Report of Regents Higher Education Committee to The Board of Regents

Your Higher Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on February 8, 2021. All members of the Committee were present.

Action Items

MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD

Mister Chancellor and Colleagues:  Your Higher Education Committee recommends, and we move, that the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the written report of the Committee’s deliberations at its meeting on February 8, 2021, copies of which have been distributed to each member of the Board of Regents.

Matters Requiring Board Action:

Proposed Amendments to Sections 52.21, 80-3.7, and 80-3.14 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and Section 30-1.2 of the Rules of the Board of Regents Relating to Providing Flexibility Relating to Student Teaching, Individual Evaluation Pathway to Certification, Accreditation, and the Computer Science Tenure Area and Statement of Continued Eligibility in Response to the COVID-19 Crisis

Your Committee heard an emergency proposal to amend  Section 52.21 of the Commissioner’s regulations to extend the time period for registered teacher preparation programs to implement required changes related to student teaching such that the changes would apply to candidates who first enroll in a registered program in the Fall 2023 semester, instead of the Fall 2022 semester, or thereafter; Section 52.21 of the Commissioner’s regulations to provide additional time for institutions with both initial level and advanced level educator preparation programs, whose initial level programs are currently accredited by CAEP but whose advanced level programs have not been reviewed and accredited by CAEP, to complete the accreditation process for their advanced level programs; Section 80-3.7 of the Commissioner’s regulations to extend the date by which candidates who apply for certification through the Individual Evaluation pathway must satisfy a longer teaching experience requirement (e.g., 14 weeks instead of 40 days) from September 1, 2026 to September 1, 2027; Section 80-3.4 of the Commissioner’s regulations to extend the application deadline for the Computer Science statement of continued eligibility (SOCE) from September 1, 2022 to September 1, 2023 and to revise the SOCE requirement such that teachers must be employed as teachers of computer science courses within six years, instead of five years, immediately preceding September 1, 2022 in a New York State public school, BOCES, or other school where teacher certification is required; and Section 30-1.2 of the Regents’ rules to extend the dates listed in the computer science tenure regulations from September 1, 2022 to September 1, 2023.

VOTED: That Sections 52.21, 80-3.14, and 80-3.7 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and Section 30-1.2 of the Rules of the Board of Regents be amended, as submitted, as an emergency measure, effective February 9, 2021, upon a finding by the Board of Regents that such action is necessary for the preservation of public health and the general welfare in order to immediately provide flexibility for certain higher education regulatory requirements in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Matters Not Requiring Board Action:

Proposed Amendment to Section 50.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to the Definition of “University”

Your Committee heard Department staff propose regulatory amendments to Section 50.1 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to broaden the criteria for the use of the word “university” in the name of an institution of higher education in New York State.

Consent Agenda Items:

The Board of Regents acted on the following consent agenda item at the January 2020 meeting.

• Authorization to Award M.P.A. Degree – Monroe College - The Board of Regents voted to authorize Monroe College to award the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) degree to students who successfully complete registered programs that lead to the degree at Monroe College.
• Conferral of Degrees – Dowling College. The Board of Regents voted to approve the conferral of the respective degrees upon listed individuals who have completed the requirements for registered degree programs at Dowling College.