16 KAR 5:020. Standards for admission to teacher education.

16 KAR 5:020. Standards for admission to teacher education.

RELATES TO: KRS 161.020, 161.028, 161.030

STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS 161.028, 161.030

NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: KRS 161.028 requires that a teacher education institution be approved for offering the preparation program corresponding to a particular certificate on the basis of standards and procedures established by the Education Professional Standards Board. KRS 161.030 requires that a certificate shall be issued to a person who has completed a program approved by the Education Professional Standards Board. This administrative regulation establishes the standards for admission to a teacher education program.

Section 1. Selection and Admission to Teacher Education Programs. (1) In addition to appropriate National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education standards incorporated under 16 KAR 5:010, each teacher education institution shall develop and publish a plan of selection and admission of teacher candidates for the teacher education program, which shall include:

(a) Tests to measure general academic proficiency;

(b) An evaluation of the candidate's disposition for the education profession;

(d) A declaration signed by each teacher candidate affirming a commitment to upholding the code and acknowledging awareness of information required for state certification.

(2) The teacher education institution shall file the plan with the Education Professional Standards Board.

Section 2. Tests to Measure General Academic Proficiency. (1) The teacher education institution shall determine whether each applicant exhibits an acceptable level of competency in oral and written communication as an admission requirement.

(2) A student who plans to apply for admission to a teacher preparation program shall provide to the teacher education institution official scores of tests to measure general academic proficiency. A person shall not be permitted to apply for admission to a preparation program leading to certification as a teacher without first providing evidence of meeting the general academic proficiency requirement.

(3) The teacher education institution shall select the means of evidence for meeting the general academic proficiency requirement, which may include a combination of:

(a) College admission exams;

(b) Praxis I exams administered by the Educational Testing Service;

(d) Grade point average.

Section 3. (1) An educator preparation unit identified as "low performing" or "at risk of low performing" pursuant to 16 KAR 5:010 shall implement one (1) or more of the following assessment plans for candidate admission:

(a) Plan I. A minimum composite score of 21 on the American College Test (ACT);

(b) Plan II. The state minimum scores on the Communication Skills and General Knowledge portions of the Praxis tests reevaluated and approved by the Education Professional Standards Board;

1. Written format:

a. Reading 173;

b. Mathematics 173; and

c. Writing 172; or

2. Computer-based format:

a. Reading 320;

b. Mathematics 318; and

c. Writing 318;

(d) Plan IV. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Tests. Each institution shall establish a minimum passing score on the GRE for admission when the entry into the teacher preparation program is at the graduate level. In addition, each institution shall administer or require a writing assessment and verify the minimum writing competency for each applicant; or

(e) Plan V. SAT I, a minimum composite score of 990 and writing assessment.

(2)(a) An educator preparation unit identified as "low performing" or "at risk of low performing" pursuant to 16 KAR 5:010 shall require a candidate to obtain a cumulative grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.0 scale for admission to teacher education.

(b) A candidate who does not meet the grade point average established in paragraph (a) of this subsection shall possess a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on the last sixty (60) hours of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework, for admission to teacher education.

Section 4. Annual Report. Each teacher education institution shall submit an electronic report annually to the Education Professional Standards Board, including the following information:

(1) Demographic data on students admitted to teacher preparation;

(2) The scores of the admission tests for each applicant, including scores for an applicant denied admission; and

(3) The grade point average for each applicant, including the grade point average for an applicant denied admission. (23 Ky.R. 2362; Am. 3354; eff. 3-6-97; 24 Ky.R. 1958; 2375; eff. 5-18-98; 25 Ky.R. 910; 1357; eff. 12-3-98; 28 Ky.R. 2076; 2346; eff. 5-16-2002; recodified as 704 KAR 20:700, 7-2-2002.)