Eligibility to Submit a New Educator Preparation Program First Requires Initial Institutional Approval if the institution is not yet Commission-approved.

Initial Program Approval Process for New Educator Preparation Programs

A Commission-approved institution seeking to add a new educator preparation program must do so through the Initial Program Review (IPR) process. 

The Initial Program Review process can take 6-12 months, or more, to complete depending on various factors including, but not limited to, availability of reviewers and Committee on Accreditation scheduled meetings. 
 
This webpage page includes all the information required to prepare and submit an Initial Program Proposal for a new educator preparation program by a Commission-approved program sponsor. 

Each drop down menu below includes crucial information on each step of the IPR process. Please make time to review each step to ensure the timeliness of your institution’s submission of the IPR Proposal and that the IPR Proposal includes all required components and elements.  

Steps to Follow When Submitting a Program Proposal

Step 1: IPR Intent to Submit Form

Complete the IPR Intent to Submit Form. This link will direct you to an online form regarding the proposed program which you must complete to begin the IPR process. This form is required no later than 2 weeks (14 calendar days) prior to submitting the final proposal.

Step 2: IPR Institutional Verification Form

Once IPR staff receives an institution’s IPR Intent to Submit Form, a confirmation email will be sent to the program contact(s) provided on the IPR Intent to Submit Form along with an IPR Institutional Verification Form. The IPR Institutional Verification Form must be signed by the Unit Head* and returned to the IPR team via email. 

*The Unit Head is an individual whom the institution has granted the authority to manage the human and fiscal resources needed to meet all educator preparation program goals. The Unit Head is usually, but not always, limited to the dean at an IHE, or an associate superintendent/director of a local education agency.

Step 3: Directions on How to Prepare the IPR Proposal

Initial Program Review proposals must be posted to the institution’s accreditation website and the URL submitted via the IPR Proposal Submission Form found on the IPR Webpage. Google docs, pdfs, and other linked documents attached to an email will not be accepted. Additionally, uploading a single Google Doc or PDF which contains all the IPR proposal components to a website is not an acceptable submission format.

General

  • The website must be easily accessible to reviewers without the requirement of reviewers signing in to their own personal or work email accounts. 
  • The proposal must not be contained within a single document. Each proposal component must be separate.
  • If not yet published, evidence must be in final draft form.
  • Programs are strongly encouraged to build a webpage or website organized with all required evidence that is accessible to reviewers without requiring login.

Providing Evidence

  • It is the institution’s responsibility to ensure all links are functional - it is recommended they be tested from outside the institution’s networks.
  • Evidence must be bookmarked/linked directly in the submission.
  • Links must open in a new tab.
  • For the Course Matrix, links to syllabi must open in a new tab separate from the Course Matrix document.

Access

  • If the website is password protected, the password must also be submitted along with any login credentials, if applicable. 
  • If evidence is housed within a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Canvas, reviewers must be able to access the LMS. If this is not feasible, please submit clear screenshots or links to relevant assignments.

Step 4: Preparing the IPR Proposal

 

Three IPR Proposal Components Submission Requirements 
A. Preconditions
  • Initial Program Preconditions
  • Program-Specific Preconditions

    If an intern pathway is proposed with a preliminary preparation program, program specific preconditions and intern preconditions are required
B. Common Standards

During Initial Program Review, institutions are required to submit an Initial Program Common Standards response demonstrating how the proposed program will integrate into the existing education unit. Please note that the template includes some, but not all, of the elements from the full Common Standards. Please review the Submission Requirements as specific evidence is required for elements of the Common Standards. 
  • View Submission Requirements ( PDF)
  • Use this document to ensure the IPR  Common Standards Response address all required elements of the Common Standards.
    View Template (PDF) Download Template (Word)
C. Program Standards Required Exhibits and Elements

The proposed program must address the full language of the program standards. Program Standards can be found on the Commission’s  Program Standards webpage. Provide the required exhibits and elements addressing the full language of the Program Standards for the proposed program using the corresponding submission instructions:  
  1. Initial Program Review Submission Instructions for Proposed Preliminary and Initial Educator Preparation Programs (Not for use by PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Programs) or
  2. Initial Program Review Submission Instructions for PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential Programs 
  3. Initial Program Review Submission Instructions for Proposed Induction Programs

D. Literacy Standard and TPEs

Preliminary Multiple and Single Subject Program Standard 7: Effective Literacy Instruction for All Students   

Preliminary Multiple and Single Subject Program Standard 7: Effective Literacy Instruction for All Students Evidence Guide -  

Download Template (Word) 

Course Matrices for Domains 1-7 available on Program Review Page 
Preliminary Education Specialist: Mild to Moderate Support Needs and Extensive Support Needs Program Standard 7: Effective Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities 

Preliminary Education Specialist: Mild to Moderate Support Needs and Extensive Support Needs Program Standard 7: Effective Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities Evidence Guide

Download template (Word)  

Course Matrices for Domains 1-7 available on Program Review Page 
Preliminary Education Specialist: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Standard 7: Effective Literacy Instruction for Deaf Students 

Preliminary Education Specialist: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program Standard 7: Effective Literacy Instruction for Deaf Students Evidence Guide

Download template (Word) 

Course Matrices for Domains 1-7 available on Program Review Page 

 

Step 5: Submitting the IPR Proposal

IPR proposals are due on the date identified in the IPR Intent to Submit form. If the planned submission date for the proposal changes, please notify the IPR team by contacting IPR@ctc.ca.gov.  

Initial Program Review proposals must be posted to the institution’s accreditation website and the URL submitted via the IPR Proposal Submission Form.

Be sure to follow the requirements listed in Step 3: Directions on How to Prepare the IPR Proposal and Step 4: Preparing the IPR Proposal to ensure your proposal is prepared to be reviewed and is not returned as incomplete/inaccessible. 

Intake Appointment

Once the Initial Program proposal is received via the IPR Proposal Submission Form, the IPR Team will contact you to set up a 30-minute Intake Appointment, to ensure the proposal is accessible and that all required evidence is included. You will be asked to provide your availability on the IPR Proposal Submission Form.

Step 6: Submit Payment of Cost Recovery Fees

Once the IPR proposal is received, an invoice for Cost Recovery Fees will be sent to the fiscal contact provided on the IPR Intent to Submit form. Directions for submitting payment will be included with the invoice. Payment must be received prior to recommendation for program approval. Any questions regarding fees should be sent to IPR@ctc.ca.gov.  

Review and Approval Process

Review Process

Once submitted, IPR proposals are checked by staff for completeness and accessibility. IPR proposals with missing exhibits and/or issues with access will be returned to the institution. All issues must be resolved before a review team is assigned.  

After the IPR proposal is ready to continue in the review process, Commission staff will review the Preconditions and the Initial Program Common Standards Response and pairs of reviewers with program expertise are convened to review the exhibits and elements component. The program reviewers will review the exhibits and elements included in the IPR proposal and will provide feedback standard-by-standard. Reviewers will reach consensus as to whether each program standard is Aligned or Needs More Information and will indicate this in their feedback. If a standard is deemed to Need More Information, reviewers will provide guidance as to what additional information is required. Commission staff will review the feedback and forward the feedback to the program contact at the institution. If the reviewers have questions, or need additional information to complete their review, staff will contact the program sponsor for more information.  

 Institutions must provide additional information and documentation for any standards that the reviewers did not find to be Aligned. As with the review of the IPR Common Standards Response and relevant preconditions that are a part of the IPR proposal, this process is iterative until the reviewers find all program standards for the proposed program to be Aligned.  

 The review process can be quite lengthy, especially for lower incidence programs, as the review process depends entirely on the participation of volunteer experts from the field. As noted above, the typical time for programs to go through review and be approved can take at least 6-12 months from the time the IPR Team receives your IPR proposal. This timeline is dependent on the receipt of a IPR proposal that follows the IPR steps noted above as the review process could be delayed if the submission does not include direct links to evidence that are accessible without restrictions. The Commission asks that each institution, when completing the Intent to Submit form, identify one prospective reviewer for each proposed program to participate in the review of an IPR proposal to keep the review process moving as quickly as possible. It is highly recommended that institutions interested in the IPR process have their staff volunteer to review a proposal prior to submission of their own proposal in order to gain the most in-depth understanding of the entire IPR process.   

Approval Process

Once the review process is completed, all proposal components (preconditions, common standards, program standard exhibits and elements) are found to be aligned, and cost-recovery fees are paid, formal action will be taken by the Committee on Accreditation (COA) at their next regularly scheduled meeting to approve or deny the program.  

The final feedback forms must be added to the institution’s IPR proposal website with the IPR proposal no later than 10 days prior to the COA meeting for which the proposal is being considered. The COA agenda item will include a link to the institution’s IPR program proposal which will include all proposal components. The institution must make the IPR program proposal available and accessible for public view and COA approval. 

During the COA meeting for which an institution’s program is placed on the agenda for approval, at least one representative from the proposed program must be available (either through technology or in-person) during the COA meeting in which the program is being recommended in order to answer any questions asked by the COA. If the COA takes action to approve the proposed program, the institution will be subsequently provided a letter from the Commission indicating that the program is approved. he proposed program must receive Initial Program Approval from the COA to begin operation.  

Adding an Intern Pathway to an Existing Approved Program

Add Intern Program

For Commission-approved institutions that are seeking to add an intern pathway to an already existing program, please review the following information: Adding an Intern Pathway. You may contact IPR@ctc.ca.gov and Intern@ctc.ca.gov for any questions related to this process.

Contact Us

All correspondence and submissions must be emailed to IPR@ctc.ca.gov. Questions related to specific programs will be routed to the appropriate staff.  

IPR Office Hours:  

First and Third Wednesdays of the month from 11:00am – noon  

Please visit the Accreditation Technical Assistance page for links. 

Updated August 28, 2024