2005 California Education Code Sections 44370-44374 Article 10. Accreditation in Educator Preparation

44370.  The Legislature finds and declares that the competence and
performance of professional educators depends in part on the quality
of their academic and professional preparation.  The Legislature
recognizes that standards of quality in collegiate preparation
complement standards of candidate competence and performance, and
that general standards and criteria regarding the overall quality of
a candidate's preparation are as essential as the assessment of the
candidate's competence and performance.
44371.  (a) The system for accreditation of educator preparation
shall do all of the following:
   (1) Concentrate on the overall quality of educator preparation in
credential programs.
   (2) Hold professional elementary, secondary, and postsecondary
educators responsible for quality in the preparation of professional
practitioners.
   (3) Contribute to improvements in educator preparation and
recognize excellence in preparation programs and institutions.
   (4) Replace the prior system of program approval, as established
by the Teacher Preparation and Licensing Act of 1970.
   (5) Be governed by an accreditation framework that sets forth the
policies of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing regarding the
accreditation of educator preparation.
   (b) The accreditation framework shall do all of the following:
   (1) Establish broad, flexible policies and standards for
accreditation of educator preparation.
   (2) Define the accreditation responsibilities, authority, and
roles of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the Committee on
Accreditation.
   (3) Establish an accreditation system that is efficient and
cost-effective.
   (4) Require that accreditation decisions be based on sufficient,
reliable evidence about the quality of educator preparation.
44372.  The powers and duties of the Commission on Teacher
Credentialing regarding the accreditation system shall include the
following:
   (a) Adopt and implement an accreditation framework, which sets
forth the policies of the commission regarding the accreditation of
educator preparation in California.
   (b) Establish and modify credential-specific standards,
experimental program standards, and alternative program standards, as
defined in the adopted accreditation framework.
   (c) Rule on the eligibility of an applicant for accreditation when
the applying institution has not previously prepared educators for
state  certification in California, pursuant to subdivision (a) of
Section 44227.
   (d) Appoint and reappoint the members of the Committee on
Accreditation, in accordance with Section 44373, by selecting among
nominees submitted by a panel of distinguished educators.
   (e) Review periodic accreditation reports by the Committee on
Accreditation, and refer accreditation issues and concerns to the
committee for its examination and response.
   (f) Hear and resolve appeals of accreditation decisions, pursuant
to subdivision (e) of Section 44374.
   (g) Allocate resources annually for implementation of the
accreditation system.
   (h) With the Committee on Accreditation, jointly design an
evaluation of accreditation policies and their implementation, and
jointly select an external evaluator to conduct the evaluation, in
accordance with Section 8 of the accreditation framework that was in
effect on June 30, 1993.
   (i) Modify the accreditation framework in accordance with Section
8 of the framework that was in effect on June 30, 1993.
   (j) Inform and advise the Legislature regarding statutory issues
related to accreditation, and submit legislative recommendations,
after considering the advice of the Committee on Accreditation,
educational institutions, and professional organizations.
44373.  (a) There is hereby established the Committee on
Accreditation consisting of 12 members selected for their
distinguished records of accomplishment in education.  Six members
shall be from postsecondary education institutions, and six shall be
certificated professionals in public schools, school districts, or
county offices of education in California.  No member shall serve on
the committee as a representative of any organization or institution.
  Membership shall be, to the maximum extent possible, balanced in
terms of ethnicity, gender, and geographic regions.  The committee
shall include members from elementary and secondary schools, and
members from public and private institutions of postsecondary
education.
   (b) The terms of committee members shall be in accordance with the
accreditation framework.  Appointment of the initial committee
members shall be from nominees submitted by a panel of distinguished
educators, who are named by a consensus of the commission and the
accreditation advisory council, pursuant to Section 44371, as that
section read on December 31, 1993.  Appointment of subsequent
committee members shall be from nominees submitted by a distinguished
panel named by a consensus of the commission and the Committee on
Accreditation.  For each committee position to be filled by the
commission, the panel shall submit two highly qualified nominees.
   (c) The committee shall do, but shall not be limited to doing, all
of the following:
   (1) Make decisions about the accreditation of educator
preparation.  The committee's decisionmaking process shall be in
accordance with the accreditation framework.
   (2) Make decisions about the initial accreditation of new programs
of educator preparation in accordance with procedures established by
the committee.
   (3) Determine the comparability of standards submitted by
applicants with those adopted by the commission, in accordance with
the accreditation framework.
   (4) Adopt guidelines for accreditation reviews, and monitor the
performance of accreditation teams and other aspects of the
accreditation system.
   (5) Present an annual accreditation report to the commission and
respond to accreditation issues and concerns referred to the
committee by the commission.
44374.  (a) The accreditation framework shall include common
standards that relate to aspects of program quality that are the same
for all credential programs.  The framework shall also include
multiple options for program standards.
   (b) The accreditation framework shall include provisions regarding
well-trained accreditation teams whose members shall be drawn from a
pool of California college and university faculty members and
administrators, elementary and secondary school teachers and other
certificated professionals, and local school board members.  For each
accreditation visit there shall be one team, whose size,
composition, and expertise shall be constituted according to the
accreditation framework.
   (c) An accreditation team shall present its report and
recommendations to the Committee on Accreditation in accordance with
the accreditation framework.  The committee shall consider the
accreditation team report and recommendations, and shall also
consider evidence, which may be submitted by the institution, that
the team demonstrated bias or acted arbitrarily or capriciously or
contrary to the policies of the accreditation framework or the
procedural guidelines of the committee.
   (d) The Committee on Accreditation shall make a single decision to
accredit, to accredit with stipulations, or to deny accreditation to
an institution's credential programs, pursuant to Section 44373 and
the accreditation framework.
   (e) An institution has the right to appeal to the commission if
the procedures or decisions of an accreditation team or the Committee
on Accreditation are arbitrary, capricious, unfair, or contrary to
the policies of the commission or the procedural guidelines of the
committee.  An institution also has the right to recommend changes in
the accreditation policies of the commission, which shall be
considered by the commission in consultation with the executive
director and the Committee on Accreditation.
   (f) At the request of an institution, the accreditation of an
education unit or a specific program by a national accrediting body
shall substitute for state accreditation provided that the national
accrediting body has satisfied the applicable conditions set forth in
the accreditation framework.