281—80.12 (272) Program assessment and evaluation standards. The unit’s assessment system shall appropriately monitor individual candidate performance and use that data in concert with other program information to improve the unit and its programs in accordance with the provisions of this rule.
	   80.12(1) Each paraeducator candidate’s knowledge and skills shall be measured against state certification standards adopted by the board of educational examiners under Iowa Code section 272.12 and the unit’s learning outcomes for any certificate for which the unit may recommend the candidate.
	   80.12(2) Programs shall submit curriculum exhibits for approval by the department.
	   80.12(3) The unit shall establish a standard of satisfactory performance of paraeducator candidates, which shall comply with the following requirements.
	      a.    	 The unit uses measures for candidate assessment that are fair, reliable and valid.
	      b.    	 The unit assesses candidates on their demonstration and attainment of unit standards.
	      c.    	 The unit uses a variety of assessment measures for assessment of candidates on each unit standard.
	      d.    	 The unit provides candidates with formative feedback on their progress toward attainment of unit standards.
	      e.    	 The unit assesses content knowledge and its application as candidates work with students, teachers, parents, and other professional colleagues in school settings.
	      f.    	 The unit assesses candidates at the same level of performance across programs, regardless of the place or manner in which the program is delivered.
	   80.12(4) The unit shall conduct a survey of graduates and their employers to ensure that its graduates are well prepared for their assigned roles.
	   80.12(5) The unit shall have a clearly defined, cohesive assessment system and regularly review, analyze and revise its assessment practices.
	   80.12(6) The unit shall collect and analyze aggregated candidate and program data, use those data to make program improvements, and share those data and improvements with stakeholders on a regular basis.
	   80.12(7) An annual report including a composite of evaluative data collected by the unit shall be submitted to the department by September 30 of each year.
	   80.12(8) When it publicly reports data, the unit shall comply with all applicable privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 U.S.C. § 1232g.
[ARC 1966C, IAB 4/15/15, effective 5/20/15]