14 Del. Admin. Code § 290-4.0

Current through Reigster Vol. 28, No. 6, December 1, 2024

Section 290-4.0 - Traditional Educator Preparation Program Requirements

4.1 In order to be approved by the Department, a traditional educator preparation program shall complete the process in Section 5.0 and meet the requirements set forth in subsections 4.1.1 through 4.1.6, State requirements, and, where applicable, national standards appropriate to the program.

4.1.1 Entry requirements.

4.1.1.1 Providers shall establish rigorous entry requirements as prerequisites for matriculation into the program.

4.1.1.1.1 For programs that provide instruction in content and pedagogical knowledge, the entry requirements shall be, at a minimum, 1 of the requirements in subsections 4.1.1.1.1.1 through 4.1.1.1.1.3 during the most recent period of 2 years of the applicants' general education, whether secondary or post-secondary.

4.1.1.1.1.1 Applicants shall have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

4.1.1.1.1.2 Applicants shall have a Grade Point Average (GPA) in the top 50th percentile for coursework completed.

4.1.1.1.1.3 Applicants shall demonstrate mastery of general knowledge, including the ability to read, write, and compute, by achieving a score deemed to be College Ready on a test of general knowledge normed to the college-bound population. Tests of general knowledge include Praxis Core, SAT, ACT, and GRE.

4.1.1.1.2 For programs that provide instruction in pedagogical knowledge only, the entry requirements shall be both of the requirements in subsections 4.1.1.1.2.1 and 4.1.1.1.2.2.

4.1.1.1.2.1 Applicants shall hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university.

4.1.1.1.2.2 During the most recent period of a least 2 years of the general post-secondary education, applicants shall have at least 24 credits in compliance with 14 Del.C. § 1280(b)(1) from a regionally accredited college or university aligned to the content area in which the applicant is seeking certification or the equivalent in professional development approved by the Department appropriate to the instructional field or passing scores on an approved content-readiness exam prior to entering the program.

4.1.1.3 Programs shall collaborate with any accredited college, university, or other postsecondary institution authorized to operate in the State with which they have articulation agreements, including community colleges, to ensure that applicants meet the required entry thresholds for acceptance into the program.

4.1.1.4 Programs shall apply the requirements as provided in subsection 4.1.1 to all entering applicants.

4.1.1.5 Programs may waive the requirements for up to 10% of the applicants admitted in a cohort as outlined in the Department's Technical Guide. Programs shall implement strategies to ensure that applicants admitted under a waiver receive assistance to demonstrate competencies to successfully meet requirements of the program.

4.1.2 Clinical experiences.

4.1.2.1 Programs shall have clinical experiences required throughout the program and aligned with program curriculum. Clinical experiences shall align with the area, subject, or category of certification being sought by candidates. Clinical experiences shall be designed and incorporated into the program by the provider and begin in the first year of the program. Programs shall provide candidates the opportunity to reflect on clinical experiences within the classroom setting.

4.1.2.1.1 Programs shall have a capstone clinical placement in which the candidate is:

4.1.2.1.1.1 Supervised on-site by an educator as provided in subsection 4.1.2.2, 4.1.2.3, or 4.1.2.4, whichever is applicable;

4.1.2.1.1.2 A recipient of ongoing support from a high quality clinical supervisor; and

4.1.2.1.1.3 Responsible for the instruction and classroom management of a roster of students.

4.1.2.2 Programs for teachers shall include a minimum of 10 weeks of full-time student teaching in the area in which the candidate seeks certification. The clinical hours shall be completed under the mentorship of a currently employed teacher with a level 3 or 4 summative rating under 14 DE Admin. Code 106A. For the purpose of this regulation, "student teaching" means the period during which a candidate serves as a teacher in a school, plans and delivers independent instruction to students on a regularly scheduled basis, develops or prepares instructional materials, and evaluates students in any pre-school through grade 12 school setting.

4.1.2.3 Programs for administrators shall include clinical experiences totaling a minimum of 240 hours equitably distributed within the program. The clinical hours shall be completed under the mentorship of a currently employed administrator with a distinguished or accomplished summative rating under 14 DE Admin. Code 108A.

4.1.2.4 Programs for specialists shall include a supervised practical experience in the specialty area being pursued. The supervised practical experiences shall align with requirements for certification of the specialty being pursued. Practical experience in the specialty area shall be an internship, practicum, or clinical experience that is supervised by a currently employed specialists with an effective or highly effective summative rating under 14 DE Admin. Code 107A.

4.1.2.5 Programs may adjust the schedule of the clinical capstone placement to comply with embedded local education agency (LEA) vacation schedules, holidays, and unforeseen official school closures.

4.1.3 Instruction and content components.

4.1.3.1 All approved programs for prospective elementary school teachers, early childhood teachers, special education teachers, and reading specialists shall provide instruction on research and evidence-based best practices and strategies for teaching childhood literacy. Programs shall include instruction aligned to candidates' certification area in content and pedagogy, and to Delaware approved standards for English Language Arts, designed to provide candidates with a deep conceptual understanding of the content, beyond basic procedural understanding as required in 14 Del.C. § 1280(c).

4.1.3.2 All approved programs for prospective elementary school teachers shall provide instruction on research and evidence-based best practices and strategies for teaching childhood numeracy. Programs for elementary and early-childhood teachers shall include instruction aligned to candidates' certification area in content and pedagogy aligned to Delaware approved standards for mathematics, designed to provide candidates a deep conceptual understanding of the content, beyond basic procedural understanding. Instructional topics shall include State standard-aligned content areas and State-standard aligned strategies for instruction.

4.1.3.3 Programs for teachers, specialists, or administrators shall include instruction in content that is aligned to current and approved Delaware professional standards and national content standards, if applicable.

4.1.3.4 Programs for all teachers shall include instruction in educational technology that is aligned to approved Delaware standards.

4.1.3.5 Programs for all teachers shall include purposeful integration of technology for teaching and learning that is aligned to approved Delaware standards.

4.1.4 Candidate evaluation.

4.1.4.1 Programs shall conduct evaluations of the candidate throughout the program, which shall consist of a minimum of 3 formally documented observations of the candidate, resulting in the candidate receiving feedback about the candidate's practice.

4.1.4.2 Observations and evaluations of candidates shall be aligned to an applicable State-approved educator evaluation system and include measures of student progress.

4.1.4.3 Results of candidate evaluations shall inform program interaction with the candidate, including feedback, placement, remediation, or support.

4.1.5 Exit requirements.

4.1.5.1 Programs shall establish rigorous exit requirements.

4.1.5.1.1 Where a content readiness exam is applicable and available in area, subject, or category of specialization sought, the candidate shall achieve the minimum score on an examination as provided in the regulation applicable to the Standard Certificate sought by the candidate. If the candidate seeks 1 of the content area Standard Certificates set forth in subsection 1.1 of 14 DE Admin. Code 1519, the candidate shall show that the candidate has acquired knowledge in the content area as provided in Sections 4.0 or 5.0 of 14 DE Admin. Code 1519.

4.1.5.1.2 Assessment of the prospective educator's ability to apply pedagogical skills to meet the needs of the prospective educator's students pursuant to 14 Del.C. § 1280(d)(1) such as a performance assessment.

4.1.6 Reporting requirements.

All approved programs shall provide the Department with data on program graduates, graduate performance, and graduate performance and effectiveness, as well as comply with reporting for all requirements listed in Section 4.0 via Department data submission specifications and processes as outlined in Section 7.0. Failure to comply with data reporting and collection requests shall result in revocation of program approval.

4.1.7 Programs in content areas and for administrators and specialists shall maintain CAEP accreditation.

14 Del. Admin. Code § 290-4.0

23 DE Reg. 748 (3/1/2020)
28 DE Reg. 112 (8/1/2024) (Final)