2019-2020 Formal Review Toolkit

Periodic program review ensures continued growth, improvement, and educator preparation program effectiveness beyond the initial approval. Sponsoring Organizations with currently approved educator preparation programs who are nearing the end of the 7-year approval window and would like to continue operating programs are required to have those programs reviewed for re-approval.

The formal review process is:

Effective: builds a solid evidentiary base for decision-making,
Efficient: streamlined, targeted and systematic, and
Consistent: within and across organizations.

All Sponsoring Organizations reviewed during the 2019-2020 cycle are evaluated against a specific set of concrete, actionable criteria using corresponding evaluation tools.

The full process of review is outlined in the Guidelines for Program Approval. Resources below are designed to support the process.

Time Relative to Onsite Visit	Stage/Step	Description of Activities	Resources
13–21 months Prior	Initiation Phase	Sponsoring Organizations whose programs are nearing the end of their approval period will be contacted by DESE and notified of the need for an onsite formal approval visit. This notification will occur at the beginning of the 6^th year of approval.	Template: Formal Review Timeline Info Session — (forthcoming)
10–15 months Prior	Needs Assessments	The Sponsoring Organization will be required to submit a needs assessment for any new programs or programs set to expire prior to the formal onsite visit date.	Needs Assessment Advisory Worksheet: Needs Assessment Memorandum: Low-Completion STEM Programs Memorandum: Expiring Currently Approved Programs
4–12 months Prior	Offsite Phase	The Sponsoring Organization prepares documents demonstrating how the program meets the program approval Standards and Indicators (Refer to General Resources). Required documents must be submitted to DESE.	General Resources High Quality Evidence of Impact Advisory Partnership Advisory Overview: Domain Worksheets Instructions: Preparing a Submission Submission Requirements Template: Cover Page Worksheet: Introduction Narrative Worksheet: The Organization Domain Template: Faculty and Staff List Worksheet: Partnerships Domain Worksheet: Continuous Improvement Domain Worksheet: The Candidate Domain Worksheet: Field-Based Experiences Domain Worksheet: Instruction — Endorsements Worksheet: Instruction — Initial Teacher and Specialist Worksheet: Instruction — Initial Administrator Worksheet: Instruction — Initial School Support Personnel Worksheet: Instruction — Professional Pedagogy Matrices Professional Standards for Teachers (PST) Matrix — Updated 12/11/2015 Professional Standards and Indicators (PSI) for Administrative Leadership Matrix
4–6 months Prior	Initial Review	An initial review, or completeness check, of the submitted documentation is conducted by DESE. If the documentation is insufficient, the Sponsoring Organization will be asked to address the insufficiencies. If the documentation is complete, the Sponsoring Organization will be asked to finalize and re-submit final documentation to DESE. The initial review, or completeness check, does not assess the quality of the evidence submitted. The purpose of this initial review is to ensure that Sponsoring Organizations have submitted all required documentation prior to the onsite review. It is in an SO's best interest to deliver a well-organized, complete folio for review. New Programs — If you are submitting a new program, please submit: One Instruction Domain worksheet per program. For each Instruction Domain worksheet, please also submit: Program of Study All course syllabi All course descriptions Professional Standards for Teachers (PST)/Professional Standards and Indicators for Administrative Leadership (PSI) matrix (if applicable) Worksheet: Instruction — Endorsements — New Program Worksheet: Instruction — Initial Teacher and Specialist — New Program Worksheet: Instruction — Initial Administrator — New Program Worksheet: Instruction — Initial School Support Personnel — New Program Worksheet: Instruction — Professional — New Program
2 months Prior	Pre-Visit	A pre-visit conversation will occur approximately two months prior to the formal onsite. DESE and the Sponsoring Organization will use the organization's tailored onsite visit guidelines to coordinate the logistics for the formal onsite visit.	Note: The Onsite Visit Guidelines document is a general reference; each organization will receive a tailored version based on the individual needs of the review. Onsite Visit Guidelines Review Team Logistics Form
Onsite Visit		The formal onsite visit typically spans three days. The State Team consists of a minimum of two DESE staff and a team of peer reviewers (from PK-12 and Educator Preparation). It is the responsibility of the Sponsoring Organization to pay the cost of lodging and meal expenses of the reviewers.
3 months post-onsite	Factual Accuracy Report	DESE will issue a report summarizing commendations and findings within 90 days of the onsite visit.
10 Business Days from receipt of Report	Factual Accuracy Response	Upon receiving the final report, Sponsoring Organizations will review the document for factual accuracy and communicate any factual errors with DESE. The Sponsoring Organization will return the report within 10 business days.
4 months post-onsite	Notification of Approval Status	As a result of the review, DESE will notify the Sponsoring Organization of its approval status: approval with distinction, approval, approval with conditions, probationary approval or approval not granted. The Sponsoring Organization works with DESE to determine timelines and next steps in response to findings requiring action. The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education will notify Sponsoring Organizations of approval status in writing.

Last Updated: January 7, 2021

2019-2020 Formal Review Toolkit

General Resources

Submission Requirements

Pedagogy Matrices