aligned with current NELP standards) and embed them in coursework and clinical experiences at a level appropriate for a novice administrator.

79.17(2) Each principal candidate demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to:

a. Collaboratively lead, design, and implement a school mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community. (Mission, Vision, and Improvement)

b. Advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate and enact professional norms. (Ethics and Professional Norms)

c. Develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive school culture. (Equity, Inclusiveness, and Cultural Responsiveness)

d. Evaluate, develop, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, and assessment. (Learning and Instruction)

e. Strengthen student learning, support school improvement, and advocate for the needs of the school and community. (Community and External Leadership)

f. Improve management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems to develop and improve data-informed and equitable school resource plans and to apply laws, policies, and regulations. (Operations and Management)

g. Build the school's professional capacity, engage staff in the development of a collaborative professional culture, and improve systems of staff supervision, evaluation, support, and professional learning. (Building Professional Capacity)

79.17(3) Each superintendent candidate demonstrates competency in all of the following professional core curricula:

a. Collaboratively lead, design, and implement a district mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, values, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community. (District Mission, Vision, and Improvement)

b. Advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate professional norms and culture. (Ethics and Professional Norms)

c. Develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive district culture. (Equity, Inclusiveness, and Cultural Responsiveness)

d. Evaluate, design, cultivate, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, assessment, and instructional leadership. (Learning and Instruction)

e. Understand and engage families, communities, and other constituents in the work of schools and the district and to advocate for district, student, and community needs. (Community and External Leadership)

f. Develop, monitor, evaluate, and manage data-informed and equitable district systems for operations, resources, technology, and human capital management. (Operations and Management)

g. Cultivate relationships, lead collaborative decision making and governance, and represent and advocate for district needs in broader policy conversations. (Policy, Governance, and Advocacy)

79.17(2) 79.17(4) Each new administrator candidate successfully completes the appropriate evaluator training provided by a state-approved evaluator trainer.

79.17(3) 79.17(5) Each administrator candidate demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to support the implementation of the Iowa core.

79.17(4) 79.17(6) Each administrator candidate demonstrates, within specific coursework and clinical experiences related to the study of human relations, cultural competency, and diverse learners, that the candidate is prepared, the ability to work develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive district culture with students and staff from diverse groups, as defined in rule 281—79.2(256). The unit shall provide evidence that administrator candidates develop the ability to meet the needs of all learners, as well as ensuring teachers meet the needs of diverse learners, including:

a. Students from diverse ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

b. Students with disabilities. This will include preparation in developing and implementing individualized education programs and behavioral intervention plans, preparation for educating individuals in the least restrictive environment and identifying that environment, and strategies that address difficult and violent student behavior and improve academic engagement and achievement.

c. Students who are struggling with literacy, including those with dyslexia.

c. d.Students who are gifted and talented.

d. e.English language learners.

e. f.Students who may be at risk of not succeeding in school. This preparation will include classroom management addressing high-risk behaviors including, but not limited to, behaviors related to substance abuse.

79.17(5) 79.17(7) Each administrator candidate meets all requirements established by the board of educational examiners for any endorsement for which the candidate is recommended. Programs shall submit curriculum exhibit sheets for approval by the board of educational examiners and the department.

Item 8. Amend subrule 79.21(2) as follows:

79.21(2) Each candidate demonstrates, within specific coursework and clinical experiences related to the study of human relations, cultural competency, and diverse learners, that the candidate is prepared to work with students from diverse groups, as defined in rule 281—79.2(256). The unit shall provide evidence that candidates develop the ability to meet the needs of all learners, including:

a. Students from diverse ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

b. Students with disabilities. This will include preparation in developing and implementing individualized education programs and behavioral intervention plans, preparation for educating individuals in the least restrictive environment and identifying that environment, and strategies that address difficult and violent student behavior and improve academic engagement and achievement.

c. Students who are struggling with literacy, including those with dyslexia.

c. d.Students who are gifted and talented.

d. e.English language learners.

e. f.Students who may be at risk of not succeeding in school. This preparation will include classroom management addressing high-risk behaviors including, but not limited to, behaviors related to substance abuse.

[Filed 11/18/20, effective 1/20/21]

[Published 12/16/20]

Editor's Note: For replacement pages for IAC, see IAC Supplement 12/16/20.