Once an institution receives approval from the Commission following Stage II: Eligibility Requirements, the institution may continue in the Initial Institutional Approval process by submitting the following and going before the Commission:

BIR review

1. Common Standards: View (PDF) Download (Word)
Common Standards reflect aspects of program quality that are the same for all credential programs, regardless of type of program. The program sponsor must respond to each Common Standard by providing information and supporting documentation that is inclusive of all credential programs to be offered by the institution. An institution's responses are reviewed by Board of Institutional Review members and must be aligned to the Common Standards before Provisional Approval can be considered by the Commission.

Commission Staff Review

2. Preconditions:
Preconditions are statements of Commission policy or state statute. An institution's responses are reviewed and must be in compliance with the relevant preconditions before Provisional Approval can be considered by the Commission. The relevant preconditions requiring responses from an institution in Stage III of IIA are as follows:

  • General Precondition #9, if applicable
  • Initial Program Preconditions
  • Program-Specific Preconditions
Commission Determination3. Provisional Approval

If the Commission approves the new institution, it would be allowed to operate under Provisional Approval. The provisional timeframe will be determined by the Commission and will span two to four years. At a minimum of two years, this timeframe will be adequate for an initial group of candidates to complete the program thereby allowing for data to be collected to determine the institution's effectiveness in educator preparation.

Updated August 01, 2022