Part I. Definitions
8VAC20-543-10. Definitions.
The following words and terms when used in this chapter shall have the meanings indicated unless the context implies otherwise:
"Accreditation" means a process for assessing and improving academic and educational quality through voluntary peer review. This process informs the public that an institution has a professional education program that has met national standards of educational quality.
"Accredited institution" means an institution of higher education accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
"Accredited program" means a Virginia professional education program nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
"Accrediting agency" means an accrediting association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
"Annual professional education program profile" means the Virginia Department of Education yearly data program profile required of all professional education programs in Virginia that offer approved programs for the preparation of school personnel.
"Biennial accountability measures" means those specific benchmarks set forth in 8VAC20-543-40 to meet the standards required to obtain or maintain education endorsement program approval status.
"Biennial accountability measurement report" means the compliance report submitted to the Virginia Department of Education every two years by an accredited program.
"Candidates" means individuals enrolled in education programs.
"Department" means the Virginia Department of Education.
"Diversity" means the wide range of differences among groups of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, and geographical area.
"Education endorsement program" means a state-approved course of study, the completion of which signifies that an enrollee has met all the state's educational and training requirements for initial licensure in a specified endorsement area.
"Field experiences" means program components that are (i) conducted in off-campus settings or on-campus settings dedicated to the instruction of children who would or could otherwise be served by school divisions in Virginia or accredited nonpublic schools and (ii) accredited for this purpose by external entities such as accrediting agencies. Field experiences include classroom observations, tutoring, assisting teachers and school administrators, and supervised clinical experiences (i.e., practica, student teaching, and internships). Field experiences are required for all programs.
"Indicators" means operational definitions that suggest the kinds of evidence that professional education programs shall provide to demonstrate that a standard is met.
"Instructional technology" means the theory and practice of design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning and the use of computers and other technologies.
"Licensing" means the official recognition by a state governmental agency that an individual has met state requirements and is, therefore, approved to practice as a licensed professional.
"Professional education program" or "education preparation program" means the Virginia institution, college, school, department, or other administrative body within a Virginia institution of higher education, or another Virginia entity, for a defined education program that is primarily responsible for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel, and for purposes of this chapter, includes four-year bachelor's degree programs in teacher education.
"Professional studies" means courses and other learning experiences designed to prepare candidates to demonstrate competence in the areas of human development and learning, curriculum and instruction, assessment of and for learning, classroom and behavior management, the foundations of education and the teaching profession, reading, and supervised clinical experiences.
"Program approval" means the process by which a state governmental agency reviews an education program to determine if it meets the state's standards for the preparation of school personnel.
"Program completers" means individuals who have successfully completed all coursework, required licensure assessments, including those prescribed by the Board of Education, and supervised student teaching or the required internship.
"Program noncompleters" means individuals who have been officially admitted into an education program and who have taken, regardless of whether the individuals passed or failed, required licensure assessments and have successfully completed all coursework, but who have not completed supervised student teaching or the required internship. Program noncompleters shall have been officially released in writing from an education endorsement program by an authorized administrator of the program. Program noncompleters who did not take required assessments are not included in biennial reporting pass rates.
"Virginia Standards of Learning for Virginia public schools" means the Commonwealth's expectations for student learning and achievement in grades K-12 in English, mathematics, science, history/social science, technology, fine arts, foreign language, health and physical education, and driver education.
Statutory Authority
§§ 22.1-16 and 22.1-298.2 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 34, Issue 24, eff. August 23, 2018; amended, Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 2, eff. October 14, 2020; Volume 41, Issue 2, eff. October 24, 2024.