OAR 584-410-0005: State Approval of Unit: Preconditions for First-Time Unit or Program Approval

(1) Prior to approval for any licensure program, a unit must satisfy the preconditions set forth below. Once the Commission has reviewed these preconditions, the Commission shall determine by resolution in a public meeting whether the preconditions have been met and whether the unit is eligible to apply for approval to deliver a licensure program in teaching, administration, school counseling, school psychology or school social work. (2) Programs from units or institutions that have never been approved by the Commission must satisfy the following preconditions prior to submitting a proposal for approval to deliver a licensure program: (a) A letter from an administrative body recognizing and identifying the professional educational unit as having responsibility and authority for the preparation of licensed educators; (b) Evidence that a dean, director, or chair has been officially designated as head of the unit and is assigned the authority and responsibility for its overall administration and operation; (c) Written policies and procedures that will guide the operations of the unit, including but not limited to: candidate handbooks; procedures on admission; program waivers; and candidate appeal rights; (d) Draft a conceptual framework that establishes the shared vision for a unit's efforts in preparing educators to work in prekindergarten-12 schools and provides direction for programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, scholarship, leadership, service, and unit accountability; The conceptual framework is knowledge-based, articulated, shared, coherent, and continuously evaluated. (e) Show evidence of the capacity for meeting national accreditation within 4 years. (3) The unit has leadership, authority, budget, personnel, facilities, and resources including information technology resources, for the preparation of candidates to meet professional, state and institutional standards. (4) Programs seeking first-time approval to offer any educator preparation licensure program must demonstrate that the unit proposing the program has already satisfied the pre-conditions set forth above or that they have received the approval of a pre-approved unit to offer an educator licensure program.