Working as a teacher educator today means working under an ever-present regulatory gaze. Accountability mechanisms, including state program approval processes, have been layered resulting in complexity. External assessments have failed to provide the data needed to support continuous improvement. There have been calls for combining external and internal evaluation processes to better drive continuous improvement. Developmental Program Evaluation (DPE) is an approach that claims to support program development in the middle space between top-down and bottom-up forces. This study examines the use of DPE in the middle space between mandated state approval processes and a small educator preparation program's effort to continuously improve. The findings are intended to appraise the practice of using DPE in this unique case and thereby yield principles that may be applied elsewhere. The study used a qualitative inquiry framework and case study methodology to examine in depth the process of one small, educator preparation program using DPE to prepare for and complete a site visit and other state continued approval requirements. Multiple forms of data were collected and analyzed in three stages of the process. DPE did help navigate the middle ground between state approval processes and programmatic efforts by supporting collaboration, helping the program better articulate and focus on its values, supporting data collection and analysis, guiding improvement efforts, and enabling continued program approval. Challenges associated with its use were time constraints, lack of evaluation expertise, limited resources, and the absence of a model to map the relationship of top-down and bottom-up forces. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]