TITLE 6               PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

CHAPTER 65     SCHOOL PERSONNEL EDUCATOR PREPARATION

PART 3                EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM ACCOUNTABILITY

 

6.65.3.1                 ISSUING AGENCY:  Public Education Department, hereinafter the department.

[6.65.3.1 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.1 NMAC, 10/29/2019]

 

6.65.3.2                 SCOPE:  Educator preparation programs approved by the department and seeking approval of the department, serving candidates in New Mexico.

[6.65.3.2 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.2 NMAC, 10/29/2019, A, 6/8/2021]

 

6.65.3.3                 STATUTORY AUTHORITY:  Sections 9-24-8, 22-2-1, 22-2-2, and 22-10A-19.2 NMSA 1978.

[6.65.3.3 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.3 NMAC, 10/29/2019; A, 6/8/2021]

 

6.65.3.4                 DURATION:  Permanent.

[6.65.3.4 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.4 NMAC, 10/29/2019]

 

6.65.3.5                 EFFECTIVE DATE:  October 29, 2019, unless a later date is cited at the end of a section.

[6.65.3.5 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.5 NMAC, 10/29/2019]

 

6.65.3.6                 OBJECTIVE:  To improve the preparation of day-one ready educators through streamlined evaluation, review, and approval of educator preparation programs in the state.

[6.65.3.6 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.6 NMAC, 10/29/2019]

 

6.65.3.7                 DEFINITIONS:

                A.            “Candidate” means an individual enrolled in an EPP for licensure offered through a department-approved EPP provider.

                B.            “Certified review team” means the team trained by the department to conduct comprehensive state EPP approvals.  Members of the certified review team may serve in multiple roles.  The following shall be represented:

                                (1)           a representative of the department with expertise in culturally and linguistically responsive instruction;

                                (2)           a dean or director from a department-approved EPP, other than the one being reviewed;

                                (3)           a faculty member from a department-approved EPP, other than the one being reviewed;

                                (4)           a member of a LEA administrative team; and

                                (5)           a principal or eligible cooperating teacher from a local public school.

                C.            “Clinical experience” means the guided, hands-on application of knowledge and theory to actual practice through collaborative and facilitated learning activities taking place in field-based assignments.

                D.            “Completer” means a candidate who earns a certificate or diploma from a department-approved EPP.

                E.            “Comprehensive state approval” means the process conducted by the certified review team to evaluate and approve EPPs.

                F.            “Comprehensive state approval site visit” means the visit conducted by a certified review team to evaluate EPP performance for certification.

                G.            “Cooperating teacher” means an educator who meets the following qualifications:

                                (1)           is employed by a LEA;

                                (2)           is mutually selected by the LEA and the EPP;

                                (3)           has at least three years of experience under the appropriate license;

                                (4)           is the primary evaluator of the candidate during their clinical experience;

                                (5)           has completed an introductory mentorship course provided by the department; and

                                (6)           either meets the necessary performance level as defined by the department on their educator effectiveness report or, for an educator who recently relocated to New Mexico and does not yet have an educator effectiveness report, to have met one of the following requirements:

                                                (a)           the teacher is a level three-A teacher with a minimum of six years teaching experience; or

                                                (b)           the teacher is a nationally board certified teacher.

                H.            “Day-one ready educator” means a teacher who positively impacts measurable student success from the first day the educator begins teaching by having a deep understanding of the diverse cultural and linguistic needs of all students, demonstrating deep content knowledge, and having the ability to support all students’ social and emotional needs, motivate and actively engage all students, and personalize learning based on students’ needs, including the needs of indigenous students, students with disabilities, bilingual students, and English language learners, and a willingness to engage in continuous efforts to improve teaching abilities.

                I.             “Disposition” means the professionalism demonstrated by a candidate indicating capacity to be a day-one ready educator.

                J.             “EAR” means educator accountability report required annually and designed to create a uniform statewide educator accountability reporting system to measure and track teacher and administrator education candidates from pre-entry to post-graduation in order to benchmark the productivity and accountability of New Mexico's educator workforce.

                K.            “EPP” means an educational preparation program offered by an educational preparation provider that is intended to lead to teacher licensure upon candidates’ successful completion of the program.

                L.            “EPP advisory board” means the group of individuals appointed by the EPP who have unique knowledge regarding the educational needs of the local culturally and linguistically diverse community, including knowledge of the needs of indigenous students, students with disabilities, bilingual students, and English language learners.

                M.           “EPP application” means a written request on a department-approved form, to the PPSC to be a department-approved EPP.

                N.            “EPP provider” means any individual, private or public education association, corporation, or institution of higher education offering an EPP.

                O.            “EES” means the department-approved educator evaluation system.

                P.            “Initial approval” means the first time an EPP provider sought and was granted approval from the PPSC to create a new EPP in the state of New Mexico.

                Q.            “LEA” means a local educational agency.  A LEA may be a public school district, a state-charted charter school, or a state-educational agency.

                R.            “New Mexico teacher assessments” means the tests required for individuals seeking initial New Mexico licensure.

                S.             “PPSC” means the professional practices and standards council, which approves EPPs as defined in 6.2.8 NMAC.

                T.            “Program revision” means the addition of new licensure programming or modifications made to an existing department-approved EPP, including changes to standards.

                U.            “Quality review rubric” means the department-approved tool used by the certified review team during a comprehensive state approval site visit.

                V.            “Revocation” means a department decision to no longer recognize an EPP as approved by the department nor to license candidates completing coursework at the revoked EPP provider within three semesters of revocation.

[6.65.3.7 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.7 NMAC, 10/29/2019; A, 6/8/2021]

 

6.65.3.8                 APPLICATION PROCESS FOR APPROVAL:

                A.            EPP providers seeking a program revision for an existing department-approved EPP and EPP providers seeking initial approval of an EPP shall submit an EPP application to the department.

                B.            Applications shall provide the information outlined in the PPSC manual and meet the general requirements of 6.65.3.9 NMAC.

[6.65.3.8 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.8 NMAC, 10/29/2019]

 

6.65.3.9                 EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:  EPPs shall meet requirements in statute, regulation, and this section.

                A.            EPPs shall establish rigorous entry requirements, including a successful completion of the department’s required background check and approval process.

                B.            EPPs shall ensure opportunities for clinical experiences, including culturally and linguistically responsive experiences, are provided continuously throughout candidates’ enrollment. Clinical experiences shall:

                                (1)           begin upon the candidate’s entrance into an EPP;

                                (2)           align with the area, subject, or category of certification or license being sought by the candidate, except that at least one of the clinical experiences may be in a diverse setting where indigenous students, students with disabilities, bilingual students, and English language learners attend school; and

                                (3)           include at least one clinical experience where the candidate shall serve as a teacher in a school under the supervision of a cooperating teacher and plan and deliver independent instruction to students on a regularly scheduled basis.

                C.            EPPs shall ensure candidates embrace and execute their responsibility as educators to develop the skills and capacities to implement meaningful culturally and linguistically relevant practices for parent and family engagement, keeping families fully informed of their child’s progress toward college-and-career readiness, on a regular basis, using objective measures in all subject areas, to include families where a language other than English is spoken.

                D.            EPPs shall establish partnerships with stakeholder groups to fulfill requirements related to clinical experiences and meet the needs of LEAs.  At a minimum, partners shall include:

                                (1)           classroom teachers;

                                (2)           principals;

                                (3)           superintendents;

                                (4)           human resource directors;

                                (5)           curriculum directors; and

                                (6)           the EPP advisory board.

                E.            Programs for all teachers shall include instruction in pedagogy aligned with department standards pursuant to 6.61.2 NMAC through 6.61.12 NMAC, including culturally and linguistically relevant pedagogy that serves indigenous students, students with disabilities, bilingual students, and English language learners.

                F.            EPPs shall conduct a minimum of three formally documented observations that include verbal and written feedback on the candidate’s practice.

                                (1)           Observations and evaluations of candidates shall be aligned with the following four domains of EES to serve all New Mexico students, including indigenous students, students with disabilities, bilingual students, and English language learners:

                                                (a)           planning and preparation;

                                                (b)           creating an environment for learning;

                                                (c)           teaching for learning; and

                                                (d)           professionalism.

                                (2)           Results of evaluations and observations shall inform program interaction with the candidate including feedback, placement, remediation, and support.

                                (3)           Documentation of observations shall be stored by the EPP for a minimum of five years after candidate completion and shall be available to the completer and the department upon request.

                G.            EPP providers shall establish rigorous exit requirements in alignment with those required to seek licensure from the department.  Exit requirements shall include, at a minimum, the following:

                                (1)           successful demonstration of competency in all relevant areas, subjects, or categories of the New Mexico teacher assessments; and

                                (2)           a written recommendation from the EPP that the candidate demonstrates the dispositions necessary for success in the classroom and other learning environments, including an understanding of culturally and linguistically relevant pedagogy.

                H.            EPP providers shall detail in the EPP application how the EPP provider plans to provide support to the candidates’ completion of all teaching licensure requirements and department processes, including passage of all required assessments.

                I.             In a form approved by the department and no later than September 1, all EPPs shall annually submit candidate-level data required by the EAR.  Failure to comply with data reporting and collection requests may result in revocation of the EPP’s approval.

                J.             EPPs shall fully comply, in a timely manner, with all requirements that allow the department to generate the EAR and the comprehensive state approval.

[6.65.3.9 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.9 NMAC, 10/29/2019; A, 6/8/2021]

 

6.65.3.10               EDUCATOR ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT:

                A.            Each EPP's annual EAR shall include the following information on teacher and administrator education candidates and indicators of program success:

                                (1)           the standards for entering and exiting the program;

                                (2)           the number of hours required for clinical experience, including student teaching and administrator internship;

                                (3)           the schools and school districts in which candidates completed their clinical experience;

                                (4)           the number and percentage of candidates needing developmental course work upon entering the program;

                                (5)           the number and percentage of completers for each program;

                                (6)           the number and types of degrees received by completers;

                                (7)           the number and percentage of completers who pass the New Mexico teacher or administrator assessments for initial licensure on the first attempt;

                                (8)           a description of each program's placement practices;

                                (9)           the number and percentage of completers hired by New Mexico school districts; and

                                (10)         the demographics of an EPP’s candidates and completers.

                B.            The EAR shall include an evaluation plan that includes high performance objectives.  The plan shall include objectives and measures for increasing the following:

                                (1)           student achievement for all students, including indigenous students, students with disabilities, bilingual students, and English language learners;

                                (2)           teacher and administrator retention, particularly in the first three years of a teacher's or administrator's career;

                                (3)           the percentage of candidates who pass the New Mexico teacher assessments for initial licensure on the first attempt;

                                (4)           the percentage of secondary school classes taught in core academic subject areas by teachers who demonstrate by means of rigorous content area assessments a high level of subject area mastery and a thorough knowledge of the state's academic content and performance standards;

                                (5)           the percentage of elementary school classes taught by teachers who demonstrate by means of a high level of performance in core academic subject areas their mastery of the state academic content and performance standards, including those that address cultural and linguistic awareness;

                                (6)           the number of teachers trained in math, science, and technology;

                                (7)           the number of teachers trained in special education;

                                (8)           the number of teachers teaching in low socioeconomic schools; and

                                (9)           the number of teachers retained in teaching in New Mexico.

                                (10)         the number of teachers in bilingual and English as a second language.

                C.            EPPs shall administer a completer survey within six months of completion that measures the completer’s perception of their own readiness and individual effectiveness in the classroom.

                D.            EPPs shall initiate all necessary data requests to fill EAR requirements and shall be responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data.

[6.65.3.10 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.10 NMAC, 10/29/2019; A, 6/8/2021]

 

6.65.3.11               COMPREHENSIVE STATE APPROVAL SITE VISITS:  EPPs shall fully cooperate with the comprehensive state approval process.  The department shall develop and publish on the department website an EPP manual outlining the comprehensive site visit process that shall include all documents necessary for the state approval.  Site visits shall occur every three years on a calendar determined by the department unless the status of a program, as outlined in 6.65.3.12 NMAC, changes in a way that merits more frequent visits.

                A.            The comprehensive state approval process shall assess the performance of the EPP on the four components of the quality review rubric:

                                (1)           curriculum design and delivery;

                                (2)           clinical experience;

                                (3)           candidate quality; and

                                (4)           continuous improvement.

                B.            The comprehensive state approval site visit shall include the following three elements:

                                (1)           Self-evaluation. EPPs shall complete the self-evaluation documents in the EPP manual prior to the site visit.  Documents shall be submitted to the department at least four weeks prior to the site visit.  Documents shall include the following:

                                                (a)           quality review rubric;

                                                (b)           quality review worksheets for each of the four key components on the quality review rubric; and

                                                (c)           data and other documentation listed as supplemental evidence in the EPP manual accompanied by any releases for such information, if necessary.

                                (2)           Comprehensive state approval site visit.  The certified review team shall conduct the site visit and review the EPP using the quality review rubric.

                                (3)           Summative conference.  The certified review team shall debrief the site visit with the

EPP and present their initial findings.

                C.            At the end of the comprehensive state approval site visit, the EPP shall be assessed on its overall performance and shall be rated with one of the following site visit classifications defined in the EPP manual:

                                (1)           exemplary;

                                (2)           well-developed;

                                (3)           proficient;

                                (4)           developing; or

                                (5)           underdeveloped.

                D.            The certified review team shall release a final written report to the EPP containing the EPP’s scores on each component of the quality review rubric and their overall performance no later than 90 calendar days after the comprehensive state approval site visit.

                E.            EPPs shall have 30 calendar days after receiving the report to submit a response, in writing, to the department to indicate any alleged factual errors and to provide any documentation deemed necessary to support the allegations.  If, after review of the EPP’s response, the department determines the error to be valid, the report shall be amended within 20 calendar days.

[6.65.3.11 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.11 NMAC, 10/29/2019; A, 6/8/2021]

 

6.65.3.12               COMPREHENSIVE STATE APPROVAL PROCESS:  The comprehensive state approval process shall determine whether an EPP earns approval for continued operation, is placed on probation, or has its approval revoked.  The EPP status shall determine the frequency of comprehensive state approval site visits and the scope of EPP responsibilities.  EPPs shall be notified of their status by the department no later than November 30 annually.

                A.            Level one probation.  EPPs shall be placed on level one probation if the EPP fails to demonstrate progress toward meeting objectives included in its EAR or if the certified review team identifies an issue during the comprehensive state approval site visit resulting in an underdeveloped classification outlined in Subsection C of 6.65.3.11 NMAC.  The secretary shall notify the EPP of level one probation status in writing no later than 30 calendar days after the EPP is placed on level one probation.  Responsibilities of EPPs on level one probation shall include the following:

                                (1)           participation in professional development and technical assistance prescribed by the department;

                                (2)           development of an improvement plan that addresses program deficiencies that shall be submitted to the certified review team for approval within 90 calendar days of notification of level one probation status; and

                                (3)           participation in department monitoring to ensure implementation and progress as outlined in the approved improvement plan.

                                (4)           An EPP may exit level one probation after one academic year and upon fulfillment of its probationary responsibilities and demonstration of progress toward EAR objectives.

                                (5)           Within two academic years, an EPP shall fulfill its level one probationary responsibilities and demonstration of progress toward EAR objectives.  An EPP shall not be allowed to remain on level one probation for more than two academic years after initial level one probation status placement.

                B.            Level two probation.  EPPs shall be placed on level two probation if the EPP fails to demonstrate substantial progress outlined in the improvement plan.  The secretary shall notify the EPP of level two probation status in writing no later than 30 calendar days after the EPP is placed on level two probation.  Responsibilities of EPPs on level two probation shall include the following:

                                (1)           participation in professional development and technical assistance prescribed by the department;

                                (2)           development or amendment of an improvement plan that addresses program deficiencies that shall be submitted to the certified review team for approval within 90 calendar days of notification of level two probation status;

                                (3)           participation in department monitoring to ensure implementation and progress as outlined in the approved improvement plan; and

                                (4)           participation in an annual state approval site visit until the EPP exits level two probation.

                                (5)           An EPP may exit level two probation to level one probation after one academic year and upon fulfillment of its probationary responsibilities and demonstration of progress toward EAR objectives.

                                (6)           Within two academic years, an EPP shall fulfill its level two probationary responsibilities and demonstration of progress toward EAR objectives.  An EPP shall not be allowed to remain on level two probation for more than two academic years after initial level two probation status placement.

                C.            Revocation.

                                (1)           The department may revoke an EPP’s approval for any of the following reasons:

                                                (a)           not exiting level one or level two probation status within two academic years; or

                                                (b)           failing to meet reporting or compliance requirements as set forth by statute, department regulation, or guidance provided in department manuals.

                                (2)           The department shall notify EPP providers of revocation in writing no later than 30 calendar days after the EPP’s approval is revoked.  Immediately upon receipt of a notice of revocation, the EPP provider shall do the following:

                                                (a)           cease recruitment and acceptance of new candidates;

                                                (b)           allow candidates enrolled in the EPP to complete the licensure program, provided they complete the program within three semesters of the notice of revocation; and

                                                (c)           work with candidates unable to complete the licensure program within three semesters by providing options for transfer to another EPP.

                                (3)           An EPP provider that has received a notice of revocation may file a request for reconsideration by the department no later than 30 calendar days after the notice of revocation has been received.

                                                (a)           The department shall review the materials submitted by the EPP provider for reconsideration including written statements of position, documents, and comments supporting the claim.

                                                (b)           The department, after considering the request, shall make a decision and inform the EPP provider in writing of its decision within 60 calendar days of receipt of the request for reconsideration.

                                                (c)           The decision of the department shall be final.

                                (4)           An EPP with revoked approval shall wait two years following the date of revocation before reapplying via the application process defined in 6.65.3.8 NMAC.

[6.65.3.12 NMAC - Rp, 6.65.3.12 NMAC, 10/29/2019; A, 6/8/2021]

 

History of 6.65.3 NMAC:

6.65.3 NMAC, Educator Preparation Program Accountability, filed 7/1/2018 - was repealed and replaced by 6.65.3 NMAC, Educator Preparation Program Accountability, effective 10/29/2019.