8VAC20-542-50.  This part of the regulations discusses the requirements for approval of education endorsement programs.   In the proposed regulations, education endorsement programs may receive one of the following three ratings:  approved, approved with stipulations, and approval denied.  We are particularly concerned with the approval denied rating.  According to the proposed regulations, an endorsement program may be denied approval if it does not have national accreditation or if its candidates’ passing rates on Board required licensure assessments fall below 80% for two consecutive bienniums. 

We are very concerned about the unintended consequences of denying approval to an education endorsement program.  Programs that are denied approval are not permitted to admit students for two years.  Measures that are punitive do not result in program improvement nor do they motivate programs to take proactive corrections. It is extremely difficult for programs to rebound and come back after being gone for two years. 

It is a critical time in education.  We are desperately trying to address the declining number of teacher education candidates and the national teacher shortage.  It is not the time to close education preparation programs.

As an alternative solution to closing programs for two years, we suggest placing programs on corrective plans.  Programs could continue to serve students and the school divisions in their region while addressing any concerns.  In addition, programs could be required to submit annual reports to document improvement and that demonstrate the support of their college and university.