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ASEP
- SUMMARY OF IMPLEMENTATION
Senate
Bill 1 created the Accountability System for Educator Preparation
to assure the public of the effectiveness of Texas educator preparation
programs. The law (TEC §21.045) defines two parts to the
accountability system: measures for accreditation and indicators
to provide program information; the law also prescribes steps
to be taken if programs are not preparing candidates adequately.
The State Board for Educator Certification established rules and
set minimum performance levels to be met by programs (TAC §229).
The first accreditation ratings will be issued on September 1,
1998, based on the performance of candidates for certification
on examinations taken in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
LEVELS
OF ACCREDITATION
- Accredited:
Program met the performance standards established by the Board.
- Accredited-Under
Review: Program did not meet the performance standards
established by the Board. SBEC Executive Director appoints
an oversight team.
- Not
Accredited: Program did not meet performance standards
established by the Board for three consecutive years during
which time the entity was "Accredited-Under Review."
- Accredited-Preliminary
Status: Status granted to an entity seeking to prepare
educators for certification OR the status under which a program
that was unaccredited is again allowed to prepare educators.
In the second case, a program must wait three years after
becoming "Not Accredited" before reapplying to the
Board and receiving this status.
ASEP
MEASURES
Accreditation
ratings of educator preparation programs are based upon the
following:
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Beginning
September 1998, performance levels (pass rates) on certification
examinations (ExCET, TOPT, and TASC)
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Beginning
September 2002, the appraisal of the performance of beginning
educators, and
Required
Performance Levels on Certification Examinations
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Beginning
September 1, 1998,for a program to be "Accredited"
to prepare educators, first time pass rates for all certification
examinations must be 70 percent or higher OR cumulative
pass rates must be 80 percent or higher for each demographic
group (all, African American, Hispanic, white, other, male,
female).
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Beginning
September 1, 2002,for a program to be "Accredited"
to prepare educators, first time pass rates for all certification
examinations must be 75 percent or higher OR cumulative
pass rates must be 85 percent or higher for each demographic
group (all, African American, Hispanic, white, other, male,
female).
First
Time Pass Rate-- The number of certification examinations
passed during an academic year on the first attempt divided
by the number of first time attempts in that year. (The
pass rate reflects performance only on the student's initial
attempt on the test).
Cumulative Pass Rate-- The number of examinations
passed (by the previous year's first time takers) within
the two-year academic period divided by the number of
previous year's first time tests taken. (This pass rate
reflects performance on the last time a test was taken
within the two academic years).
Appraisal
of Beginning Educators
-
Beginning
September 1, 2002, educator preparation programs will
be held accountable for the performance of educators who
complete certification requirements from the entity between
September 1, 1999 and August 31, 2000, and every academic
year thereafter. Educators employed in a Texas public school
and assigned in their area of certification within the first
two years after certification are included. The Board will
determine the method of assessing performance and the required
level of performance for accreditation.
ASEP
COMPONENTS WHICH DO NOT AFFECT ACCREDITATION STATUS
Commendations
for Success
Commendations will be awarded annually to programs that achieved
success in specific areas. Commendations do not affect accreditation
status. The Board will establish criteria for awarding commendations
in four areas:
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Preparation
of persons for high-need teaching fields (areas of need
established for periods of five years, beginning September
1997)
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Diversity
of candidates recommended for certification by an entity
(compared to state or regional public school student population)
-
Evidence
of financial support for educator preparation as defined
by the Board
-
Field
based educator preparation (a significant proportion of
faculty and candidates spend a specified amount of time
collaborating with educators in public school classrooms)
Indicators
Indicators are characteristics of an educator preparation
program that do not affect accreditation status, but inform
the public about the program.The law identifies six indicators
for which programs must submit data annually:
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the
number of candidates who apply for admittance to the program;
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the
number of candidates admitted to the program;
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the
number of candidates retained in the program;
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the
number of candidates completing the program;
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the
number of candidates employed in the profession after completing
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the
program; and
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the
number of candidates retained in the profession
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