NAICU Washington Update

Teacher Prep Regulations Will Not Be Issued by November 1

October 08, 2015

The Department of Education has indicated that the long anticipated teacher preparation regulations will not be ready for publication by November 1. This was news because after reviewing, considering, and responding to comments, the Department submitted its final proposal to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review on September 16, a move that typically means final rules are imminent.

According to the Master Calendar implementation schedule for Title IV Higher Education Act programs, to be effective the following July 1, final regulations must be published by November 1, to allow institutions to prepare for any changes. In the case of the teacher preparation regulations, if they have an effect on the Title IV TEACH grant program, and they are not published by November 1, 2015, they cannot go in to effect on July 1, 2016. If published after November 1, 2015, the earliest effective date for the regulations would be July 1, 2017.

The Department received over 4,500 comments, a majority of which were in opposition to the proposed rule by the deadline last February. Hopefully this new timeframe for consideration will result in changes the higher education community seeks. However, it is still possible that the final rule will resemble the proposed rule the Department published in December 2014.

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