In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated. Terms Defined. “Accreditation”, also referred to as “national accreditation”, means a teacher education program has met standards set by a national accrediting agency recognized by the Department and the Commission. “Action research” means a deliberate, solution-oriented investigation to enhance student achievement that is conducted by the teacher candidate, under the guidance of a mentor teacher and clinical faculty. “Alternative teacher preparation program” means a sequence of courses established by a county board, an institution of higher education, or a nonprofit organization and approved by the State Superintendent that leads to a participant receiving a Resident Teacher License issued by the Department and includes teaching assignments with supervision and mentoring by a qualified teacher. “Approval” means a program has met all requirements set by the Department. “Approval with conditions” means a program has met some, but not all, requirements set by the Department and may operate under certain circumstances. “Candidate” means an individual enrolled in an educator preparation program who is preparing for or serving in a position as an educator in schools that educate students in preschool through grade twelve. “Clinical experience” means guided, hands-on, practical applications and demonstrations of a candidate’s professional knowledge and the application of theory through collaborative and facilitated learning, including in the practicum and in field-based assignments, tasks, activities, and assessments across a variety of settings. “Clinical supervisor” means an individual employed by the education preparation provider who oversees a candidate, is trained or experienced in the field in which the individual is supervising, and is trained to work with and provide feedback to candidates. “Commission” means the Maryland Higher Education Commission. “Completer” means the candidate has met exit requirements outlined in Regulation .08E of this chapter. “Department” means the Maryland State Department of Education. “Educator preparation program (program)” means either a traditional or alternative Maryland-approved sequence of courses and experiences required to train candidates to become licensed educators in a specific area. “Educator preparation provider (provider)” means an accredited college, university, or other post-secondary institution, public or private educational association, local school system, corporation, or institution approved to operate traditional or alternative educator training programs in Maryland. “Entrance” means matriculation into a program. “Exit” means completion of a program. “Focused revisit” means the subsequent review by the Department of a program that holds the status of approved with conditions or probation. “Institution of higher education” means a place of postsecondary education that generally limits enrollment to graduates of secondary schools, and awards degrees at either the associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level. “Interstate Certification Compact (ICC)” means a legal agreement with other states to facilitate the certification of out-of-State teachers and other professional educational personnel as authorized by Education Article, Title 6, Subtitle 6, Annotated Code of Maryland, or as otherwise provided by law. “Local school system (LSS)” means a Maryland public local education agency, a State-operated school, or a nonpublic school. “Maryland Teacher-Principal Evaluation” means an assessment framework for the performance of teachers, administered annually by the local school system, a State-operated school, or a nonpublic school, and recommended by the State. “Mentor teacher” means a highly competent educator, trained and selected by the partner school, who will work to instill in the participant the skills, attitudes, values, and knowledge necessary for the next generation of teachers. “Partner school” means a local school system, nonpublic school, nonpublic special education school, or eligible prekindergarten provider that has a written partnership agreement with an institution of higher education or alternative teacher preparation program to provide a teacher training practicum for participants enrolled in a teacher preparation program at the institution of higher education or alternative teacher preparation program. “Practicum” means the clinical experiences in which candidates have an increased teaching responsibility under the guidance of a mentor teacher. “Probation” means a program has seriously failed to meet program requirements or has demonstrated a pattern of noncompliance. “Professional development” means a variety of specialized training, formal education, or advanced learning intended to help administrators, teachers, and other educators improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness. “Traditional program” means a sequence of courses for educator preparation that: Is offered by a college or university leading to a degree and that includes: General education and content coursework; Professional coursework; Clinical experiences; and Demonstration of standards and competencies required to prepare educators for teaching students in the classroom environment; and On completion, makes candidates eligible for licensure in Maryland.