Chapter 114 Rule Change Background & Process

Purpose of State Program Approvals

All entities preparing educators for initial certification in Maine must have State Board of Education-approved programs. Successful completion of an approved program entitles an individual to be recommended for certification in the appropriate categories for which the entity -- most commonly a college or university -- is approved. Following initial approval to offer educator preparation programs, approval must be reaffirmed every five (5) or seven (7) years, as long as an entity continues to satisfy the standards and requirements as established by the State Board of Education.

State Board Program Approval Cycles

Every five (5) years, Maine’s educator preparation programs must prepare for and host a comprehensive on-site evaluation by a Board-approved review team whose work is coordinated and facilitated by the Department of Education’s Higher Education Specialist. The review team’s report of findings from each of these visits is submitted to the State Board to inform its decision about program approval. Programs that have been both State-approved and nationally accredited are reviewed every seven (7) years by a joint State and national team.

Formation of the 2011 Chapter 114 Stakeholders Group

The Maine State Board of Education periodically calls for the establishment of a Chapter 114 Stakeholders Group to conduct a comprehensive review of the Board’s program approval procedures and standards. Such groups are composed of individuals who are familiar with the application of the Board’s procedures and standards and who will be most directly affected by any recommended changes to these practices. The Board charges such groups with the task of collecting and analyzing evidence about the effectiveness of its practices, and with making recommendations as to how the Board’s procedures and standards may be improved. Board members, too, are expected to be engaged and to participate in ongoing assessment of the needs of schools and candidates, to identify potential problems and points of vulnerability, and to develop strategies for becoming more effective. Consequently, a number of Board members also served on the Stakeholders Group.

Chapter 114 last underwent a comprehensive review in 2005-2006 that resulted in a number necessary changes and upgrades. Since that time, recognizing that a number of additional changes to this rule have become necessary, the State Board voted on Nov. 10, 2010, to establish and convene a Stakeholders Group.

On March 9, 2011, the State Board approved the recommended list of members for the Chapter 114 Stakeholders Group and designated Dr. Kathy Yardley, Associate Provost and Dean of Education at the University of Maine at Farmington, and Dr. Thomas Edwards, Provost and Coordinator of the Education Department at Thomas College, to serve as the Group’s Co-Chairs.  Further, the Board specified that the Stakeholders Group would be tasked with completing its work no later than March 30, 2012. 

Chapter 114 Stakeholders Group Membership, 2011

  1. Dr. Kathy Yardley, Associate Provost and Dean of Education, UMF, Co-Chair
  2. Dr. Thomas Edwards, Provost and Coordinator, Teacher Education Program, Thomas College, Co-Chair
  3. Nancy Perkins, State Board Member
  4. Jana Lapoint, State Board Member
  5. Dr. Dorothy Martin, State Board Member, Povost, NMCC
  6. Dr. Mark Tappan, Director and Faculty, Teacher Certification Program, Colby College
  7. Dr. Gerry Saunders, Director and Faculty, Teacher Education Program, Unity College
  8. Shelley Lane, Director, Education in the Unorganized Territories, Maine DOE
  9. Barbara Moody, Director, Teacher Education Program, Husson University
  10. Mark Cyr, Certification Coordinator, Maine DOE
  11. Dr. Susan Hillman, Professor of Education, UNE
  12. Roland Caron, Coordinator of Teacher Education Programs, UMFK; Former Superintendent, Ashland Public Schools
  13. Dr. Paula Tingley, Former Director of Guidance, Bangor High School
  14. Dr. Gael Romei, Coordinator and Faculty, Teacher Education Program, UMM
  15. Pamela Kimball, Field Experiences and Certification Program Director, UMO
  16. Dr. Philomena McPhee-Brown, Professor of Education, Thomas College
  17. Dr. Catherine Fallona, Director and Faculty, Teacher Education Program, USM
  18. Heidi-Broad-Smith, Instructor, Early Childhood Education, NMCC
  19. Donald Siviski, Superintendent of Instruction, Maine DOE, Former Superintendent, RSU 2
  20. Harry Osgood, Higher Education Specialist, MDOE

Charge to the 2011 Chapter 114 Stakeholders Group

The group’s charge was to examine all elements of the current rule and to submit recommended changes to the State Board of Education for its consideration. It was established that the Stakeholders Group would:

  • Comprise primarily those who will be most directly affected by the outcomes of this process (i.e. both education preparation program administrators and faculty – taking into account both private and public programs as well as the geographic distribution of existing programs in Maine);
  • Be limited to no more than 20 members;
  • Have three (3) State Board members who will be active participants;
  • Be given one year to complete its work;
  • Develop its report of recommendations for the State Board through a consensus-building process;
  • Have Co-Chairs;
  • Meet once per month, beginning in April 2011 (using both in-person and electronic meeting modes); and 
  • Be facilitated by the Department’s Higher Education Specialist who will provide support to the Group throughout this effort.

Role of the 2011 Chapter 114 Stakeholders Group Members

The Chapter 114 Stakeholders' Group was a representative assembly comprised of educator preparation program decision-makers, educator preparation faculty, field experience and clinical practice coordinators, a community college feeder program representative, State Board of Education members, and Maine Department of Education personnel responsible for State program approvals and educator certification.

The members of the Stakeholders' Group were requested to review and assess current provisions, as specified in Chapter 114, and to provide specialist advice regarding recommended areas for improvement to the State Board. These areas would draw upon initiatives currently in place, being established or under consideration, including various projects, studies, and working groups.

Deadline for the 2011 Stakeholders Group Report

The Stakeholders Group was tasked with compiling and submitting a report of findings to the Maine State Board of Education by March 30, 2012. The report was to focus on the effectiveness of the Board’s current practices and was to make recommendations as to how best the Board’s procedures and program approval standards may be improved.

Next Steps

The State Board received the Stakeholders Group report during its April 11, 2012 meeting. The report will next be thoroughly vetted by the Board’s Sub-Committee on Certification and Higher Education on April 24.  The Board’s Sub-Committee will report its findings during one of the Board’s subsequent meetings.

If the Board accepts the report and votes to provisionally adopt its findings, the Administrative and Procedures Act (APA) process will be activated. The report’s recommendations will then be the subject of a public hearing and a period for response to public comments. Following this process, and consideration of public comments, the Board will consider adoption of the resulting revisions, thereby replacing the prior provisions of rule, 05-071, Chapter 114, Purpose, Standards and Procedures for the Review and Approval of Preparation Programs for Education Personnel.