Ed Prep | Educator Preparation Institutions

Information for Higher Education Institutions Offering Educator Preparation Programs in Ohio

The Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education is responsible for assuring the continued quality of educator preparation programs that lead to Ohio licensure or endorsement; verifying that educator preparation programs meet state mandates, standards and requirements; developing education program guidelines and enhancements that continuously increase quality and rigor; and reporting on the quality of Ohio educator preparation programs to the public.

Institutions that offer education licensure programs in Ohio must be nationally accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. 

New licensure programs must be approved by the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education before they are offered.  

Requirements

To access more information regarding Ohio's Educator Standards or to learn more about the Educator Standards Board (ESB), please visit the ESB website at http://esb.ode.state.oh.us/.

Program Submission Process

• Contact EdPrep@highered.ohio.gov if you have questions.
• State reviews happen twice a year. The deadlines are October 15 and March 15. All submissions are due by 5pm on the established due date. If the 15th falls on a weekend, the deadline is the following Monday. 
• Forms may be modified each semester. Please double check the date on your forms and be sure that you are using the most recent available by accessing the links below. 
• For Program Change requests, please contact EdPrep@highered.ohio.gov and indicate what kind of change you are making. The appropriate form will then be sent.
• Required Ohio Standards Crosswalk
• Once a program is reviewed, it is posted for public comment. If no comments are recieved or the comments have been addressed, the program is then sent for Chancellor's signature. 
• If you are looking for the signed approval letter for a program, begin by searching the approved programs system. 

It is the responsibility of each institution to ensure that each of its programs holds current Chancellor approval. It is recommended that institutions submit proposals seeking continued program approval no later than six months prior to the end of the program’s approval period. This will help to ensure that any revisions may take place without a lapse in approval. Programs that do not achieve continuing approval by the prior approval period deadline no longer hold State approval and are automatically in a “teach-out mode,” holding authority solely to complete the preparation of currently enrolled candidates and the authority to recommend only those individuals to the Ohio Department of Education for licensure [Ohio Administrative Code 3301-24-03 (E)]. In a situation of lapsed approval, a program holds no authority to admit or enroll new candidates.

New Program Review

• New program proposals should follow the Full State Review as listed below under Continuting Program Review.

Continuing Program Review

Ohio institutions may select one of the two options below for continuing program review*:

Option 1. Limited State Review [available only to programs holding full Specialized Professional Association (SPA) recognition and programs that followed CAEP Review with Feeedback*]: This option requires submission of evidence to the Ohio Department of Higher Education of evidence demonstrating alignment to Ohio-Specific Requirements, e.g. Value-Added, Dyslexia, Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession, Ohio School Operating Standards - To be completed according to the state program approval deadline for each program  *CAEP Program Review with Feedback is completed as part of EPP Accreditation Review. CAEP Technical Guide for this option is here. 

​​Limited State Review Forms:

Limited State Review - Initial Licensure
Limited State Review - Endorsement and Advanced Licensure 

Option 2. Full State Review - To be completed according to the state program approval deadline for each program, located on Chancellor authorization letter. Requires submission of documentation including syllabi, faculty CVs, program sheets and and evidence demonstrating alignment to Ohio-Specific Requirements, such as Reading Core, Dyslexia, and Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession.

Full State Review Forms:
Full State Review - Initial Licensure

Full State Review - Endorsement and Advanced Licensure

Post-baccalaureate options that completely overlap with already approved undergraduate or graduate programs (candidates enroll in the same courses as the degree seeking students) do not need to be reviewed separately. Only programs designed to stand on their own with separate admissions requirements and coursework need to be submitted as a stand-alone program. 

Alternative Educator Institutes

Alternative educator licenses are established in Ohio Revised Code 3319.26

There are two phases in alternative licensing in Ohio:

1. Intensive Pedagogical Training Institute or Summer Institute (pre-licensure)
2. Professional Development Institute (post-licensure)

The Ohio Department of Education will be evaluating individual applicants for eligibility and providing a Confirmation Registration Letter to that individual. This documentation serves as an institution’s admission clearance to pursue the pre-service training. Institutions should check the date in the middle of the letter to ensure that the letter has not expired. Once the training is complete, the offering institution will sign an ODE created Certification of Completion form that the applicant returns to ODE in exchange for a certificate that shows that the person is eligible for hire in a district. That district then submits the request for an alternative resident educator license to ODE.

An Alternative Resident Educator must then complete a Professional Development Institute, along with completing all other Resident Educator requirements, before being eligible to advance to the professional license.

Non-profit organizations may propose offering any and all of the institute options. Institutes may be designed to be generic and meet basic needs for all available alternative licenses, or specific to address the needs of individual licenses (for example, coursework meeting the legislated requirements through a focus on intervention specialist).

• For more information about the licenses, review this Ohio Department of Education webpage. 
• For a list of approved providers and programs, go to the Alternative Licensure Institute page.

Alternative Educator Institute Forms:

• Intensive Pedagogical Institute or Summer Institute (pre-licensure)
• Professional Development Institute (post-licensure)

Fees

Ohio Administrative Code establishes national accreditation as a pre-requisite to program approval. All educator preparation licensure programs must be approved by the Chancellor before enrolling students. Periodic review of license and endorsement programs will occur on a schedule determined by ODHE. The table below describes the review types and associated fees. Fees apply only to non-public and out-of-state institutions.