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Program Reporting Letter

Archived Correspondence

February 17, 2017

Dear Deans, Associate Deans, Directors of Teacher Education, and Accreditation Coordinators:

In an effort to provide clarity and transparency in the program review and accreditation process, the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) is working with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) to assist Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) in navigating the program review process in light of the recent one-year extensions. The purpose of this letter is to update EPPs on program reporting procedures in relation to the one-year extensions to ensure that program reports are submitted according to CAEP’s policies and procedures. 

Per the CAEP-South Carolina Partnership, EPPs have two options for program review and recognition: National Program Recognition through the Specialized Professional Associations (SPAs) or State Program Approval. The State Program Review option is available to all low-enrollment programs as defined in the partnership or programs that do not have a SPA and follow the same reporting window as CAEP. The SCDE encourages all EPPs to seek National Program Recognition but understands that the State Program Review option may be the best option for some of your programs. All programs, regardless of enrollment size or reporting method (national or state), must be reviewed during the accreditation cycle. In addition, CAEP’s requirement for programs seeking SPA National Recognition is that all program reports must be submitted for initial review three years prior to the scheduled on-site accreditation visit.

Because the one-year extension has caused, in some instances, a four-year window between initial program review and the on-site accreditation visit, the SCDE has worked with CAEP to determine a reporting and resubmission process that will align with CAEP’s policies, but still honor the work done prior to the extension being approved. This accommodation is only for EPPs impacted by the time delay caused by the one-year extension granted in late October and early November 2016.

For program reports submitted in alignment with the previous accreditation timeline and currently have a four-year period between the program report submission and the on-site visit, the following guidelines apply:

  • If a program is Nationally Recognized, then no further action will be needed for that program report. You do not need to submit additional data or evidence to the SPA to align this program to the three-year program reporting window. However, in writing the self-study report, it must be reported that the program report(s) were submitted four years prior to the on-site visit due to a state requested and approved one-year extension.
  • If a program is Nationally Recognized with Conditions or Probation, you will submit an initial report with a new cycle of data instead of submitting a Response to Conditions Report. This process allows program faculty to make any changes indicated in the feedback from the SPA reviewers and also allows for the use of current data to support the program and align better to the three-year reporting window. The goal of this is not to penalize a program in submitting another initial program report; rather it allows the program to provide the most current data and evidence for the program. 

If your institution is not impacted by the one-year extension and program reporting window continue to prepare program reports according to CAEP’s guidelines, which, again, require program reports to be submitted three years prior to an on-site accreditation visit. Should you have questions specific to the reporting requirements of a particular program area contact the SPA coordinator for further clarification. Each SPA has different requirements; therefore, the SPA coordinator is the best point of reference for the most accurate information regarding reporting requirements for a particular program report.

The SCDE is committed to continuing to work with our EPPs and CAEP to assist in the reporting requirements required under the new accreditation model. Please contact me at rburns@ed.sc.gov with any questions or concerns you may have. I thank you and appreciate you for your commitment to preparing quality educators for South Carolina schools.

Sincerely,

Rachel L.H. Burns, Ph.D.

Education Associate