603 CMR 47.00

Licensure of Adult Basic Education Teachers and Preparation Program Approval

Section:

• 47.01: Purpose and Authority
• 47.02: Definitions
• 47.03: Adult Basic Education Teacher Preparation Program Approval
• 47.04: Adult Basic Education Panel Review for Licensure
• 47.05: Types of Licenses, Requirements for Licensure, and Requirements for Field-Based Experience
• 47.06: Routes to Professional Licensure of Adult Basic Education Teachers
• 47.07: Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements for Adult Basic Education Teachers
• 47.08: Professional Standards for Adult Basic Education Teachers
• 47.09: Standards for Orientation of Adult Basic Education Teachers
• 47.10: Licensure Renewal and Professional Development for Adult Basic Education Teachers
• 47.11: General Provisions
• View All Sections

Adopted by the Board of Education April 24, 2001, effective October 1, 2001
Most Recently Amended by the Board of Education June 22, 2004

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47.03: Adult Basic Education Teacher Preparation Program Approval

(1) Program Approval

1. (a) Candidates may qualify for licensure through successful completion of an approved preparation program leading to the Adult Basic Education Teacher's License, provided that they meet all other requirements.

2. (b) Sponsoring organizations with an approved ABE teacher preparation program have the authority to review prior course work and work experience of their candidates and waive otherwise required coursework when designing programs of study for them. Granting such waivers is the official responsibility of the sponsoring organization. Records of candidates for whom coursework has been waived must be available during onsite review.

3. (c) A sponsoring organization that has received approval of its ABE teacher preparation program is authorized to do the following:

   1. Endorse a candidate who has completed an approved program.
   2. Recommend a candidate for licensure, provided that such candidate has both completed an approved program and passed all MTEL tests required for the Massachusetts license.
   
   

4. (d) A sponsoring organization seeking approval of its ABE teacher preparation program shall invite the Department to review it. The sponsoring organization shall provide written evidence that it satisfies the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) and (3) for the program for which approval is sought. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall review the written information for the proposed program and verify it through an onsite review at the sponsoring organization. The Department shall use the same standards in reviewing all programs and sponsoring organizations for approval.

5. (e) Program approval will be for a period of five years, unless the program ceases to meet the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) and (3).

(2) Required Program Components
Approved programs leading to the Professional license for ABE teachers shall provide the following components:

1. (a) Preparation that satisfies the requirements for a bachelor's or master's degree program.

2. (b) Preparation that addresses the following:

   1. Subject matter knowledge requirements for the license, including six hours of coursework covering each of the following subject areas: English or literature (beyond freshman English), history, social science, science, and mathematics (college algebra or above); and three credit hours in mathematics methods, instructional technology, and language structure and acquisition.
   2. Knowledge of student learning standards in the Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Curriculum Frameworks.
   3. Professional Standards for Adult Basic Education Teachers (603 CMR 47.08) using guidelines developed by the Department, including the use of the Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Curriculum Frameworks in instruction.
   4. Application of knowledge in practice.
   
   

3. (c) Pre-practicum, including a field-survey component.

4. (d) Practicum or practicum equivalent.

5. (e) Assessment of candidate performance during the practicum, using guidelines developed by the Department.

6. (f) Appropriate services for advising candidates.

7. (g) Official transcripts of all candidates enrolled in each program.

8. (h) An annual report to the Department that includes the following information:

   1. Substantial changes in program components previously approved.
   2. Responses to any recommendations for improvement and citations of weakness stated in previous program approval reports.
   3. Standards for admission, student teaching, and exit from each program.
   4. Number of candidates admitted to each program.
   5. Number of candidates admitted to the practicum for each program.
   6. Number and total list of program completers for each program.
   7. Number and total list of program completers taking Massachusetts educator licensure tests and explanation for any difference between 603 CMR 47.03(2)(h)6 and 7.
   8. Number and total list of program completers who sought and obtained a teaching position in Massachusetts within the first year after program completion.
   9. Single assessment and aggregate pass rates of program completers of all programs leading to Professional educator licensure on licensing tests or assessments required by the Board.
   10. The sponsoring organization's summary pass rate for program completers of all programs leading to Professional licensure as a teacher on licensing tests or assessments required by the Board.
   
   

(3) Required Minimum Pass Rate

1. (a) All sponsoring organizations with an approved program shall demonstrate an 80% pass rate of program completers who take state licensing tests and assessments required for Professional licensure in the field of preparation.

   1. For sponsoring organizations, this shall be the summary pass rate.
   2. For the approved program, this shall be the single assessment pass rate for the subject matter test or the aggregate pass rate for the Communication and Literacy Skills Test.
   
   

2. (b) The sponsoring organization and its approved program shall report pass rates only when there are ten or more in a cohort of completers who take a test.

3. (c) The sponsoring organization shall publish, in official organizational publications, the initial and cumulative pass rates for each cohort of program completers who take required state licensure tests:

   1. Communication and Literacy Skills Test (aggregate pass rate).
   2. ABE Subject Matter Knowledge Test (single assessment pass rate).
   
   

4. (d) Organizations with fewer than ten program completers in any cohort shall aggregate the pass/fail status of test-takers over multiple years until the number of completers who take tests reaches ten. At that point, an organization shall be subject to the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(5), except that approval shall not be revoked until the organization has a second total of at least ten new program completers who take required state licensure tests.

5. (e) Programs with fewer than ten program completers in any cohort are not obligated to report pass rates for such programs. Those with at least ten program completers in any cohort shall be subject to the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(4).

(4) Revoking Approval of Individual Preparation Programs

1. (a) Any program that fails to demonstrate that it satisfies all of the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) and (3) shall be subject to review and possible revocation of approval.

2. (b) The Department may initiate a review of such a program and request an improvement plan. The Department shall offer technical assistance where appropriate.

3. (c) The sponsoring organization shall submit an improvement plan to the Department for programs that are under review. The Department will monitor progress in meeting the goals of the improvement plan. If, after two years under review, a program has not made satisfactory progress, its approval may be revoked. The Commissioner may extend the review for a third year if additional data must be collected, e.g., for small programs.

4. (d) The Commissioner will make the final determination regarding revocation of state approval of an individual program.

(5) Revoking Approval of Sponsoring Organizations

1. (a) Any sponsoring organization that fails to meet an 80% pass rate on all required state licensure tests taken by its program completers in any year (summary pass rate), or to demonstrate that it satisfies any other Program Components set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2), shall be subject to revocation of approval of all its programs and shall be referred to the Commissioner for review.

2. (b) The Commissioner shall initiate a review of all the programs offered by a sponsoring organization that has been referred for review and issue a report. Such report shall identify potential areas for improvement of those programs and offer technical assistance where appropriate.

3. (c) A sponsoring organization that has been referred for review shall have 60 days to submit an improvement plan to the Department. The Department will monitor progress in meeting the goals of the improvement plan for two years. At the end of two years the Commissioner shall make a determination as to whether the organization has made satisfactory progress.

   1. Sponsoring organizations whose programs have achieved an 80% pass rate on all required state licensure tests taken by program completers (summary pass rate) and satisfy all other Program Components set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) shall be taken off review.
   2. Sponsoring organizations whose programs have not achieved an 80% pass rate on all required state licensure tests taken by program completers (summary pass rate) but have made satisfactory progress shall be monitored for one more year.
   3. Sponsoring organizations whose programs have not achieved an 80% pass rate on all required state licensure tests taken by program completers (summary pass rate) and who have not made satisfactory progress shall be designated as "at risk of becoming low performing" in the state's annual report to the U.S. Department of Education.
   
   

4. (d) If, after three years under review, a sponsoring organization fails to achieve an 80% pass rate on all required state licensure tests taken by program completers (summary pass rate), the Commissioner shall designate the organization as "low performing" and recommend that the Board of Education revoke approval of all of the sponsoring organization's educator preparation programs. The Board will make the final determination.

(6) Restoring Approval of Individual Programs and Sponsoring Organizations

1. (a) A sponsoring organization must wait two years after revocation before it can apply to the Department to restore approval. The sponsoring organization shall submit written documentation of how it will address the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) and (3).

2. (b) The Department will review the written documentation to determine whether the organization and its program satisfies all of the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) and (3). Programs that demonstrate that they satisfy the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) will be allowed to recruit students.

3. (c) Upon demonstration of an 80% pass rate on all required state licensure tests taken by the first cohort of program completers (summary pass rate), the Commissioner will restore approval to the program or sponsoring organization, provided that it continues to satisfy the requirements set forth in 603 CMR 47.03(2) and (3).

Regulatory Authority:
603 CMR 47.00: M.G.L. c.69, § 1H.

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Disclaimer:
For an official copy of these regulations, please contact the State House Bookstore, at 617-727-2834 or visit Massachusetts State Bookstore.

Last Updated: November 24, 2004