(A) The chancellor of higher education, in consultation with the director of education and workforce, shall, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, establish metrics for the preparation of educators and other school personnel and the institutions of higher education that are engaged in their preparation. The metrics to be used in educator preparation programs shall do all of the following:
(1) Be aligned with the standards and qualifications for educator licenses adopted by the state board of education under section3319.22of the Revised Code and the requirements of the Ohio teacher residency program established under section3319.223of the Revised Code;
(2) Ensure that educators and other school personnel are adequately prepared to use the value-added progress dimension prescribed by section3302.021of the Revised Code or the alternative student academic progress measure if adopted under division (C)(1)(e) of section3302.03of the Revised Code;
(3) Ensure that all educators complete coursework in evidence-based strategies for effective literacy instruction aligned to the science of reading, which includes phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency comprehension, and vocabulary development, and is part of a structured literacy program;
(4) Ensure that clinical preparation for all educators who are responsible for teaching reading only occur in the classrooms where the local education agency has verified that the practicing teachers have training in literacy instruction strategies aligned to the science of reading, use instructional materials aligned to the science of reading from the list established under section3313.6028of the Revised Code, and actively implement a structured literacy approach.
(B) The chancellor shall do all of the following:
(1) Develop an auditing process that clearly documents the degree to which every educator preparation program at an institution of higher education is effectively teaching the science of reading as follows:
(a) By December 31, 2023, complete an initial survey of educator preparation programs, establish metrics for the audits, and update standards to reflect new requirements;
(b) Grant a one-year grace period for all institutions to meet new standards and requirements under this section to begin on January 1, 2024;
(c) On January 1, 2025, begin conducting audits of each institution that offers educator preparation programs.
The chancellor shall revoke approval for programs that are found to be not in alignment and do not address the findings of the audit within a year. All programs shall be reviewed every four years thereafter to ensure continued alignment.
(2) Annually create a summary of literacy instruction strategies and practices in place for all educator preparation programs based on the program audits, including institution-level summaries, until all programs reach the required alignment specified in division (A)(3) of this section;
(3) In conjunction with the department of education and workforce, do all of the following:
(a) Publicly release the summaries with local education agencies not later than the thirty-first day of March of each year;
(b) Identify a list of approved vendors who can provide professional development experiences that are consistent with the science of reading to educators who are responsible for teaching reading, including faculty in educator preparation programs;
(c) Develop a public dashboard that reports the first-time passage rates of students, by institution, on the foundations of reading licensure test.
(C) If the metrics established under division (A) of this section require an institution of higher education that prepares teachers to satisfy the standards of an independent accreditation organization, the chancellor shall permit each institution to satisfy the standards of any applicable national educator preparation accrediting agency recognized by the United States department of education.
(D) The metrics and educator preparation programs established under division (A) of this section may require an institution of higher education, as a condition of approval by the chancellor, to make changes in the curricula of its preparation programs for educators and other school personnel.
Notwithstanding division (E) of section119.03and division (A)(1) of section119.04of the Revised Code, any metrics, educator preparation programs, rules, and regulations, or any amendment or rescission of such metrics, educator preparation programs, rules, and regulations, adopted under this section that necessitate institutions offering preparation programs for educators and other school personnel approved by the chancellor to revise the curricula of those programs shall not be effective for at least one year after the first day of January next succeeding the publication of the said change.
Each institution shall allocate money from its existing revenue sources to pay the cost of making the curricular changes.
(E) The chancellor shall notify the state board of the metrics and educator preparation programs established under division (A) of this section. The state board shall publish the metrics and educator preparation programs with the standards and qualifications for each type of educator license.
(F) The graduates of educator preparation programs approved by the chancellor shall be licensed by the state board in accordance with the standards and qualifications adopted under section3319.22of the Revised Code.
Last updated February 7, 2024 at 2:22 PM