PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR

STANDARDS BOARD

Chapter 181-78A WAC rules shall govern all policies related to programs upon adoption by the professional educator standards board, which shall provide assistance to programs in the revision of their existing programs.

(1) The professional educator standards board shall determine the schedule for such approval reviews and whether an on-site visit or other forms of documentation and validation shall be used for the purposes of granting approval under program approval standards. In determining the schedule for site visits, the board shall take into consideration the partnership agreement between the state and national accreditation organizations as such agreement relates to the accreditation cycle and allow CAEP accredited colleges/universities to follow the CAEP schedule for their ((state site visit)) review. Non-CAEP accredited colleges/universities shall have a ((state approval site visit)) review every five years. The professional educator standards board may require more frequent site visits at their discretion pursuant to WAC 181-78A-110(2). The professional educator standards board will not consider requests for site visit delays.

(2) Each institution shall submit its program for review when requested by the professional educator standards board to ensure that the program meets the state's program approval standards as follows:

(a) At least six months prior to a scheduled on-site visit, the institution shall submit an institutional report that provides evidence and narrative, as needed, that addresses how the program approval standards are met for each preparation program undergoing review. Evidence shall include such data and information from the annual data submissions required per WAC 181-78A-255(2) as have been designated by the professional educator standards board as evidence pertinent to the program approval process.

(b) The institutional report shall be reviewed by ((an off-site)) a team whose membership is composed of:

(i) One member of the professional educator standards board;

(ii) One peer institution representative;

(iii) One individual with assessment expertise;

(iv) Two K-12 practitioners with expertise related to the programs scheduled for review; and

(v) A designated professional educator standards board staff member who shall serve as team leader.

(((vi))) (c) Substitutions, drawn from (b)(i) through (iv) of this subsection, may be assigned when individuals are not available. Additions to the team shall be drawn from (b)(i) through (iv) of this subsection when necessary. The professional educator standards board liaison for that institution may be present, but shall not serve in an evaluative role. All members, including substitutes, shall be trained.

(((c))) (d) Team membership may be reduced for regular continuing visits in which fewer than five standards are being reviewed, initial visits, and focus visits. At a minimum, the team must consist of two members of which one must be a member of the professional educator standards board.

(f) The review of the off-site team shall identify additional evidence and clarifications that may be needed to provide adequate support for the institutional report.

(((d))) (g) The report of the off-site team shall be submitted to the institution, which shall provide an addendum to the institutional report no later than five weeks preceding the on-site review.

(((e))) (h) The on-site visit shall be conducted in compliance with the protocol and process adopted and published by the professional educator standards board. The team shall be comprised of members of the off-site review team whenever possible.

(((f))) (i) The final site visit report and other appropriate documentation will be submitted to the professional educator standards board.

(((g))) (j) Institutions may submit a reply to the report within two weeks following receipt of the report. The reply may address issues for consideration, including a request for appeal per this subsection (g), limited to evidence that the review disregarded state standards, failed to follow state procedures for review, or failed to consider evidence that was available at the time of the review.

(((h))) (k) In considering the report, the professional educator standards board may grant approval according to WAC 181-78A-110 and 181-78A-100(1).

(((i))) (l) Institutions may request a hearing in instances where it disagrees with the professional educator standards board's decision. The hearing will be conducted through the office of administrative hearings by an administrative law judge per chapter 34.05 RCW. The institution seeking a hearing will provide a written request to the professional educator standards board in accordance with WAC 10-08-035.

(3) Institutions seeking Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs, and National Association of School Psychologist accreditation may request from the professional educator standards board approval for concurrent site visits which would utilize the same documentation with the exception of material submitted by the institution to the state for the professional education advisory boards and the accountability standards.

(1) Existing programs. Based upon review of the program site visit report and other documentation requested, and taking into consideration: The degree to which previously identified issues have been successfully addressed, the relationship and balance between program strengths and weaknesses, and the relative importance of specific unmet criteria to the overall function of the program, the professional educator standards board shall exercise professional judgment in taking one of the following actions:

(a) Limited, approval of up to one year in length. In issuing limited approval, and depending on the nature of evidence that must be considered to regain full approval, the board may specify the requirement of a:

(i) Focused-site visit related to unmet standards and recommendations; or

(ii) Written report, related to unmet standards and recommendations.

(b) Full approval of either:

(i) Five years; or

(ii) Seven years, per provisions of WAC 181-78A-100(6); or

(c) Disapproval (WAC 181-78A-115):

(i) A program with full five- or seven-year approval prior to the site visit shall not receive a disapproval rating, except under the provisions of subsection (3) of this section.

(ii) A program awarded a disapproval rating may request a hearing conducted through the office of administrative hearings under WAC 181-78A-100 (7)(g) and 10-08-035.

(2) New programs. All new programs shall be conditionally approved for up to twenty-seven months under WAC 181-78A-105.

(3) The professional educator standards board, upon receipt of a serious complaint from any source or upon its own initiative prompted by indications of the need for response, may at any time review all or any part of a preparation program for compliance with the provisions of this chapter. If deviations are found, the professional educator standards board is authorized to change the program's current approval status, including full disapproval.