Ala. Admin. Code r. 290-3-3-.03 - College And University Requirements
To offer approved educator preparation programs, institutions shall be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) at the level of program(s) to be provided. To provide a Class AA program in a secondary or P-12 teaching field an institution shall offer sufficient education specialist degree level courses in that discipline to meet the requirements of Rule 290-3-3-.03(6)(a)5. If an institution loses regional accreditation at one or more levels, the educator preparation provider (EPP) must adhere to the teach-out plan negotiated between SACS and the institution. At a minimum, the EPP must notify candidates individually and in writing. Rule 290-3-3-.02(1) -(5) is applicable to Class B and Alternative Class A programs leading to initial certification. Rule 290-3-3-.44(4)(a) -(e) is applicable to programs leading to advanced certification.
(1)
Content and Pedagogical
Knowledge. The provider ensures that candidates develop an understanding
of the critical concepts and principles of their discipline and facilitates
candidates' reflections of their personal biases to increase their
understanding and practice of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The provider is
intentional in the development of their curriculum and clinical experiences for
candidates to demonstrate their ability to effectively work with diverse P-12
students and their families.
(a)
The
Learner and Learning. The provider ensures candidates are able to apply
their knowledge of the learner and learning at the appropriate progression
levels. Evidence provided should demonstrate that candidates are able to apply
critical concepts and principles of learner development (In TASC Standard 1),
learning differences (In TASC Standard 2), and creating safe and supportive
learning environments (In TASC Standard 3) in order to work effectively with
diverse P-12 students and their families.
(b)
Content. The provider
ensures candidates are able to apply their knowledge of content at the
appropriate progression levels. Evidence provided demonstrates candidates know
central concepts of their content area (In TASC Standard 4) and are able to
apply the content in developing equitable and inclusive learning experiences
(In TASC Standard 5) for diverse P-12 students. Providers ensure that
candidates apply content and pedagogical knowledge as reflected in outcome
assessments in response to Alabama courses of study and program approval
standards and, if they choose to do so, standards of Specialized Professional
Associations (SPAs), the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
(NBPTS), or other accrediting bodies (e.g., National Association of Schools of
Music - NASM).
(c)
Instructional Practice. The provider ensures that candidates are
able to apply their knowledge of In TASC standards relating to instructional
practice at the appropriate progression levels. Evidence demonstrates how
candidates are able to assess (In TASC Standard 6), plan for instruction (In
TASC Standard 7), and utilize a variety of instructional strategies (In TASC
Standard 8) to provide equitable and inclusive learning experiences for diverse
P-12 students. Providers ensure candidates model and apply national or state
approved technology standards to engage and improve learning for all
students.
(d)
Professional
Responsibility. The provider ensures candidates are able to apply their
knowledge of professional responsibility at the appropriate progression levels.
Evidence provided should demonstrate candidates engage in professional
learning, act ethically (In TASC Standard 9), take responsibility for student
learning, and collaborate with others (In TASC Standard 10) to work effectively
with diverse P-12 students and their families.
(2)
Clinical Partnerships and
Practice. The provider ensures effective partnerships and high-quality
clinical practice are central to candidate preparation. These experiences
should be designed to develop candidate's knowledge, skills, and professional
dispositions to demonstrate positive impact on diverse students' learning and
development. High-quality clinical practice offers candidates experiences in
different settings and modalities, as well as with diverse P-12 students,
schools, families, and communities. Partners share responsibility to identify
and address real problems of practice candidates experience in their engagement
with P-12 students.
(a)
Partnerships for
Clinical Preparation. Partners co-construct mutually beneficial P-12
school and community arrangements for clinical preparation and share
responsibility for continuous improvement of candidate preparation.
(b)
Clinical Educators. Partners
co-select, prepare, evaluate, and support high-quality clinical educators, both
provider- and school-based, who demonstrate a positive impact on candidates'
development and diverse P-12 student learning and development.
(c)
Clinical Experiences. The
provider works with partners to design and implement clinical experiences,
utilizing various modalities, of sufficient depth, breadth, diversity,
coherence, and duration to ensure candidates demonstrate their developing
effectiveness and positive impact on diverse P-12 students' learning and
development as presented in Rule 290-3-3-.03(1).
(3)
Candidate Recruitment, Progression,
and Support. The provider demonstrates the quality of candidates is a
continuous and purposeful focus from recruitment through completion. The
provider demonstrates that development of candidate quality is the goal of
educator preparation and that the EPP provides supports services (such as
advising, remediation, and mentoring) in all phases of the program so
candidates will be successful.
(a)
Recruitment. The provider presents goals and progress evidence for
recruitment of high-quality candidates from a broad range of backgrounds and
diverse populations that align with their mission. The provider demonstrates
efforts to know and address local, state, regional, or national needs for
hard-to-staff schools and shortage fields. The goals and evidence should
address progress towards a candidate pool which reflects the diversity of
America's P-12 students.
(b)
Monitoring and Supporting Candidate Progression. The provider
creates and monitors transition points from admission through completion that
indicate candidates' developing content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge,
pedagogical skills, critical dispositions, professional responsibilities, and
the ability to integrate technology effectively in their practice. The provider
identifies a transition point at any point in the program when a cohort grade
point average of 3.0 is achieved and monitors this data. The provider ensures
knowledge of and progression through transition points are transparent to
candidates. The provider plans and documents the need for candidate support, as
identified in disaggregated data by race and ethnicity and such other
categories as may be relevant for the EPP's mission, so candidates meet
milestones. The provider has a system for effectively maintaining records of
candidate complaints, including complaints made to the Alabama State Board or
Department of Education or CAEP, and documents their resolution.
(c)
Competency at Completion.
The provider ensures candidates possess academic competency to teach
effectively with positive impacts on diverse P-12 student learning and
development through application of content knowledge, foundational pedagogical
skills, and technology integration in the field(s) where certification is
sought. Multiple measures are provided, and data are disaggregated and analyzed
based on race, ethnicity, and such other categories as may be relevant for the
EPP's mission.
(4)
Program Impact. The provider demonstrates the effectiveness of its
completers' instruction on P-12 student learning and development and completer
and employer satisfaction with the relevance and effectiveness of preparation.
(a)
Completer Effectiveness. The
provider demonstrates that program completers:
(i) Effectively contribute to P-12
student-learning growth and
(ii)
Apply in P-12 classrooms the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions
that the preparation experiences were designed to achieve. In addition, the
provider includes a rationale for the data elements provided.
(b)
Satisfaction of
Employers. The provider demonstrates employers are satisfied with the
completers' preparation for their assigned responsibilities in working with
diverse P-12 students and their families.
(c)
Satisfaction of Completers.
The provider demonstrates program completers perceive their preparation as
relevant to the responsibilities they encounter on the job, and their
preparation was effective.
(5)
Quality Assurance System and
Continuous Improvement. The provider maintains a quality assurance
system that consists of valid data from multiple measures and supports
continuous improvement that is sustained and evidence-based. The system is
developed and maintained with input from internal and external stakeholders.
The provider uses the results of inquiry and data collection to establish
priorities, enhance program elements, and highlight innovations.
(a)
Quality Assurance System.
The provider has developed, implemented, and modified, as needed, a functioning
quality assurance system that ensures a sustainable process to document
operational effectiveness. The provider documents how data enter the system,
how data are reported and used in decision making, and how outcomes of these
decisions inform programmatic improvement.
(b)
Data Quality. The provider's
quality assurance system from Rule 290-3-3-.03(5)(a) relies on relevant,
verifiable, representative, cumulative, and actionable measures to ensure
interpretations of data are valid and consistent.
(c)
Stakeholder Involvement. The
provider includes relevant internal (e.g., EPP administrators, faculty, staff,
candidates) and external (e.g., alumni, practitioners, school and community
partners, employers) stakeholders in program design, evaluation, and continuous
improvement processes.
(d)
Continuous Improvement. The provider regularly, systematically,
and continuously assesses performance against its goals and relevant standards,
tracks results over time, and documents modifications and/or innovations and
their effects on EPP outcomes.
(6)
General Requirements
(a)
Courses, Credits, and/or Programs
Acceptable to Meet State-Approved Program Requirements.
1. Any courses and/or credits verified on an
official transcript and used to meet State-approved program requirements must
be from regionally accredited institutions.
2. Transferred courses and/or credits that
meet the definition of professional studies courses in Rule
290-3-3-.01(39)
must have been completed at a regionally
accredited institution that prepares teachers on the same degree level of
certification.
3. Courses, credits,
and/or degrees accepted from institutions outside the United States shall be
substantiated by an evaluation of the foreign credentials from a state,
federal, or private foreign credential evaluation service recognized by the
Alabama State Department of Education Office of Teaching and Leading. The
evaluation must show that courses, credits, and/or degrees were earned at an
institution equivalent to a regionally accredited institution in the United
States.
4. Remedial courses cannot
not be used to meet approved program requirements. Additional information is
provided in Rule
290-3-3-.01(46).
5. Coursework used to meet Class B
certification requirements and/or bachelor's degree requirements cannot be used
to meet requirements for Class A certification in any teaching field or area of
instructional support. Coursework used to meet Class A certification
requirements and/or master's degree requirements cannot be used to meet
certification requirements for Class AA certification in any teaching field or
area of instructional support. However, graduate courses used to renew a
certificate may be used to earn an advanced degree.
6. A candidate cannot be recommended for
certification based on completion of a program for which State approval expired
more than seven years prior to the date of program completion.
7. Individuals in undergraduate programs may
enroll in master's-level courses in an approved Class A or Alternative Class A
program in accordance with written institutional policies and State standards
for program admission. Additional information is provided in Rule
290-3-3-.03(6)(a)5.
8. Individuals
in a master's program may enroll in courses in an approved Class AA program in
accordance with written institutional policies and State standards for program
admission. Additional information is provided in Rule
290-3-3-.02(6)(a)5.
(b)
General
Studies. The EPP shall ensure that candidates have completed general
studies courses and experiences. General studies shall include courses in
English language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science.
1. Individuals in Class B programs in early
childhood education, elementary education, early childhood special education,
or collaborative special education teacher (K-6 or 6-12) shall have earned at
least 12 semester hours of acceptable credit, as verified on official
transcripts, in each of the following areas: English language arts,
mathematics, science, and social studies.
(i)
To meet the English language arts requirement, EPPs are encouraged to require
courses in reading comprehension, writing, literature, and speech.
(ii) To meet the mathematics requirement,
EPPs are encouraged to require courses that extend candidates' knowledge of and
ability to teach counting and cardinality; operations and algebraic thinking,
number and operations with base-ten and fractions, measurement and data, and
geometry.
(iii) To meet the science
requirement, EPPs are encouraged to require a laboratory experience and courses
in physical science, life science, Earth/space science, and engineering or
technology or applications of science or computer science.
(iv) To meet the social studies requirement,
EPPS are encouraged to require courses in economics, history, geography, and
civics/political science.
2. Individuals applying for admission to
Alternative Class A programs in early childhood education, elementary
education, early childhood special education, or collaborative special
education teacher (K-6 and/or 6-12) shall have earned at least 12 semester
hours of acceptable credit, as verified on official transcripts, in each of the
following areas: English language arts, mathematics, science, and social
studies or earned the current passing score on the
prescribed Praxis subject assessment of the Alabama Educator Certification
Assessment Program (AECAP). Additional information is provided in Rule
290-3-3-.44(2)(d).
(c)
Teaching Field.
Institutions may elect to meet appropriate Alabama State Board of Education
rules for specific teaching fields, CAEP-affiliated specialty organization
guidelines, or the guidelines of other national teaching field specific
accrediting agencies.
1.
Major
requirements. The Class B middle-level, secondary, and P-12
teaching fields shall include one of the following options:
(i) A comprehensive teaching field in English
language arts, general science, or general social studies.
(ii) A single teaching field that includes a
minimum of 30 semester hours of credit with at least 18 semester hours of
upper-division credit in a single teaching field, such as chemistry or
history.
(iii) A single teaching
field in an area of health education, career and technical education, physical
education, or special education that includes a major with a minimum of 30
semester hours of credit with at least 18 semester hours of upper-division
credit.
2.
Methods course requirements. Each Class B and
Alternative Class A middle, secondary, and P-12 teaching field shall be
supported by at least one methods course specific to the teaching field or to
the general area of the teaching field (e.g., science methods or social studies
methods). Methods courses for specific teaching fields or for the general area
of the teaching field shall not be combined with methods courses of other
teaching fields or general areas (e.g., mathematics and biology).
(d)
Criminal History
Background Check.
1. Effective no later
than the beginning of the fall 2008 semester, any candidate applying for
admission to a State-approved educator preparation program shall be required to
be fingerprinted for a criminal history background check through the Alabama
State Department of Education to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) pursuant to Ala. Code §
16-23-16.2
(1975).
2. The candidate shall be
fingerprinted by a service provider approved by the Alabama State Department of
Education. Additional information about approved providers, fees, and
procedures is available from the Certification Office.
3. The candidate is responsible for the
nonrefundable, nontransferable fee.
4. The candidate shall be issued a
suitability determination from the State Superintendent of Education. The
candidate must provide the designated official of the EPP documentation of
having cleared the criminal history background check prior to admission to a
State-approved educator preparation program.
5. A candidate whose suitability
determination precludes admission to a State-approved educator preparation
program has the right to due process procedures in accordance with the current
Educator Certification Chapter of the Alabama Administrative
Code.
(e)
Field Experiences and Internships (Class B, Class A, and Class AA
Programs).
1.
Field
experiences.
(i) All Class B,
Alternative Class A, Class A and Class AA programs shall require extensive
field experiences in diverse settings. If permitted by written EPP policy,
individuals who are employed in positions appropriate to the area of their
current program (e.g., an ESOL teacher of both elementary and secondary
students in a diverse setting) may complete field experiences on the job, but
those experiences must be planned with specific purposes and
assessments.
(ii) Except as noted
in Rule 290-3-3-.03(6)(e)(v), the majority of field experiences must occur in
P-12 schools.
(iii) At least half
of the field experiences shall be in the candidate's teaching field or area of
instructional support.
(iv) For
pre-kindergarten education programs, field experiences must span birth through
age 4 in both childcare and Office of School Readiness programs.
(v) For early childhood education and early
childhood special education programs, field experiences shall include
placements in at least two of the three main types of early education settings
[early school grades (K-3), childcare centers and homes, and Office of School
Readiness programs.]
2.
Internships in Class B and Alternative Class A
programs.
(i) The internships in
Class B and Alternative Class A programs shall equal at least a full semester,
full-time in the teaching field for which certification is sought and may
include more than one classroom or grade level, with experiences of the intern
progressing to the full responsibilities of the teacher. Prior to program
completion, an intern must teach full-time for at least five consecutive days.
(ii) For candidates who are
seeking certification in two or more distinct teaching fields, an additional
internship(s) shall be required (e.g., mathematics and biology).
(iii) For candidates who are seeking
certification in two or more related fields (e.g., chemistry and physics
or elementary education and elementary-level
collaborative special education or health education
and physical education), the internship may be divided between no more than two
teaching fields.
(iv) For P-12
programs and for individuals seeking certification in collaborative special
education at both the K-6 and 6-12 levels, the
internship shall be divided between early childhood/elementary and
middle/secondary grades.
(v) For
pre-kindergarten education programs, the internship must span birth through age
4 in both childcare and Office of School Readiness programs.
(vi) For early childhood education and early
childhood special education programs, the internship shall include a placement
with at least two of the following age groups: birth-age 3, age 3-5, age
5-8.
(vii) For elementary education
or collaborative special education (K-6) programs, the internship shall include
lower elementary (grades K-3) and upper elementary (grades 4-6) placements
unless substantial field experiences were completed at both levels.
(viii) A candidate who has met all State
requirements for unconditional admission to an Alternative Class A program and
is employed in an Alabama school may complete the internship in the candidate's
classroom if both of the following requirements are met:
(I) The candidate holds a valid Interim
Employment Certificate endorsed for the teaching field appropriate to the
candidate's teaching assignment, AND
(II) On-the job internship placements are
permitted by EPP written policy. See Rule
290-3-3-.02(6)(f)3.
for information about cooperating teacher requirements.
3.
Internships in
Class A and AA programs. Class A and Class AA programs may require
an internship. Refer to the specific rules for each program: Class A programs
for teaching fields in Rule
290-3-3-.41(5)(e),
instructional leadership in Rule
290-3-3-.47(3)(e),
library media in Rule
290-3-3-.48(4)(e),
school counseling in Rule
290-3-3-.49(5)(e) and
(f), school psychometry in Rule
290-3-3-.50(4)(e),
sport management in Rule
290-3-3-.52(3)(e),
Class AA programs for teaching fields in Rule
290-3-3-.53(5)(e),
and school psychology in Rule 290-3-3-.57(4)(e).
(f)
Faculty Qualifications.
1. Educator preparation provider (EPP)
faculty at the institution shall have earned doctorates from regionally
accredited colleges or universities or exceptional expertise that qualifies
them for their assignments.
2.
Faculty who teach professional education courses or supervise interns for
teaching field programs should be thoroughly familiar with the current
professional responsibilities of the P-12 practitioners in that teaching
field.
3. P-12 clinical faculty
(cooperating teachers) who supervise interns shall be accomplished school
professionals who are properly certified at the Class A level for their present
assignment or hold National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
certification that is appropriate to their present assignment, have at least
three years of professional educational work experience in their field of
specialization, and are currently teaching classes in the intern's area(s) of
specialization.
(i) For candidates in Class B
programs and candidates in Alternative Class A programs who are not employed on
the basis of holding an Interim Employment Certificate, if no acceptable
teacher with Class A certification in the intern's area(s) of specialization is
available in the institution's service area, then the EPP head may document and
grant an exception for a cooperating teacher who meets the other criteria but
holds a valid Class A certificate endorsed for Educational Administration or
Instructional Leadership or a valid Class B Professional Educator Certificate
rather than a Class A Professional Educator Certificate in the intern's area of
specialization. In addition, an intern in a Pre-K, early childhood education,
elementary education, or collaborative special education program (K-6 or 6-12)
may be supervised by a cooperating teacher who holds a Class A certificate
endorsed for reading specialist.
(ii) For a candidate in an Alternative Class
A program who is employed full-time as a teacher in the area of the candidate's
Alternative Class A program, if no acceptable teacher with Class A
certification in the intern's area(s) of specialization is available in that
school, then the EPP head may document and grant an exception for a cooperating
teacher who meets the other criteria but holds a valid Class A certificate
endorsed for Educational Administration or Instructional Leadership or a valid
Class B Professional Educator Certificate rather than a Class A Professional
Educator Certificate in the intern's area of specialization. In addition, an
intern in a Pre-K, early childhood education, elementary education, or
collaborative special education program (K-6 or 6-12) may be supervised by a
cooperating teacher who holds a Class A certificate endorsed for reading
specialist.
4. An intern
placed in a pre-kindergarten setting may be supervised by a teacher who meets
the criteria indicated above, or if a teacher who meets those criteria is not
available in the EPP's service area (Class B) or the school (Alternative Class
A), the intern may be supervised by a lead teacher designated by the Alabama
Department of Early Childhood Education and employed in a setting accredited by
the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
5. P-12 faculty shall provide regular and
continuing support for interns through such processes as observation,
conferencing, group discussion, and e-mail and the use of other
technologies.
(g)
Governance and Accountability for Educator Preparation.
1. The president of the institution shall
designate the administrative head of educator preparation (the EPP
head).
2. One person shall be
authorized by the EPP head to represent the EPP as the certification officer,
who certifies to the Alabama State Department of Education that an applicant
for a certificate has successfully completed the approved program for the
certificate sought and is recommended for certification.
3. Unless specified differently in other
sections of this chapter, there shall be at least one specialist in each
curriculum area for which a program leading to certification is offered who
holds the doctorate with a major area of specialization in the curriculum area
to which the faculty member is assigned. At the Class AA level, there shall be
at least two specialists for each certification program. Additional information
is provided in Rule
290-3-3-.01(33).
4. The unit shall limit its program offerings
to ensure that courses are offered at appropriate times and with sufficient
frequency to accommodate the levels of the candidates (Class B, Class A, and
Class AA).
(h)
Educator Preparation Provider (EPP) Accountability.
1.
Support for program
completers. The EPP shall establish, publish, and implement
policies to guarantee the success of individuals who complete its approved
programs and are employed in their area(s) of specialization in Alabama. The
EPP shall provide remediation at no cost to such individuals whose performance
indicates the need for additional support within the first two years after the
beginning valid date of the Professional Educator Certificate, which was issued
based on recommendation by the EPP. Assistance may be requested by the new
employee, the employee's principal, or the employing superintendent. In no
case, shall the EPP be required to provide remediation for more than the first
two years of employment.
2.
New programs. Authorization by the Alabama State Board
of Education shall be secured before a proposal for a new program is reviewed.
Candidates shall not be enrolled in courses unique to a proposed program prior
to program approval.
3.
Discontinuation of programs.
(i) If the Alabama State Board of Education
chooses to eliminate standards for a teaching field or area of instructional
support, the State Superintendent of Education will communicate directly with
EPP heads.
(ii) If an institution
chooses to discontinue a program or place it on inactive status, the EPP head
shall give written notification of this decision to the State Superintendent of
Education. The notification shall include the names and other identifying
information of candidates who have been unconditionally admitted to the program
to be discontinued or placed on inactive status, along with each candidate's
anticipated program completion date. Receipt of that notification shall be
confirmed by the State Superintendent of Education. No other candidates shall
be admitted to the program.
(iii)
An EPP may choose to reactivate an inactive program at any time prior to the
expiration date of the inactive program, if all standards applicable to the
inactive program are met. If the inactive program is not reactivated at the
time of the next comprehensive review, it must be addressed as a new program.
(Programs may be placed on inactive status if faculty requirements are not
met.)
4.
State and/or federal reports. Institutions that do not
provide requested data in a timely manner may have any or all of the
institution's program approval rescinded as authorized in Rule 290-3-3-.59(6).
By July 1, 2019, and each July 1 thereafter, each EPP shall submit to the State
superintendent of education an annual report summarizing assistance provided to
help LEAs analyze and solve school-based problems.
5.
Alternative
Approaches. EPPs must provide prospective educators with
information about alternative approaches to earning a Professional Educator
Certificate or a Professional Leadership Certificate.
Notes
Previous Rule.02 was renumbered.03 per certification published August 31, 2021; effective October 15, 2021.
Author: Dr. Eric G. Mackey
Statutory Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 16-3-16, 16-23-14.
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