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Oklahoma Administrative Code (Last Updated: March 11, 2021) |
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TITLE 210. State Department of Education |
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Chapter 20. Staff |
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Subchapter 11. Professional Standards: Accreditation Standards for Approved Teacher Education Programs |
SECTION 210:20-11-2. Specific Standards for Program Approval
Latest version.
- (b) The governance and administration of the total teacher education program standard is based on the premise that there must be a recognizable and functioning governance entity within the institution's administrative structure which has responsibility for designing, approving and continuously evaluating and developing teacher education programs. This governing unit may be a council, committee, department, school, college, or any other recognizable entity which includes the administration of teacher education as one if its functions.(1) The governing unit membership and responsibilities include the following:(A) Membership on the teacher education governing unit shall be defined by written policy to include:(i) a majority of the members who have teaching experience in public schools(ii) A majority of the members in the governance unit who are currently teacher education faculty members(iii) Some faculty members who shall represent the general education component(iv) A clearly defined process whereby faculty members and administrators become members and the terms of office.(B) The responsibilities of the teacher education governing unit shall be defined by written policy to include:(i) Responsibilities of the officers of the unit(ii) Responsibilities of the unit's standing committees(iii) Responsibilities in the following areas as they are related to teacher education(I) Admission/retention in teacher education(II) Student teaching (admission and placement)(III) Development of courses and program curricula(IV) Program review, evaluation and planning(C) The Director and the director's responsibilities shall include the following:(i) One person shall be designated as the official representative of teacher education at each institution.(ii) The authority and responsibilities of this individual shall be clearly defined in written policies.(D) Program review, evaluation and revision responsibilities include:(i) The governance unit shall conduct at least one systematic review, evaluation, and when appropriate, revision of all teacher education programs within each five-year approval period.(ii) The periodic program reviews and revisions shall be based on, but no limited to, stated goals and objectives.(iii) The process for conducting program review, evaluation and revision shall include, but not be limited to, participation by the following:(I) Teacher education faculty(II) Alumni of the programs(III) Students currently in the program(IV) Teachers and administrators from the public schools(E) Responsibilities related to the budget-making process and level of financial support shall include the following:(i) The budget-making process for all teacher education programs shall be clearly defined.(ii) Financial support for programs in teacher education shall be maintained by the institution at a level appropriate for a professional preparation program.(c) Teacher education faculty standards are as follows:(1) The majority of the teacher education faculty will meet the following criteria:(A) Shall be directly involved in the preparation of teachers or school service personnel(B) Shall be academically qualified in their assigned areas(C) Shall hold a terminal degree(D) Shall have teaching experience in the public schools(2) Faculty teaching or advising students in graduate programs shall hold a terminal degree.(3) Adjunct faculty shall meet the following requirements:(A) The institutional criteria for the employment of adjunct faculty utilized in the teacher education program shall be clearly defined.(B) Adjunct faculty shall be adequately qualified for assigned duties.(C) Adjunct faculty will be utilized in teacher education programs only in cases where such appointments strengthen the quality of those programs(4) Assignments and workloads shall meet the following standards. Exceptions to the following criteria shall be explained and justified within the institution's self-study report.(A) Faculty shall be assigned duties (teaching, administration, research, student advisement, etc.) only in areas where they have had an adequate background of academic training and/or experience.(B) Faculty whose primary responsibilities are in undergraduate programs should not be assigned a working load beyond the equivalent of 24 semester hours of teaching per academic year.(C) Faculty load credit for supervision of student teachers will be calculated on the basis of no more than two (2) student teachers equivalent to one semester hour. The student teaching experience shall be the equivalent of one (1) semester of at least twelve (12) weeks in the school environment. Enrollment in the student teaching sequence is generally considered to be two-thirds (2/3) FTE student enrollment for an academic semester. Faculty should not be assigned exclusively to the supervision of student teachers.(D) Faculty load credit for participation in residency committees will be calculated on the basis of a full year on one-residency committee. Faculty should not be assigned exclusively to the service on residency committees. Service of no more than two residency committees need not be considered as a part of faculty load if that service is designated as a faculty development activity. Participation on residency committees will be calculated on the basis of not more than two residency committees equivalent to one semester hour of faculty load.(E) Graduate faculty workloads should not exceed the equivalent of 18 semester hours of teaching per academic year.(5) Faculty support should meet the following criteria:(A) Support should be provided to allow faculty adequate time to plan, prepare for instruction, revise courses and conduct research. This support should be provided through:(i) Access to clerical and/or student assistance(ii) A policy which provides release time for faculty to conduct scholarly activities(iii) Materials, resources, office space, and equipment which are adequate to carry out essential functions in teacher education such as research, curriculum development, lesson preparation and student advisement.(B) Teacher education program budgets should permit faculty members to attend and participate in state, regional and/or national professional conferences and other professional activities.(6) Faculty Development (See Appendix of ACCREDITATION STANDARDS FOR APPROVED TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS handbook.)(d) Facilities and Instructional resources shall meet the following criteria:(1) Classrooms should be of appropriate size and design to serve their defined purposes for teacher education.(2) Library and media resources shall include the following:(A) As a principal resource for teaching and learning, the library holdings in teacher education shall include:(i) Professional journals(ii) Texts(iii) Reference works(iv) Curriculum guides/materials(v) Current elementary and secondary textbooks and other instructional materials which are sufficient in number and quality for the faculty and students served.(B) Acquisitions should be based on the recommendations of the faculty and national professional organizations.(C) Materials center and instructional media center(s) for teacher education shall be maintained either as a part of the library or as a separate unit(s).(3) Standards related to laboratories and facilities are as follows:(A) The institutions shall provide supplies and equipment specifically suited to the program and shall provide laboratory space where appropriate.(B) The institution shall have a written procedure for acquisition, maintenance and replacement of laboratory equipment used in teacher education programs.(C) The institution shall also provide supplies and equipment for activities such as videotaping, micro-teaching, and role-playing.(e) Student-related standards are as follows:(1) Admission to Teacher Education at the undergraduate level shall be designed to recruit a candidate with a strong commitment to teaching. Each admission shall be based on a professional assessment of the candidate using the criteria listed below:(A) A minimum grade point average of 2.50; however, each institution may develop, publish, and implement a written policy for persons who completed thirty (30) semester hours of college credit in an accredited institution of higher education at least five (5) year prior to application for admission to teacher education provided the student has the following:(i) A grade point average of 3.00 in the last thirty (30) semester hours of college work and(ii) A minimum of fifteen (15) semester hours in required courses in the area of specialization with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.(B) Evidence of adequate reading, writing and verbal communications skills demonstrated by appropriate academic course work and an interview with an Admission Committee(C) Expressed interest in teaching demonstrated by prior experiences and activities.(D) Evidence of personal traits that suggest potential for working with youth, with parents, and with other constituencies in education.(2) Admission to student teaching and placement in student teaching shall necessitate each institution to develop and implement a written policy which includes and clearly explains at least the following:(A) The semester hours to be completed prior to submitting an application to student teaching(B) Course work requirements prior to admission to/placement in student teaching(C) Grade point average requirement(s) prior to admission to, and placement in, student teaching(D) Pre-student teaching clinical experiences to be completed prior to student teaching (a minimum of 45 clock hours)(E) The office to which the application is to be submitted(F) The procedure and specific timeframe for securing admission to, and placement in student teaching.(3) Each institution shall develop and implement a set of policies and procedures to be followed in the administration of the student teaching experience, including:(A) The placement of student teachers(B) The supervision of students by college or university faculty members(C) The selection of cooperating teachers(D) Identifying and implementing appropriate student teaching (clinical) experiences(E) Determining how and by whom the student teaching experience is evaluated.(4) Admission to and retention in graduate level teacher education shall necessitate each institution to develop, publish, and implement a written policy which clearly defines criteria by which students are admitted to and retained in graduate teacher education programs and/or specific graduate certificate programs. These criteria shall meet or exceed admission and retention standards established for undergraduate programs.(5) Each institution shall develop and implement an appeals procedure for students in undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs.(6) Both graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in a teacher education program shall be advised on at least the following:(A) Admission(B) Retention(C) Degree requirements(D) Licensing/certification requirements(E) Certification procedures.(7) Each institution of higher education which offers programs in teacher education shall provide opportunities for students to participate in the development, evaluation and revision of teacher education courses and programs. Student participation shall include:(A) Representation on the teacher education governance unit(B) Systematic evaluations of courses and instruction.(8) Each institution of higher education which offers approved programs in teacher education shall develop a procedure for surveying graduates of its teacher education programs. The following criteria shall be addressed:(A) These surveys shall be developed and administered at least every three (3) years in such a way as to determine the professional success of the graduates of each program.(B) In addition, these surveys shall offer former students of the programs an opportunity to provide the institution with information that can be used for program revision.(C) The institution shall provide evidence that information gathered on the teacher education program(s) is considered in the revision of teacher education courses and programs.(f) Standards pertaining to the curriculum of programs within the teacher education program shall be as follows:(1) Each institution of higher education which maintains a State Board of Education approved teacher education program shall administer that program on the basis of written objectives.(2) The design and implementation of individual certificate programs will be based upon written objectives.(A) Input in the development of these objectives will come from representatives of the teacher education faculty, graduates of the program, practitioners in the field, and state and national professional associations. (B) There shall be evidence of a clear relationship between these objectives and the curriculum for the certificate program.(3) The unit accountable for teacher education will be responsible for the preparation, appropriate identification and location of course outlines, descriptions, and/or syllabi required to fulfill the requirements of the teacher education program.(A) Current syllabi for professional education courses will be kept on file and must contain the following information:(i) Course title, number and semester hours(ii) Prerequisites(iii) Course description(iv) Course objectives(v) Units of instruction(vi) Texts, reading lists, and materials(vii) Requirements and evaluation criteria.(B) For the specialization areas, course outlines, descriptions, and/or syllabi should be provided indicating where objectives for the program are being met.(C) For general education, course outlines, descriptions and/or syllabi should be provided indicating where objectives for the program are being met.