ARC 5742C
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT[281]
Adopted and Filed
Rule making related to educator preparation programs
The State Board of Education hereby amends Chapter 79, “Standards for Practitioner and Administrator Preparation Programs,” Iowa Administrative Code.
Legal Authority for Rule Making
This rule making is adopted under the authority provided in Iowa Code section 256.7(5).
State or Federal Law Implemented
This rule making implements, in whole or in part, 2020 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2356.
Purpose and Summary
Chapter 79 outlines the standards and program requirements that all traditional educator preparation programs must meet to be approved to prepare educators in Iowa. Compliance with these standards is required and is evaluated during each educator preparation program’s approval review. The standards are also applied in an annual reporting system. This rule making updates the standards to remain current with United States Department of Education regulations and align with Board of Educational Examiners rules for licensure, and incorporates requirements in 2020 Iowa Acts, Senate File 2356, section 1.
Public Comment and Changes to Rule Making
Notice of Intended Action for this rule making was published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin on April 21, 2021, as ARC 5582C. A public hearing was held on May 11, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. in the ICN Room, Second Floor, Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines, Iowa. No one attended the public hearing. No public comments were received. No changes from the Notice have been made.
Adoption of Rule Making
This rule making was adopted by the State Board on June 11, 2021.
Fiscal Impact
This rule making has no fiscal impact to the State of Iowa.
Jobs Impact
After analysis and review of this rule making, no impact on jobs has been found.
Waivers
No waiver of these standards is permitted.
Review by Administrative Rules Review Committee
The Administrative Rules Review Committee, a bipartisan legislative committee which oversees rule making by executive branch agencies, may, on its own motion or on written request by any individual or group, review this rule making at its regular monthly meeting or at a special meeting. The Committee’s meetings are open to the public, and interested persons may be heard as provided in Iowa Code section 17A.8(6).
Effective Date
This rule making will become effective on August 4, 2021.
The following rule-making actions are adopted:
	Item 1. Rescind the definitions of “ISSL” and “Regional accreditation” in rule 281—79.2(256).
	Item 2. Adopt the following new definition of “Institutional accrediting agency” in rule 281—79.2(256):
“Institutional accrediting agency” means an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Agencies include regional and national accreditors. The department will maintain a web link to a list of currently approved accreditors on the department’s practitioner preparation web page.
	Item 3. Amend rule 281—79.4(256) as follows:
281—79.4(256) Criteria for practitioner preparation programs. Each institution seeking approval by the state board of its programs of practitioner preparation, including those programs offered by distance delivery models or at off-campus locations, must be regionally accredited by an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and shall file evidence of the extent to which each program meets the standards contained in this chapter by means of a written self-evaluation report and an evaluation conducted by the department. The institution shall demonstrate such evidence by means of a template developed by the department and through a site visit conducted by the department. After the state board has approved the practitioner preparation programs of an institution, students who complete the programs and are recommended by the authorized official of that institution will be issued the appropriate license and endorsement(s).
	Item 4. Amend rule 281—79.9(256) as follows:
281—79.9(256) Approval of program changes. Upon application by an institution, the director is authorized to approve minor additions to, or changes within, the curricula of an institution’s approved practitioner preparation program. When an institution proposes a revision which exceeds the primary scope of its programs, including revisions which significantly change the delivery model(s), the revisions shall become operative only after having been approved by the state board. Approval of any institution’s application for adding the dyslexia specialist endorsement must include approval by the Iowa reading research center.
[Filed 6/11/21, effective 8/4/21]
[Published 6/30/21]
Editor’s Note: For replacement pages for IAC, see IAC Supplement 6/30/21.