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

*Note: PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction credential: While the Commission has begun accepting IPR Intent to Submit Forms and IPR program proposals for the PK-3 Early Childhood Education (ECE) credential, the regulatory packet submitted to the Office of Administrative Law is still moving through the approval process. The packet will establish the credential requirements in law. Therefore, no PK-3 ECE credential program can be given full approval by the Committee on Accreditation until the regulatory package has been approved. This website will provide updates on approval of the regulatory package and information will also be made available in the PSD Enews. 

The estimated minimum timeline for review and approval of PK-3 ECE program proposals is four months from receipt of the program proposal. The timeline may vary depending on various factors such as those noted on this webpage.

*Note: Literacy Standard and TPEs:  At the October 2022 Commission meeting (Agenda Item 4A), the Commission took action to adopt a revised literacy program standard and Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs) for Preliminary Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and Education Specialist programs. With the adoption of the literacy program standard and TPEs, the Commission also took action to require demonstration of alignment with the newly adopted literacy standard and TPEs prior to approval of new Preliminary Multiple Subject, Single Subject, and/or Education Specialist program(s). If you are planning to submit an IPR program proposal for one or more of these programs, please review the respective literacy standard evidence guide below to include information in your IPR proposal. 

Initial Program Approval Process for New Educator Preparation Programs

A new Educator Preparation Program must seek Initial Program Approval 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.

Effective October 1, 2020, all Initial Program Review (IPR) submissions must be submitted on the institution’s accreditation website and follow the process below. The Professional Services Division no longer accepts IPR submissions through email attachments. The submission must be accessible through the institution’s accreditation website—simply uploading an inaccessible Word or PDF document to a website will not be accepted. If you have any questions about formatting your submission, please contact IPR@ctc.ca.gov before submitting.

Steps to Follow When Submitting a Program Proposal

  1. IPR Intent to Submit: 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.
  2. Signed 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*.

    *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.
  3. Prepare IPR submission which will consist of the following:
    1. Preconditions:
      a. Initial Program Preconditions
      b. Program-Specific Preconditions
    2. Initial Program Common Standards Response
      View Submission Requirements (PDF)
      View Template (PDF) - Download Template (Word)

      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.
    3. 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 following instructions:
      1. Initial Program Review Submission Instructions for Proposed Preliminary and Initial Education Preparation Programs (Not for use by PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Programs) or
      2. Initial Program Review Submission Instructions for PK-3 Specialist Instruction Credential.
      3. Initial Program Review Submission Instructions for Proposed Induction Programs
  4. Submitting the IPR Proposal: Complete the IPR Proposal Submission Form to submit the URL to your institution’s accreditation website housing the IPR proposal. Please note that the submission must include items 3A – 3C as listed above. Contact IPR@ctc.ca.gov with any questions regarding the submission of your IPR proposal.
  5. 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  accreditationfees@ctc.ca.gov.  

If you have any questions about the IPR process, please contact IPR staff at IPR@ctc.ca.gov.

Review and Approval Process

After the program proposal is received, Commission staff will review the Preconditions and the Initial Program Common Standards Response and qualified volunteer readers will review the program submission and supporting documentation. These volunteers are your colleagues in the field who have participated in activities to ensure a calibrated understanding of the program standards. If the reviewers have questions, or need additional information, staff will contact the program sponsor for more information. 

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 we receive your submission. This timeline is dependent on the receipt of a submission that follows the IPR submission instructions 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 faculty member for each proposed program to participate in the review of an IPR submission 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 submission prior to submission of their own proposal in order to gain the most in-depth understanding of the entire IPR process.  


Once the review process is completed, formal action will be taken by the Committee on Accreditation (COA) at their next regularly scheduled public meeting to approve or deny the program. The proposed program must receive Initial Program Approval from the COA to begin operation. During the COA meeting for which an institution’s program is placed on the agenda for approval, an institutional representative or representatives must be available (via technology) to answer any questions the COA members may have. The final program submission and all feedback provided to the institution during the IPR process must be accessible from the institution’s website as it will be linked in the COA item.

 

Adding an Intern Pathway to an Existing Approved 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.  

Updated May 10, 2023